I went to the movie theater to see the latest cultural craze: Sinners. I had high expectations, as many cinephiles are already placing it on their “best of the year” lists and predicting it will be a Best Picture nominee at the 98th Academy Awards next year. To say I left disappointed would be an understatement—not just because I found several frustrating flaws in the film, but because I felt my criticisms would be immediately rejected and dismissed. (This is me talking to myself, by the way.) I worried that not liking
This was such a clarifying and necessary piece. I’ve been wrestling with the tension between creation and critique myself—how to stay tender in the act of making while not shying away from sharpening the eye. I love the idea of criticism as a generative form of attention rather than judgment. There’s a care in that framing that feels especially important right now, when so much feedback is either hollow praise or performative takedown.
Thank you for writing with both precision and generosity. It gave me language for something I’ve felt but hadn’t articulated yet.
This was such a clarifying and necessary piece. I’ve been wrestling with the tension between creation and critique myself—how to stay tender in the act of making while not shying away from sharpening the eye. I love the idea of criticism as a generative form of attention rather than judgment. There’s a care in that framing that feels especially important right now, when so much feedback is either hollow praise or performative takedown.
Thank you for writing with both precision and generosity. It gave me language for something I’ve felt but hadn’t articulated yet.