On a whim, we decided to see what it’d be like if we removed all the silence from our previous Bottoms watchalong episode. Remember our GaySMR segment from Season 2? Well, welcome to CHAOSMR.

For our second to last episode this season, we're watching 2023's instant chaotic lesbian classic, Emma Seligman's Bottoms starring Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri. Didn't get to see Bottoms with a bunch of other queers? Already seen it and want to enjoy it again? Join us as Laurel watches it for the first time and Audrey watches it again.🍿Psssst...…

We loved Rose Glass's chaotic queer thriller, Love Lies Bleeding, starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brian, so join us as we clean up the bloody mess it left of our hearts. *Note: if you're confused about how Laurel introduces the show in this episode, she's saying "Sapphic Murder Club" but with, like, a Curly from the Three Stooges accent. If you…

In light of Natasha Lyonne's recent acknowledgement of her undeniable should-be-gayness and in celebration of Women's History Month we're talking about some of our favorite should-be's. Episode Transcript Show Notes Clip of Natasha Lyonne explaining that she should be gay Brie Larson asking how to top lesbians: video and the article for more contex…

Surrealist artist Amie Pascal brings a queer lens to portraying and challenging representations of the body, blurring lines between reality and imagination while juxtaposing abject body horror with beauty. Her work expresses a universal rawness from a queer woman’s disabled embodiment in her new series ‘A Body Apart.’ Some of the things we discusse…

Today we're processing our thoughts about Aftersun, a quietly stunning debut film, written and directed by Charlotte Wells. Some of the things we talk about include... Memory and distance Reflection and recording Aging and growing up Atypical tension The dance scenes Wells' short films ...and more! Episode transcript Charlotte Wells' short films Ye…

For this episode we have time-jumped once again! We're disguising ourselves as screenwriters and going into the near future to work with AI on some ✨BRAND NEW SAPPHIC FILMS✨. The future of lesbian cinema is here! And it is...still dealing with its identity and societal prejudices. Whomp whomp. Episode transcript Other terrible AI-generated sapphic …

We originally started this podcast whilst in the throes of a dizzying cinematic crush on Portrait of a Lady on Fire, so those early episodes are a time capsule of what that was like for us and others in Portrait Nation. (#womans #bathtube!) Today we're traveling back in time to revisit our former selves and see how we feel about those 2020 feels no…

We watched the new lesbian Christmas movie. Episode transcript Where to watch: Hallmark Channel Philo Peacock

Something we hear a lot (we never hear this) is that everyone's lives were too calm in 2023, so we thought we'd share some of the ways we (mostly accidentally) added a whole bunch of lesbian chaos to our lives this year in case you'd like to spice things up next year. These strategies include: Change work teams, then jobs, and move out of the city …

*According to Amie and the two of us! Send us your recommendations! Welcome to a little episode that's kind of like lying on the floor in your BFF's bedroom and listening to records together. Our friend and Resident Lesbian™ Amie gave us six of her picks for the most sapphic music videos of the year. Then we used a random number generator to decide…

The theme for this season is LESBIAN CHAOSSS, and what better way to kick things off than a deep, dark dive into horror. We're joined by our beloved Dr. Horror Dyke (a.k.a. Heather Petrocelli) to talk about their brand new book Queer for Fear: Horror Film and the Queer Spectator. Highlights include: 😌 Queers currently have the crown for the largest…

For our final episode, we're talking to the folks who created Portrait of a Survey on Fire: Amie, Baby, and Heather. We ask them what they thought about the survey's final list of lesbian films, and how it differs from their personal ones. We also collaborate on an alternate top 10 list(!) with some of our faves that didn't make it. Thanks for join…

Retourne-toi, y'all. It's time to take a look back at the film that started this podcast, the No. 1 film on Portrait of a Survey on Fire's top 10 list of lesbian/queer films, Portrait de la jeune fille en feu. Joining us to talk about the movie and bring us with her to the moody coast of Brittany, France is comedian, writer, and actor Kelley Quinn.…

