Truth & Movies: A Little White Lies Podcast

There’s an LA noir flavour to this week’s Truth & Movies, as Michael Leader, David Jenkins and Hannah Woodhead unpick the myriad mysteries of David Robert Mitchell’s Under the Silver Lake, starring Andrew Garfield and Riley Keough, before diving into Robert Altman’s ice-cool classic, The Long Goodbye, for Film Club. Sandwiched in between is Lukas Dhont’s affecting – and somewhat divisive – coming-of-age drama, Girl, about a young trans teenager who dreams of becoming a ballerina.

In this episode of Truth & Movies, Michael Leader, Simran Hans and Beth Webb assemble to discuss Captain Marvel, the 21st film in the MCU – and the studio’s only feature-length offering to date to be fronted by a female character. That’s followed by a look at British kitchen sink drama Ray & Liz, from photographer-turned-filmmaker Richard Billingham, and lastly our female superhero-themed Film Club pick for this week, 1984’s Supergirl. 

On this week’s show, Michael Leader, Greg Evans and Adam Woodward have the final word on the 91st Academy Awards before looking ahead to two brand new releases. Florence Pugh grapples with challenges in and out of the wrestling ring in Stephen Merchant’s crowd-pleasing Fighting with My Family, while in Irish horror The Hole in the Ground a single mother makes a disturbing discovery about her young son. There’s still more horror on offer in Film Club, as we revisit Hideo Nakata’s Ring (albeit through partially covered eyes) ahead of its 20th anniversary re-release.

On Truth & Movies this week, Michael Leader, Elena Lazic and Hannah Woodhead preside over a pair of very different courtroom dramas. First in the dock is On the Basis of Sex, Mimi Leder’s Hollywood biopic of Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, starring Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer, followed by Nadine Labaki’s Cannes-winning Capernaum, about a young Lebanese boy who sues his parents for neglect. In Film Club, Leder’s 1998 disaster movie Deep Impact – at the time the highest budget given to a female director – gets a long-overdue reappraisal.

With the 91st Academy Awards almost upon us, Truth & Movies tackles the key issues surrounding this year’s ceremony, as well as giving our predictions for whose acceptance speech will be cut short this year. Joining regular host Michael Leader is The Telegraph’s chief film critic and Oscars pundit Robbie Collin, who offers expert insight into Hollywood’s awards machine – while fielding some pressing questions and conspiracy theories from our own David Jenkins.