Hey Nightwalkers!
Welcome to another Sunday Brew, and this weekend we’re easing into it with the throttle in a lower gear.
As always, first up, a bit of housekeeping: I’ve updated the public domain films on the site for the week ahead, and we’re leaning into light-hearted fun this time.
First up, The Lady Says No (1951) — this cheeky romantic comedy follows Dorinda Hatch (Joan Caulfield), a sassy writer who’s penned a book telling women to say “no” to love — until charming photojournalist Bill Shelby (David Niven) turns her world upside down. Packed with witty banter, laughs, and a dash of 1950s romance, it’s brains, charm, and heart in a classic package.
And then we have Heartbeat (1946) — Ginger Rogers shines in this playful romantic comedy set in stylish Paris. She’s Arlette, a runaway who gets tangled with pickpockets, schemes, and high-society antics — only to find herself falling for a young nobleman. Full of laughs, romance, and Parisian flair, it’s a delightful 1940s romp that still feels fun and flirty today.
Earlier this week, we were looking at films that really challenge the idea of love — the ones that make you stop and ask questions you don’t normally think about. But with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I wanted to sprinkle in a bit of fun too. The Lady Says No and Heartbeat are perfect for that: clever, playful, and joyful, showing that romance can be smart, flirty, and fun without ever feeling heavy.
To recap the past week: we dove into some heavier, more challenging takes on love on screen — Go Fish, Betty Blue, 24 Exposures, and The Fourth Man, before lightening things up with Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? The contrasts were sharp: obsessions dressed up as romance, intensity mistaken for intimacy, awkward queer love that doesn’t fit mainstream expectations, where consent doesn’t erase imbalance, and male posturing hiding complicity. We also explored what happens when sex is weaponised, and love is negotiated — but on whose terms?
Those films, if you sat with them, demanded attention. The subtle “aha!” or “what the fuck?” moments hit differently each time, and they command re-watches. Of course, you could also choose not to interrogate them — to just enjoy (or not enjoy) them at face value. There are no rules here. Movies, like all art, are subjective, and they’ll either leave you in awe or make you gasp, or both at once. Maybe you saw something I didn’t. If you’ve got thoughts or questions, my inbox is always open.
For those paying attention, I’ve started a new section called Midweek Musings. It’s where I answer reader questions, rant a little, and dive into topics that don’t always fit neatly into the Sunday Brew space.
With Valentine’s countdown in full swing, I wanted to lighten the load a little while also exploring some deeper questions about desire. This week, I will be taking a sideways look at obsession — the kind of desire that grabs you, keeps you thinking, and occasionally makes you go, “wait… what’s happening here?” Not your tidy rom-com kiss. I mean the strange, intense, unpredictable kind of longing that lingers in glances, thoughts, and little fixations you can’t shake—the nuance of it all.
One of the things that keeps popping up when exploring desire on screen is obsession — and they seem to go hand in hand, mostly by being playful and flirty at times, consuming at others, always shifting in ways you don’t expect. Curiosity becomes fascination, fascination becomes fixation, and then it bends again. It’s endlessly compelling because it isn’t static: it changes depending on context, stakes, and perspective. On screen, obsession can take any shape — alien, surreal, or countercultural; intense and psychological, where identity and perception unravel; abstract and poetic, where connection feels ephemeral and intimate; or quiet and liminal, filtered through subtle gestures, fleeting moments, and almost imperceptible attention. Cinema loves obsession because it’s unpredictable, fascinating, and infinitely malleable.
I’m especially drawn to the weird, underseen, and experimental stuff rather than the mainstream fluff you see everywhere. Obsession here isn’t destructive for its own sake, but rather curious, shifting, and illuminating — the kind of desire that sneaks up on you, makes you tilt your head, and keeps you thinking. It can be flirtation, fascination, or full-blown fixation, sometimes all at once, and it rarely sticks to the rules. The stories are unpredictable, playful, and intense in equal measure, letting you watch desire unfold without cramming it into cute n’ tiny little packages with a bow on top or giving you a tidy ending that will have you ripping out the tissues and hugging your cat, because it was Oh so beautiful!
At it’s core, obsession always forces the same questions that we have already asked in some of the films that we covered this week:
Who’s in control?
Who’s being looked at?
Who holds the power?
Who gives it away?
Desire is rarely innocent and Intimacy is always complicated.
With that in mind, this week I’ve picked four underseen, experimental, and surprising films that explore obsession in all its forms. I’ll be dropping them throughout the week on Instagram, as per usual. Some are surreal, some poetic, some quietly intense — but none are grim or heavy. Each one lets desire run wild and gives you room to sit with longing, fixation, and the messy connections that they depict.
So, let’s lean into the mess!
Watch, feel, interrogate, and notice how yearning, fixation, and longing twist through these stories. Love can indeed be messy, quirky, intense, and constantly shifting both on and off screen — and that’s exactly what makes it unforgettable.
Obsession is one of desire’s most fascinating faces, and this week, we’re going all in!
And for those of you who don’t follow this Hallmark holiday or aren’t into the V-Day hype — don’t worry. You can take this theme to heart in all sorts of ways: the time you spend laughing with friends, those quiet moments with your pets, or simply finding joy in small, ordinary connections.
Desire and love aren’t only about romance — they’re in the everyday, the playful, and the unexpected.
Keep your eyes and hearts open, Nightwalkers.
~S
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