Carol season's early this year! So, forget your gloves somewhere and join us for a Carol watch-and-drinkalong! We went with "drink every time they exchange meaningful looks" so...we may have had several opportunities to take a sip. Stay tuned after the watchalong for a refreshing replay of Part 1 of our Carol discussion from last year followed by..…

Watched Prime Video's A League of Their Own? Think you know a lot about the show? Then play along at home with our Portrait of a Survey on Fire pals Amie, Baby, Heather, and Jamie as we ask them trivia questions from all eight of ALOTO's sporty sapphic episodes! Follow Portrait of a Survey on Fire and Queer for Fear on Instagram: https://www.instag…

WHAT A TREAT! In this episode we get to talk about so many sapphic things with one of our favorite authors: MALINDA LO! Join us as we cover Malinda's award winning Last Night at the Telegraph Club, her thoughts on the new Prime Video series A League of Their Own (spoiler: she loved it), and Malinda's newest book A Scatter of Light. So prepare yours…

2-4-6-8! Who do we appreciate?! Honestly, a lot of people. But this week we're specifically appreciating Jamie Babbit and everyone else involved in 1999's extraordinarily campy But I'm a Cheerleader, a movie that literally changed the life of our guest this week: Dor Dotson. Let's talk about: THE COLORS The soundtrack! How well it holds up even aft…

Do you believe in love at first meetcute? Are you ready to run through a gauntlet of gay panic and heteronormativity to finally find true love? Want to see how Cersei was employed before she cast her sights on the Iron Throne? Want to talk about all of this and more while we watch a mid-aughts lesbian rom-com along with our friend Grace who will be…

Pull on your most delicate gloves and get ready for a sapphic triple-cross! We're gonna talk about Park Chan-wook's 2016 adaptation of Sarah Waters' Fingersmith and... Wow, ok, scissoring (and the sex scenes in general) The comedy! How the score sounds...familiar Differences between the film and the book Plot twists! The romance! ...and more Episod…

Prepare several hot dogs, put your pagers on silent mode, and get ready to dive into Alice Wu's first feature film, 2004's Saving Face. Joining us with, really, only good things to say about this movie is Laurel's other (and first!) co-host from the podcast Working Classy. Episode Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qbPtrqYOAq1f4WSauQQ1…

Grab your gym bag of wooden stakes and meet us after math class...it's time to enjoy Netflix's campy YA teen lesbian vampire drama First Kill. Joining us on this field trip is film critic, writer, and honorary co-host, Valerie Complex! We're gonna talk about... this new vampire mythology murderous teen hormones THE CHEMISTRY 🫠 predictions for seaso…

Are you ready for some sexy, beige and grey Rachel on Rachel action?? In this episode we're dissecting director Sebastián Lelio's AND author Naomi Alderman's Disobedience(s?). So, let's follow Ronit back to her Orthodox Jewish hometown where, at least in the film version, she will [spoiler] in Esti's [spoiler]. Also other things happen. We'll talk …

Hold the elevator! 😎 We're talking about the Wachowski sisters' glorious 1996 neo-noir Bound with special guests Baby Djojonegoro and Heather Petrocelli from Portrait of a Survey on Fire (a.k.a. the folks whose Top 10 Lesbian Films list is what this season of our podcast is based on! 👀). We talk about... 🏆 How great Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon …

A film within a film within a film, The Watermelon Woman is a brilliant example of New Queer Cinema. Lightheartedly combining camcorder, 16mm, and self-made "found" footage, Cheryl Dunye gives voice and life to lost history 23 years before we see something similar come to life with Marianne in Portrait of a Lady on Fire. "What??" you say. "YES." we…

