Fractured Faces, Shifting Selves
Identity is not what you wear—it’s what you uncover when the mask slips.
A Mini-Program, No. 02
Welcome back folks!
Each film in this handpicked trio—curated from my private film library with the help of ChatGPT—dives deep into identity, perception, and the mind’s unraveling. Watch them as a set—or pace them out across a week. Either way, they’ll leave you staring into your own reflection a little longer than usual.
As stated previously, I’ll drop a full FILMS review of my favorite posted by week’s end. The other two film reviews will be posted on (Substack) Notes.
Get your one page mini program below 👇🏼
The Lineup
American Psycho (2000, dir. Mary Harron)
A dark, satirical plunge into the hollow soul of a Wall Street elite who can’t tell the difference between performance and reality.
Available to stream on Prime Video. You can also rent/buy on VOD.
Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos, 1997, dir. Alejandro Amenábar)
A dreamy and disorienting tale that asks: what happens when your memories betray you—and your life becomes a looping hallucination?
Available to stream on MAX, Criterion Channel, & Prime Video. You can also rent/buy on VOD.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, dir. Stanley Kubrick)
A meditative, visually groundbreaking journey that leaves behind identity entirely to explore evolution, consciousness, and the infinite.
Available to stream on MAX. You can also rent/buy on VOD.
Why These Three?
Each film peels back a different layer of the self:
Psycho grips us in material ego and performative masculinity.Open Your Eyes blurs the line between reality and delusion.2001 steps back to ask what humanity even is—and where it’s headed.
Together, they build from the personal to the planetary, and then… to the unknown.
Suggested Viewing Order
Start with American Psycho to stay grounded in the “real world,”Shift into Open Your Eyes to question that very reality,End with 2001 for a contemplative, otherworldly finale.
Post-Watch Questions
When did you last question your own identity? What brought it on?
Is it more terrifying to lose control—or to realize you never had it?
Which film left you with more questions than answers?
Want more programs like this?
Hit subscribe, share your thoughts below, or suggest a film from your own collection I should build a series around next.
