All Forms of Art

When Sense8 first opens, it deliberately disorients you — much like it did me when I began watching it years ago. The early episodes feel like fragments, jumping between eight strangers scattered across the globe.  At first, it’s confusing, seemingly random, and hard to piece together. But that’s by design. The show’s very heart is connection — not just within its narrative, but in the way it asks you, the viewer, to lean in and connect the dots personally. Characters That Make You Care — A Shared Humanity Where Sense8 truly shines is in its characters. Each one is distinct, carrying a world of struggles, memories, and dreams that feel real. The magic isn’t just their telepathic link — it’s the authenticity of their struggles and how they mirror our own. We begin to care not because they’re flawless, but because their flaws and triumphs feel familiar. Their connection isn’t about powers — it’s about empathy. This idea — that really seeing someone else’s life can de...

Sierra Burgess is a Loser is a teen-comedy drama movie, a Netflix original, which, when I first saw the trailer, seemed to me like it would be a lovely movie about transformation and self-esteem, where some characters would learn to look beyond appearances… It would be kind of a cliché, but that wouldn’t necessarily be a problem. Not What It Looks Like When you start watching the film, Sierra (Shannon Purser - Barbara from Stranger Things ) seems very confident, even when she is mistreated by her colleagues, but it’s obvious she is putting on a mask. And, in less than 10 minutes, the whole idea of a lovely story turns out to be a huge mistake. Let me explain. This movie is NOT romantic; it’s all about lies and lack of respect. She betrays this one boy’s trust, she lied to, kissed him without his permission (while he actually thought he was kissing someone else)… I’m sorry, but if it were the boy doing it, every woman who calls themselves a feminist would be stand...

After finishing watching this show, it’s hard to talk about it and its pros and cons without giving away any spoilers.  So, let’s start with the plot: three students from a poor neighborhood receive a scholarship to the best private high school in the country, where the sons and daughters of the Spanish elite study.  The clash between these two different realities is inevitable, and, as you might imagine, many problems and questions arise with it. The resident students didn’t like the newcomers, and, in turn, the newcomers mistrusted their colleagues. Tension raises and everything seems to collapse. Just Teens While watching the show, I couldn’t avoid noticing how sarcastic it might seem, as you realize that, besides the cultural shock, they weren’t that different after all. I believe that’s the real point in this story. The interactions between the characters are like those in any other teen show, but despite the different context, they reminded me a lot...

My Brilliant Friend is the first book in a series of four ( the second of which is already sitting on my bedside table) from an author who kept her identity in secret for many years. I had no idea of that, or even any hint of the story, when I started reading it. The book was a birthday gift from a person who seemed to really love it. Since I know she likes good literature, I started reading with confidence, and let me tell you: I was not disappointed! Childhood Friends The story is about two really different friends, living in a poor neighborhood near Naples. They grow up dealing with poverty, lack of education and money, violence surrounding them, and, like any other person, they have their own egos to deal with.  Throughout the book, we’ll see them deal with both forces that unite them and those that tear them apart. The atmosphere around them reflects a reality I had only heard about in my mother’s or grandmother’s stories, but I think that actually helped...

Atypical was a great surprise for me, a quite positive one at that.  The way they show and present autism, and a person on the spectrum with their own struggles, but also with every bit of usual teenage problems, just like everyone else, was for me a big step in moving forward.  It makes its contribution toward creating a more tolerant society and more informed people when it comes to autism. Family The whole story has a good structure. The way that this family, especially the mother ( Jennifer Jason Leigh), has her life revolve around her son’s problem is quite realistic. However, this is not just a show about disabilities. It’s a show about a family that happens to have a person on the spectrum in it. And most importantly, it shows us a realistic yet optimistic point of view, full of hope for many families out there. What does it feel like? By watching this show, you can have a closer idea of what a person on the spectrum might feel and think, an...