Are you wearing an intricately patterned sweater? Great. Do you already have a glass of wine? Perfect, have some more! 'Cause today we're talking about the 2011 Swedish lesbian movie Kyss Mig (A.K.A. Kiss Me or With Every Heartbeat). We're gonna talk about... Character arcs! 🌈 THE CHEMISTRY! 💘 Why are the men so horrible?? 🤦‍♂ Running or swimming a…

Put on your gayest cowboy duds and throw your vintage convertible into reverse because we're kicking off our season of the Portrait survey's top 10 lesbian or queer films with the 80s sapphic classic, Desert Hearts. Some of the things we cover: CAY'S ENTRANCE! 😍 Questionable sexual dynamics 😬 Desert Vibes!🌵 The ending! 🚂 👀 Differences between the b…

We're back! And this season we'll be watching each of the top 10 films from Portrait of a Survey on Fire's favorite lesbian and queer films. First up: Desert Hearts!🌵💕 Transcript for this episode Join the conversation on Instagram and Twitter Check out @portraitofasurveyonfire on Instagram for more about the list and the survey results!…

For our season finale, we're joined by Portrait of a Survey on Fire's Baby Djojonegoro and Heather Petrocelli to talk about their process, preliminary findings, and some of the incredible responses their survey has received. Episode transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wLX-Wg6Yj-sm9avm8EHKzhn_cgscQrbFRggNEXE3q7o/edit?usp=sharing Links fr…

It's time we talked about the most sapphic content SNL has ever aired: the Totino Pizza Roll trilogy, written by and starring Vanessa Bayer, co-written by Sarah Schneider and Chris Kelly with a key guest appearance by Kristen Stewart. We'll also discuss Act III's uncanny parallels with Portrait of a Lady on Fire. What are you hungry for? Episode tr…

Now that 2021 is officially behind us, we asked you to take a look back and tell us what media carried you through the year. We also talk about how almost 1 out of 4 of us are "not a fan" of Carol(!) and whether our sapphic hopes for Tár will eventually be dashed by reality. Episode transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BsUcZuYjoDPr-H54Qa…

We're wrapping up Carol Season and kicking off the new year with a look at the differences between the book, screenplay, and film; talking a bit about its notorious source, Patricia Highsmith; and recapping the movie (except the straight scenes because who cares). Episode transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AAXyWkILpjoYYQP7ZiHYHm7bezJTC…

Joyous 🎄Carol🧤 Season, y'all! Welcome to Carol episode 1 of 2. A lot of you had a lot of things to say about this 2015 masterpiece, so this episode's all about the things you loved, liked, and didn't like. Big thank you to everyone who wrote in and contributed your thoughts and opinions! Transcription (Coming soon!) Links from the show: On Film's O…

Today we're celebrating the 10th anniversary of Pariah, a gorgeous, sweet, and important film that follows a Brooklyn teenager trying to figure out who she is both with and apart from her friends and family. Dee Rees' debut was an instant and rare classic when it premiered in 2011: beautifully written, shot, and acted. Join us in relishing how grea…

We've got 10 films and TV shows (plus some honorable mentions) we're anticipating with, um, varying degrees of excitement. Join us as we discuss Tampa Baes, Passing, Dickinson, Kristen Stewart's gay ghost hunting show(???), and much more. And of course, as always, please let us know anything on your radar / from outside the US that we missed! Links…

We noticed that the last episode put us over 70k plays! WHAT. Wow! To celebrate this milestone, we're gonna talk about the podcast itself and answer your questions about it. "But I thought this was a podcast about lesbian themes in films, TV, books, music, and anywhere else sapphics roam!" you say? Well, it's sapphic because we're sapphic. So, plea…

First, we provide instructions for creating your very own DIY (Dyke-It-Yourself) spirit board. Then...do you DARE join us as we summon a sapphic from BEYOND THE GRAVE (but within the California region)?? This kind spirit also gifted all who listen a VERY IMPORTANT Halloween message. Do not miss these wise words from the afterlife. Episode transcrip…

