I’m trying, OK?? And it’s not like I’m not succeeding. But I’m also not not failing. It’s hard!!! My work requires me to be on Instagram now. And boy does IG munch-crunch my brain cells. It was easier when I could sidestep main and skedaddle off to a private alt feed which only showed me medieval art memes, soap cutting videos, and unironic affirmations. Now that I’ve said that out loud, it’s just as pathetic. Ugh, it’s just as brainrot!
And you know what, it’s not our fault! It’s required of us—no, demanded!—that we be high-functioning, high-achieving, high-earning. The fact that this is utterly inhuman behavior is only reaffirmed by the fact that we have A.I. getting folks laid off. Like?? No wonder we want to lie down and watch reels that ask nothing of us but a little laugh. Is it so wrong to want a little laugh?? An hour of ha-ha for some levity?? Nothing about this is funny!
I recently finished Kyle Chayka’s Filterworld (necessary reading for anyone on the internet, so that means you) and as a potential solution to algorithm-induced brainrot, he proposed that we intentionally seek out curators. Whether that’s in the form of
Holy shit! I just did it again. I trailed off and regained consciousness looking at a meme on Instagram. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
—whether that’s in the form of individual aficionados or curatorial platforms like The Criterion Channel. The ultimate goal, of course, is to be rooted in a sense of self so inarguable you’re able to entirely self-direct your own media consumption. But for now, we axed our Netflix sub and traded it in for MUBI.
MUBI costs just as much as a Netflix sub but is infinitely more bang for your buck. According to my 2-second Google search, Netflix hosts up to 3,600+ movies and 1,800+ TV series at a time while MUBI hosts only a couple of hundred—not all of which are available for viewing. But stay with me! A service like Netflix is emblematic of our problematic more is more disposition. How much time do you spend scrolling through Netflix for something to watch? And when you do land on a choice, how often is that piece of media enriching? affecting?
MUBI’s value is in its intentionality. Every month, MUBI curates 30 films to feature in its Now Showing section. MUBI’s curators also put together collections like “Embracing Infamy: Cult Films” which includes films like Piotr Szulkin’s O-bi O-ba: The End of Civilization, Jack Hazan and David Mingay’s Rude Boy, and Nagisa Ōshima’s In the Realm of the Senses. The collections are intriguing, sometimes startling—grouping films in ways the algorithm typically wouldn’t. MUBI also has a feature, “Our Take,” in which the curatorial staff shares why they think the film is worth watching. It immediately offers us a nuanced point of entry, very much like when our friends recommend us pieces of media they personally think we’ll enjoy—and very unlike algorithms which feed us recommendations based on a bunch of math equations.
This reminds me of when my friends and I used to exchange USBs with film and music recommendations. It’s how I first watched Wes Anderson’s Rushmore, first listened to The 1975’s Music For Cars. It makes me giddy for the times we’d burn each other mixtapes on each others’ birthdays!!
OK I didn’t mean to sound so promotional but I’m just so inspired by MUBI’s project. As someone who is miles from a film connoisseur, I trust MUBI more than Netflix (or Prime, or Disney+) to get me started on my cinematic education.
An irreverent double feature
It was the Sunday after a packed work week, so naturally, we cancelled our plans and stayed in to rejuice. We ordered pizza and decided to spend our day on back to back irreverence! We riffled through MUBI’s archive, eyes peeled for something that was light on its feet, but could pack a real philosophical punch. Something with an offbeat premise that hinted at a humorous and eccentric point of view. We finally landed on Medusa Deluxe (UK, 2022) and Yannick (France, 2023).
A whodunnit at a hairstyling competition. And no one’s allowed to leave the theatre until we know who scalped Mosca! Medusa Deluxe is effusive with British theatricality. It’s cold hard evidence that you don’t need CGI, an action-packed plot, or celebrity pulls to get an audience engaged—you just need a riotous ensemble and murder. You wouldn’t believe the kind of tussles hairdressers get into. There’s a catfight. Someone gets Maced. Someone gets called a Pantene Pro-V cunt. Oh, and it’s a one-shot. I rest my case.
After a rambunctious Medusa Deluxe, Yannick offers a more laid back viewing experience. Coincidentally, the characters are also stuck in a theatre. But instead of a murder investigation keeping them hostage, it’s a parking attendant with a gun. On his rare night off, Yannick decides to spend it at a show called ‘The Cuckold’. When he realizes the show is shit, he takes matters into his own hands. Yannick is another loneliness fable which champions the outsider. It’s one of those films where it’s only at the very end that everything comes together, and the film surpasses what you thought you understood about it up until that point.
When creating content online, we often feel as if we have to hook the audience’s attention within the first two seconds, and then tell them the entire story within the next ten. Yannick felt like a triumphant antithesis to that, an intentional journey that earned its eloquent end.
Not a conclusion, but the end of this newsletter
The fight against brainrot continues. I’ve long since given up on offline fantasies; I’m settling for this messy negotiation with the web instead. I’ve been embracing a more curatorial approach towards my music consumption as well, and maybe you’ll read about that soon. Join me! as we Make the Internet Great Again!!
Your aMIGA,
BUGGY!
Mubi needs to give you a commission. I cancelled my subscription because it didn’t have as many movies on there but the way you explained changed how I look at the platform now! Thank you so much because I need to beat the brain rot (and I don’t think Netflix’s movies are helping)! Any other mubi recommendations because I watched and loved the 2 you recommended!
I have seriously considered a Mubi subscription... but realized I'm not that much of a film fanatic.
I have also seriously considered giving someone a Mubi subscription... but that's not an option anymore, haha. I mean not the subscription, but the someone.