I watched this movie very recently. I hadn’t read the book, but I tend to trust Netflix ; it has some pretty good originals, plus the trailer seemed cute and the story very sweet.  Recently, most teen movies and shows have focused on their cruelty and how badly they can hurt each other. This one, however, is a beautiful, romantic movie about falling in love, and I had a good time watching it. Emotions All Over While you watch the movie, you may feel emotional. It has a good script, focused on feelings and emotions. And it leads you to empathize with the characters and feel fully absorbed in their reality. Love is probably the main word that comes to your mind after you watch it, but not only romantic love; the relationships inside Lara Jean’s (Lana Condor) family are very interesting and remarkably intense. You'll also be delighted by the work of Noah Centineo ( Sierra Burger is a Loser ) and Janel Parrish (Pretty Little Liars). It Didn't Disappoint I’m...

I can actually do a quicker review on this one show: sorry, I didn’t like it. But let’s slow down and try to think about it for a moment. The show itself has a simple premise. A bullied fat teenage girl (Debby Ryan) becomes beautiful. She wants revenge, so she starts participating in beauty pageants with the help of her lawyer (Dallas Roberts, from Big Sky ), who is also a coach for these events and a very… let’s say, confused man. Sorry, but this is just not for me, yet I gave it a try anyway. It’s a Netflix show, and they’re usually pretty good, so… I'm actually a little sad that it turned out to be disappointing.  Not Fun at All It’s supposed to be a comedy, but it’s empty. The characters are supposed to be deeper than they really are; they have their own background story with some possibly interesting facts, but they’re just… flat. Generally, the comedy genre should make you laugh. Insatiable doesn’t. It’s actually quite boring at some points, tur...

A book about parenting, sort of… When you become a parent, inevitably, you’ll probably read about it. You’ll say you don’t care about these books, and you’ll be filled with fear that you’re somehow doing something wrong. The way I interpreted it, at least, this one basically tells you to “Get over it!” Shaping or Letting Them Flower? Its title might seem odd, but it’s actually a pretty interesting theory about two ways of being a parent and caring for your children. The Gardener The gardener is the person who cares for their flowers, provides the best they can, and lets them flourish.  They do the best they can, but there are many factors interfering with their garden. They know they can’t control everything and do not expect a precise result or outcome at the end of their task. The Carpenter The  carpenter  is the new parenting model that most parents try to adopt when caring for their children, and Gopnik compares it to a carpenter who selects ...

I decided to loosely translate this book’s title myself because it’s an interesting novel by the Portuguese author João Ricardo Pedro and hasn’t been translated into English. It definitely should be, though. The Context Much of Portuguese literature is marked by the oppressive government, the so-called “New State,” and this is one more such book.  The difference is that it isn’t about that time period, but rather about the following decades and how the political police and the lack of development the dictatorship gave the Portuguese people influenced the next generations. 3 Generations The book is about a family, telling us stories from 3 different generations, all of whom are somehow marked by the dictatorship and the colonial war.  The ones who lived it as adults, the ones who lived it as children, and the ones who just heard stories about it. All of them had their lives shaped by this reality. An Average Portuguese Family We have Chronicles about a t...

After all the scandal surrounding the first season of the show, we’re offered an introduction where the actors talk about the issues the show might raise and advise the viewers about the fact that the show might not be adequate for them, as well as cover how they should ask for help if any of these issues have crossed their mind.  I liked that part, but then the story begins to unfold, and I felt like the production team was just brushing off any potential future consequences that might land on their feet… That's the Wrong Way to Go Shockingly, in this season, Hanna Baker (Katherine Lanford, Savage River ) became a heroine. No matter how many times other characters would say that suicide was never a valid way out of any problems, the whole story is about the girl whose death was what it took to get everyone to step forward with their own troubles.  She had to die for others to begin addressing violence, to stop and think about the consequences of their actions...

A strangely captivating novel I didn’t expect to love so much Picking Up a Book I Knew Nothing About I found The Book of Illusions completely by accident—pulled it off my parents-in-law’s shelf because the title looked mysterious enough. Honestly, I didn’t expect much.  The first pages were interesting and well written, sure, but I didn’t think it would be the sort of novel that hijacks your entire afternoon. Spoiler: it absolutely did. A Tragedy So Heavy You Almost Want to Look Away Auster opens the book with a heartbreak so intense that it almost feels unfair to read about it. Your first reaction might be exactly that: This isn’t fair. David Zimmer, the protagonist, has been shattered by loss. And then, in a way only Auster can pull off, Zimmer begins to crawl out of his despair through the oddest possible gateway: a sudden obsession with a forgotten silent-film comedian named Hector Mann. It’s such a strange setup—but somehow it works. Falling Down the Ra...