A live, in-person (masked!) discussion about Céline Sciamma's most recent feature film Petite Maman, which premiered at the Mill Valley Film Festival on Oct. 9. Try to catch it in a theater if you can! Here are the upcoming show dates to the best of our knowledge (some of which are virtual!): USA: 15 October (Chicago International Film Festival) US…

It's the month that contains Halloween at the end of it, so OF COURSE we must fill the entire preceeding 30 days with creepy stuff. We kick things off by talking about our fave LESBIAN GHOSTS in their many manifestations. Our haaaaunting discussion will cover Rebecca (1940), The Uninvited (1944), Portrait of a Lady on Fire (you may have heard of it…

Who makes up Portrait Nation? Where do we live? Why did this movie resonate with us and in what ways? How has it affected our lives? Baby Djojonegoro, Heather Petrocelli, and Amie Pascal have put together what they hope will be a far-reaching survey of the Portrait community in order to let the entertainment industry, other institutions and decisio…

We have reached into our sapphic mail satchel and retrieved mail about the following things: Is there any significance to the moments in Portrait of a Lady on Fire where we first learn Marianne, Héloïse, and Sophie's names? What are Noémie, Adèle, and Céline up to these days? A clarification about the "lesbians come out and get a toaster oven" joke…

We're excited to finally interview Rose Dela Cruz, whose art ranges from doodles to comics to delicate watercolor paintings. As Portrait fans, we're lucky to have her fan art as part of the Portraitverse. Her imaginary scenes and character antics are funny and sweet and keep the POALOF fire burning. In the interview she shares the journal entry she…

Want to catch up on the first season of The L Word: Generation Q *very* quickly before Season 2 starts?? We're gonna untangle ALL THE PLOTS from Season 1 and talk about what might happen in Season 2. 💎 Bette and Tina? 👯 Sophie and...Dani? 🚲 Finley? 💇🏻‍♀️ Shane and...?? 📺 Alice and Nat...and Gigi? 🎨 Micah and Jose? 💕 Angie and Jordi! Also ghosts. Ep…

Our resident historian Laura is back to answer some of your questions about nuns and #conventlife! Did women choose to go into convents? Were convents really places of female equality? Were women allowed out of the convent? In Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Héloïse says it's a life that has advantages. What were those "advantages" like? What else did …

In this episode, we attempt to answer some listener questions about Portrait of a Lady on Fire! Is the minimalism in costume and set design because it's mostly a memory? Are Marianne and Héloïse's fathers both dead? Is to be free to be alone? Why do Héloïse and Marianne hide in the cave to kiss? And a bonus question! If you could only have one for …

One of the things we've loved most about Portrait of a Lady on Fire as a phenomenon has been the fan art, and some of the most delightful fan art has come from Teryn, a.k.a. @badportraitfanart who, in their own words, has "never liked visual arts" and yet has made over 100 artworks to date, 99 of which are scenes from Portrait and are now available…

Our third co-host, Valerie Complex, joins us to talk about what went right and what went wrong with TWO movies this time: The Affair (also known as The Glass House) and I Care A Lot, both of which happen to be centered on yellow-haired women and brown-haired women who love each other and are either terrible people or have a mostly terrible existenc…

We're back! And what better way to kick things off than (Laurel FINALLY) GETTING TO SEE PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE IN A THEATER? (No offense, Hulu, Apple, Criterion DVD, or Criterion Blu-ray.) Big thanks again to Baby for putting this screening together. And a Sapphic bonus! Enjoy the first installment of our new segment, GAYSMR. The book Baby ment…

Retourne-toi, everybody. It's getting gayer.

For the last episode of the season, we asked for your ideas about what queer media should be now that we're living in a post-Portrait world, and, in true Portrait Nation style, you answered very thoughtfully and generously. So, here's nearly an hour's worth of things we want more of (as well as some things we'd like less of) and a bunch of FANTASTI…