Guilt, Empathy, Forgiveness and The Rehearsal

[@cerspence]

In The Rehearsal, the only time they arguably may have really helped someone with a problem in their life was with Kor Skeet. Which is maybe why it was the only episode formatted that way and was the premiere. Maybe they initially intended all episodes to go that way but the rest of the situations didn't come together as well. Finale made me well up low key. Also curious about what they could do with Season 2.

[@edwinbrown8368]

I think that the plan was single story episodes but covid screwed that up. There's like a year or two between filming of episodes 1 and 2.

[@calebjohncushing]

The Rehearsal is definitely about Nathan digesting critiques of his persona and process. There are several moments throughout the six-episode run where Nathan is forced to confront the impact and effect he and his art have on the people who he brings into his orbit through his post-irony. The show was very much a consequence of 'Nathan For You', and I thought it was incredibly incisive and emotionally potent throughout. Any discussion on 'The Rehearsal' that doesn't bring up "you're a horrible person" is missing the scope. Also, "Is my life the joke?" is like, line/scene of the year. Incredible comedy and drama. Can't believe anything like it exists in the current landscape.

[@reagenbrooks]

I appreciate what you said about The Last of Us Part II. Seeing so many people miss the point of the game was very frustrating. I wouldn't argue with them that they should have enjoyed it, but I would argue that Neil Druckmann tried something extremely unique and real. The message of letting go and forgiveness seemed to fly over so many heads. Glad someone else feels the same way as I do about it.

[@__-cd9ug]

you made me binge the Rehearsal and if anything, after watching the ending, I feel like Angela is depicted as admirable. When Nathan meets with her and apologizes, she accepts it. Just like that. And Nathan himself is surprised that she would be so forgiving after going through all of this. Her quoting of the Bible, if perhaps vague or weird in the way she brought it up, just goes to show that her religious values contribute to how she's able to be empathetic with people. I'm sure Nathan and his team have had to deal with many bitter or angry people who felt like the butt of the joke, but Angela accepts Nathan's apology and then it's his job to forgive himself and learn from his own mistakes. What worries me the most, still, even after the end of the final episode, is Remy's experience. I hope he'll be ok

[@Ace1nstinct]

I’m not a big filmmaking buff but I love hearing you talk about it and how passionate you get about it is inspiring

[@xRhychux]

Would love to hear more of your thoughts about TLoU2. The story hit me so hard that I was in a perpetual state of melancholy the following week after finishing it. Sometimes I think about it and it all kind of hits me again

[@gregullbagel]

Well said with your analysis on Last of Us Part 2

[@BuddhaBot]

Most fascinating show I binged yesterday. Really dissecting the humorous futility in taking control of one’s future.

[@GageClift]

The more art I make the more I discover it's all an exercise in self-forgiveness and empathy for others. It's a way of healing unconsciously- similar to the effect of dreams. Lovely video as always!

[@gumbyno5808]

First off, I love this channel and these videos, it's somehow calming to hear you just talk. Now about Rehearsal, I loved how self aware they were about Angela being the butt of the joke. I also loved how they stopped to consider the consequences of this crazy premise in the last episode. You make a good point that Nathan For You was a lot cleaner, but man, that final episode tied it all together for me, elevated it in my eyes. I'm wondering where they'll go from here tho.

[@mightymistermike]

Ellie: "I don't think I can ever forgive you for that... But I would like to try." Joel: "I'd like that."

[@jimmythethird5514]

Hey Joel! I’d love to see you do a full video of you talking about Kiarostami’s work. Because of you, he’s become one of my favorite filmmakers! And maybe one about How To With John Wilson?

[@tommymarco]

love seeing a comment like these .

[@mrlagx]

how to with john wilson is amazing. I love it so much

[@MrAlecPinnock]

I'm glad you love tlou2. Doesn't seem like the story connected with everyone, but I dig it I was sad when u died tho

[@JoshBurcham104]

Dr Farts will see you now

[@tommymarco]

i like hearing joel just talk , even on his main channel . it reminds me of videos > 10 years ago on youtube . nice joel , you're a likable guy

[@nvincenth]

Totally agree on your thoughts regarding The Last of Us 2. It really challenged the player to rethink their experiences and try to understand "the other side."

