In the thirtieth episode of The Pop Culture Lens podcast, Christopher Olson (Seems Obvious to Me) and I conclude the Halloween season by welcoming friend of the podcast, and fellow podcaster, Jim Laczkowski to discuss the existential film, Being John Malkovich (1999).

In this episode, our conversation considers how the film portrays insecurity, which is a common theme in screenwriter Charlie Kaufman’s works. Beyond that, we consider how existential the film is in its treatment of insecurity, gender, identity, and the meaning of life.

Ultimately, the discussion determines that the message of the movie focuses on how people need to develop empathy and connect with those around them, otherwise existential horrors could be anyone’s fate. I think it is a horror movie, because of how scary the last scene in the movie is. If you haven’t seen the movie, you really owe it to yourself to do so before listening to this discussion — and then listen to see if you agree with our interpretation of it.

You can join Jim in his conversations about film at his Director’s Club podcast and his discussions about pop culture at his Pop Culture Club podcast.