Film offers 'Hard Truths' about why some people are happy — and others are miserable
Marianne Jean-Baptiste gives a phenomenal performance as a profoundly unhappy woman. There isn't a lot of plot, but director Mike Leigh builds his stories from the details and detritus of daily life.
Maggie Smith On The Pressures Of Acting: 'You Want So Much To Get It Right'
Known for her recent work in Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter films, the Oscar-winning actress now stars in The Lady in the Van, a film about an elderly woman who lived in a van for 15 years.
Bonnie Raitt Explores Her Roots In 'Dig In Deep'
Raitt's new album is dominated by uptempo songs, R&B sounds and complex emotions. Rock critic Ken Tucker says the singer's distinctive style gives Dig In Deep a "vital glow."
'Doubter's Almanac' Is A Family Saga, Plus Algebraic Equations
Ethan Canin traces the complicated lives of two generations of mathematical geniuses in his new novel. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls it an "elegant and devastating novel."
It's All In Your Head: Director Pete Docter Gets Emotional In 'Inside Out'
The director's Oscar-nominated film illustrates the inner workings of an 11-year-old's mind, and includes the characters Sadness, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Joy. Originally broadcast June 10, 2015.
Long-Term Devastation Springs From A Hasty Judgment Call In 'A War'
Tobias Lindholm's Oscar-nominated film tells the story of a Danish commander's error in judgment during the war in Afghanistan. Critic David Edelstein says A War will "leave you in pieces."
Frame-By-Frame, Filmmakers Make The Mundane Miraculous In 'Anomalisa'
Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson discuss their Oscar-nominated film. Anomalisa's stop-motion "communicates fragility and humanity and brokenness," Kaufman says. Originally broadcast Dec. 22, 2015.
'Strange Gods' Chronicles The History Of Secularism And Conversion
Journalist Susan Jacoby tells Fresh Air that more than half of Americans will change religion at least once in their adult life time. Her new book is Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion.
New Recording Revives Ravel's 'L'Enfant Et Les Sortileges'
The opera, by the late composer Maurice Ravel, spins a modern fairy tale about a naughty child at bedtime. Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new recording of it by conductor Seiji Ozawa.