An Australian show about maternity. As well as that stage of life itself, The Let Down is often hilarious, dramatic, and chaotic.  We follow a recent mom through the day-to-day of her new life and all her problems. The doubts, the fears, and the constant state of exhaustion. A Feel-Good Story, Perfect Personal Timing As a mother of a young child, I particularly enjoyed this show because I can relate to it fully.  Dealing with the baby is actually easy, but dealing with the rest of our lives while taking care of the baby, that's the hard part. I think the show is really well done. If you have children, you’ll most likely immediately empathize with Audrey (Alison Bell - The Leftovers ) and the other women in her parenting group. If you’re not, you’ll probably laugh regardless, as it is a very hilarious time in people’s lives (especially for those who can sleep). What Let US Down Unfortunately, the show only has 7 episodes, but I'm already anxiously awa...

I had mixed feelings about  The Alienist . It’s a good one, can’t really deny that, but, for me, it’s also a bit too slow.  The Interest in Mind The first few episodes were somehow boring, and I merely didn’t stop watching because I was too curious about who the killer was. A bit like The Mindhunter , the production team focuses mainly on creating a high level of psychological intensity, but in The Alienist , I felt it lacked something.  I’m a psychologist, I love criminal psychology, and even I found myself bored at some points. They focused mostly on the occult side of the mind, showing the alienist far outside practical reality. Maybe it was like that in the 19th century, but it makes the show too slow, which might tire you.  Slowly Getting Into you After a couple of episodes, I finally started to feel immersed in the 19th-century atmosphere.  As the events unfolded, and the empathy with some of the characters grew, I could finally start fe...

A big scandal and years and years of scheming taken down. Meanwhile, many people suffer while the bad guys try to hang onto their secrets and dreamy lives.  This could be the show's synopsis, but in the end, I think it’d suffice to say this is a showcase of the underlying mechanisms of corruption. Out of Sight, Out of Mind We all know it exists everywhere, all around the world, but watching it like this is both surprising and disgusting. The show is about money, cold hard dollars. Millions of them, actually. Dirty money that involves the government and the top companies in the country, but that is, unfortunately, normal.  Yet, unlike House of Cards , which focuses on political corruption, The Mechanism goes further. It might not make sense for everyone, but what messed with me the most was the example they gave of “small corruption.” It seems like nothing out of the ordinary in the beginning… but it’s everything, everywhere. The corruption is the basis;...

When I first started watching this show, there wasn’t as much of a buzz surrounding it yet, so I was reluctant.  It was a Spanish show, of which I knew nothing, but… I decided to give it a try. And, I can tell you: I didn’t regret my decision whatsoever. It now sits on the throne as the most-watched non-English show on Netflix , and that honestly doesn’t come as a surprise to me. Engaging  It’s a great show, with a good story and very engaging from the start. Netflix  split it into two seasons, so when I finished the first, I had to wait a while for the second to pop up… It, however, did not disappoint. The characters are deep, and they manage to involve you in such a profound way, forcing you to empathize with their situation, that at some points, you’re not sure of who the bad guys are, in all of this, anymore. I think that was part of the point the show tries to make, and, if so, was tremendously well done! (If you liked this show, check other Sp...

I waited a long time to talk about this show because I felt that it wasn’t easy to summarize all of my thoughts on it in a couple of paragraphs. However, today is the day, though I might end up writing about it again in the future since I’m one season behind. Plenty of things might change. Faithful to the Source I started watching this show with my husband, who is a fan of the comics on which it was based. The first season was interesting enough to get me to start watching the second one.  Six episodes weren’t enough to make me know precisely what I thought of it, but it was more of a general feeling of “Oh, I quite enjoyed this, let’s watch a bit more”. The years passed, and we had season after season. Somewhere along the way, my husband stopped watching it, but I just couldn’t. I always wanted one more episode, one more season. It was so much more than just the mere Humanity vs. Zombies. Actually, over time, zombies become some sort of weird backyard decor....