[@hc3314]

i think its interesting seeing people talk about people from the show like angela. a lot of people seem to interpret her point in the show as just the butt of the joke, and while she certainly is framed that way i also saw her as a kinda deeper discussion of what makes people tick. (spoilers for the show from here on out) but angela reveals that when she was a kid her father was absent, leading her to fall down a dangerous path of drugs. and then the thing that saved her from that life, from her perspective, is religion. so the reason shes so adamant about her religious and conspiratorial beliefs is because those beliefs are what took her out of the worst period of her life. also i wasnt sure how to fit this into my main point im trying to make but i think its really interesting how the show, naturally or not, recreates angelas childhood in her own simulated kid. with nathan being gone for so long he turns to drugs and alcohol, forcing angela to essentially relive what happened to her when she was young. i think thats really interesting tho im not sure how to fit that into my grander point anyways if u read all this id really recommend you check out the show how to with john wilson, its made by nathan fielder's production company but its far less cynical and much more sweet and beautiful in tone than his other shows. its my favorite show atm and if you enjoy stuff that nathan has starred in then id really recommend it, even if its not the same exact kinda shtick (id say its most similar to finding frances)

[@majoroptimus]

Hi Joel, I am really curious if you ever watched the show Twin Peaks? If you ever feel like revisiting something that old (and in certain regards ridiculous) to talk about it (and David Lynch in general), that would be extremely interesting for me to hear.

[@panacea.palace]

Beautiful points about forgiveness and empathy in media. We're all just as scatterbrained as you are, what you said made perfect sense

[@sagewaterdragon]

Considering how you talked about your relationship with Island, I have to imagine that this was a really personal video for you. Thanks for making it.

[@MetalFan9490]

I love your videos Joel

[@matthewgonzalez2555]

So happy to hear you talk about the last of us part II. I’ve been telling people the same thing about the empathy in it’s message. Wow. And I think it goes both ways, to Ellie and Abby. I think a lot of people didn’t want to even consider that what Ellie was doing was wrong. But the thing is, that in order to understand the game we have to learn to forgive Ellie from Abby’s perspective, which I think is ultimately harder than forgiving Abby. And I think that’s why people had such a hard time, because they didn’t want to believe that Ellie was wrong, but that makes it so you don’t see all her layers and why you have to forgive her in the end too. It’s just a beautiful game, and I hope that people who haven’t played it, or maybe who already have but missed the message will be able to play it and allow themselves to be touched by its message.

[@SamPhoenixKnight]

Thoughts on How To and John Wilson? I feel like he nearly always has empathy for his subjects and that quality makes his stuff a lot more comforting to watch than Nathans.

[@CaptDrChrav]

Joel, if you found the Last of Us Part 2 to be very impactful, you should play The Outer Wilds as well. The ending to that game was incredibly moving and every time I listen to the soundtrack I get a bit teary eyed.

[@kevinmackler]

TLOU2 and the outer wilds easily are my favorite video game experiences of all time!

[@benbing3926]

I really appreciated the authenticity and rawness of this video (ironic considering the subject matter).

[@johnwerner69]

I love the rehearsal! it made me cringe and laugh and cry! what an incredible show! and phenomenal actors!

[@westcoastboy4970]

i love how genuine you are in these vids. thanks for keeping it 100

[@itsfriedeggs]

I really wish we had gotten at least a couple more episodes of the original concept. I imagine that level of set building and casting becomes very expensive, but feels like there was more there to explore. As far as child actors go, I initially thought their inclusion was to intentionally shock the audience. To highlight some sort of vague absurdity about hollywood. Then the Remy story line comes up an Nathan acts as though he is just learning child acting has consequence. I always felt the crux of Nathan For You was that you can get people to do just about anything when you promise a small amount of fame or fortune, and now thats getting re-explored. Was excited when it was going in a different direction, hope season 2 changes it up!

[@Garbageman28]

I think a big reason it went a different direction was partially due to Covid restraints. The rest of the show was shot a year after the pilot.

[@jamesthecoolguy67]

I've been writing a blog about music and I have so much connected thoughts that I start tripping over my own threads. Nice to see someone I look upto do the same.

[@therupoe]

Yeah, agreed... I really liked the first episode and wanted that format. I really think there's something to rehearsing scary situations. I would volunteer to be a subject for some stuff in my life for sure. I really think this "rehearsal" method is super effective. I'm really interested in it! It requires buy-in from the subjects and if they're not really committed it all falls apart.

[@AmbientChamber]

Oh my goodness Joel haver in my telephone oh me o my how times have changed

[@isaacstacey1227]

Loved that game. Can’t wait to see (and play) what games are created in the wake of the Last of Us series.

