Mārama (2025)
4/5
A gothic revenge story with the true horrors of colonization — alongside compounding and inextricable force of misogyny — at its core. At times hard to watch, intentionally so. 4/5 as a horror film but an easy 4.5/5 for me as a movie in general.
![Transcript excerpt of The Vampire Lestat 3x04 "The Devil's Road" in which Lestat narrates Gabrielle's influence on his musical endeavors.
"What words did she conjure up to turn me and that bus back around, you ask?
"Hmm. I'll never do them justice.
"Instead, let me paraphrase a more eminent vampire caught in a similar situation.
"[clears throat] It is difficult to explain how her words disarmed me, how efficiently succinct and impenetrable her argument was.
"[laughing]"](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ort5e7y7qjyfcntghjs7qy4u/bafkreicrxxengk4raqe3wjxcftoan5zqzkwdgqgue333ziusn6gfxz4vmq)
![@reticentvampyr Tumblr blog screenshot 2 of 2:
So then I thought, “This is intentional. Lestat is telling the story like a play. It’s a bit long-winded, and I have issues with the pacing, but the finale will put the season at large into context. Plus, this season is meant to be one of two parts.”
When the credits began rolling on Ep 7, my first instinct was to cry, and I was reminded of the similar reaction I had to the rushed ending of *Our Flag Means Death* a few years back. After the initial shock, I was able to process with some friends, pinpoint the things I didn’t like, and consider HBO’s influence on those things. It took me a bit, but I made peace with it, even if I didn't love the season as a whole.
Something felt different about this. And I figured out why, I think. It starts out pretty personal, but I think it speaks to the season’s larger issues.
I am open to changing my opinion. I am open to discussion. I am open to watching the season again, maybe finding more to like in it. But for now, this is where I'm at.
[Keep reading link]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:ort5e7y7qjyfcntghjs7qy4u/bafkreibuqhxnfqugul7mwvrhfi74qnsxa3scndzqp5avy3j4xwocavm6we)
