We dissect the provocative 2025 film Eddington, written and directed by Ari Aster — the auteur behind Hereditary and Midsommar. Set in a fictional New Mexico town in May 2020, during the height of the COVID‑19 pandemic and national unrest, the movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as Sheriff Joe Cross and Pedro Pascal as Mayor Ted Garcia. The standoff between them becomes a micro-cosm of America’s deep divisions.

We (try to) explain what Eddington is all about, look at the contemporary history behind this misunderstood film and ask whether Aster bit off more than he could chew for this movie.

Plus: is this movie’s subject material too soon to appreciate, what is SolidGoldMagikarp and will this movie be regarded as a true classic in years to come?

Got your own theories to the meaning of Eddington? Drop us a line at historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com or find us at @hmpodcast.bsky.social

The Cold War comes to life in Thirteen Days (2000), directed by Roger Donaldson and starring Kevin Costner as advisor Kenneth O’Donnell during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

We dive into the historical accuracy of Thirteen Days, how much Kenneth O’Donnell was actually responsible for ending the crisis (not much), the Excomm Tapes and the real players in JFK’s inner circle.

We also look at how close the world truly came to nuclear disaster in 1962 and how this film doesn’t cover it.

Plus: Why this movie wasn’t a hit, Kennedy family myth-making, and where is the nuclear bunker rom-com?

☢️ Think you can do a better Boston accent than Kevin Costner? Drop us a line at historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com or find us on @hmpodcast.bsky.social.

Emily (2022), written and directed by Frances O’Connor and starring Emma Mackey, imagines the inner life of Emily Brontë — the fiercely private author of Wuthering Heights. But how much of this windswept Gothic romance is real history, and how much is invention?

And the big question: does Emily fail as a biopic by bending the facts — or does it succeed by capturing the Gothic spirit, emotional intensity and defiance that define Brontë’s work? Can a film be historically inaccurate and artistically truthful at the same time?

We explore the true story of the Brontë family: life in Haworth Parsonage, sibling rivalry and collaboration, the real William Weightman and the possibility of a passionate love affair.

We also dive into Wuthering Heights: why it shocked Victorian readers, how it tore apart conventions of romance and morality, and why its violent emotional landscape felt so revolutionary in 1847. Was Emily Brontë deliberately breaking literary rules — or did she simply not care what the rules were?

Plus: gloomy moors as a personality trait, the scandal of publishing under a male pseudonym, tuberculosis as the uninvited Victorian houseguest, and whether being “misunderstood” is a prerequisite for literary immortality.

📩 Team Heathcliff or Team Everyone Needs Therapy? Think Emily takes too many liberties — or not enough? Email us at historicalmoviespodcast@gmail.com or find us on @hmpodcast.bsky.social.