[@fl1490]

One of my favorite KZbinrs talking about one of my favorite games? How did I just find this. I recommend a documentary called “Beyond Right and Wrong” if you like themes you talked about in the video

[@panacea.palace]

Just wanna say that I enjoy these videos just as much as your films. Thanks for getting this one to us man :)

[@lunchbox3124]

Man it’s weird I don’t agree with you on movies but your thoughts on this show were spot on. I thought fielder did a really good job transitioning from his past work to this but I don’t see this show lasting more than 2 seasons. There’s only so much this idea can portray and he played most of his hand already.

[@ScottAstr]

"I don't want you to be Nathan. I want you to be daddy." 😭😭😭😭

[@johnwerner69]

that broke my heart

[@ScottAstr]

Also, I just finished The Last of Us pt2 a couple weeks ago and thought it was absolutely crushing. I had become completely endeared to Abby and the final confrontation was so hard for me to get through. Really beautiful.

[@johnwerner69]

@@ScottAstr haven't played those games but i hear they are wonderful

[@RaphaelMYT]

I really love how you string these films/show/game together!

[@SANCHEZTHEFOURTH]

Nathan Fielder is a genius, I hope there's a Season 2 of the The Rehearsal.

[@ericbernhagen]

It was renewed for a second season

[@bignashi]

@@ericbernhagen thanks for the info 🤣🤣 (I'm a big fan btw)

[@mintjam5170]

In episode 5 when Nathan is rehearsing with fake Angela, fake Angela challenges Nathan's entire style of comedy saying: "Why are you doing this? Are you really trying to help me? Or am I the silly part that you talk about? Huh? Is my life the joke? Do you sit here with your friends at the end of the day laughing at me?" Nathan Responds: "No. You're not the joke. Not at all. No one's the joke. The situations are funny but interesting too. The opportunity to raise your kid-" (Nathan is cut off) It's hard to see the show in a way where people like Angela are not played as the butt of the joke. I really do think Nathan wanted to genuinely help these people like he did with Core in Episode 1, but the way the show is edited really works hard to paint these people in a negative light. The editing of the show may have been out of Nathan's hands. Hard to say. I agree that season 2 will make or break this season. If i had to guess, season 2 will be more or less like episode 1.

[@mrlagx]

One of the best scenes in that show. Fake Angela is such a good actor.

[@haileyham1209]

I didn't know this channel existed but I'm very happy to come across it as I'm a big fan of your other work!! Keep it up :)

[@Felicificity]

Thank you for your thoughts and perspective Joel

[@weewaw3406]

This is late but I saw the short you directed for Braindead with Tim Robinson and I wanted to say that is a HELL of a crossover. Wow congrats man

[@internetdirigible]

If you like slow, beautiful, lesson from real life shows I would HIGHLY recommend How to with John Wilson which is produced by Nathan Fielder. It's all about finding lessons in every day life and kind of questioning what you see around you and when you see someone on the street wondering who they are.

[@yum8666]

Supereyepatchwolf has a great video on Nathan Fielder the highly recomend Joel. It really goes in-depth with Nathan and meta story telling.

[@imdoofboy]

Just found this channel! Thanks for doing something like this, it's interesting watching people who are popping off on KZbin, also do a bit of introspection now and then. Also you have to make these to survive, I get it

[@bottombarrelbudgetfilms1854]

Joel makes really goofy skits then he makes videos like this where he goes into really heavy philosophy. Love that for him.

[@sethsteckino6090]

Glad to get one of these today. I’s interesting to hear your thoughts on other people’s work, as it gives insight into you body of work and the way that you make decisions, which is informing how seriously i take my own work, and it feels like it gives me license to direct my work at a different level than just “oh this needs to be entertaining FIRST. Anyway, all the best to ya Joel.

[@jaredlingle3623]

Last of us part 2 is my favorite movie. Real talk though, I never played the game but I watched the cutscenes on KZbin and it was still a deeply moving experience. I agree that it's not just a story about revenge, it is about empathy.

[@meanpillscasper]

It's hard for me to see it as a story about empathy when during the gameplay you have to kill hundreds of people.

[@jaredlingle3623]

@@meanpillscasper I haven't seen the overall gameplay just the story through the cutscenes. There might be a "ludo narrative dissonance" in the game vs story. some people have criticized naughty dog for the same thing their previous games.

[@fl1490]

@@meanpillscasperCause she didn’t learn that until the end of the game, you know, character progression

[@Miniman15]

If you could elaborate more on forgiveness and other movies that teach that that'd be cool

[@EdOuellette]

I don't know if you will read this or not, but don't feel pressured to post more here than you want to. Screw the algorithm. About The Rehearsal: it seems to me that there really was no revelation at the end... it was about the journey and discovering, along with Nathan, the real-world impact of what he does. Whether he saw it the same as we did (he certainly didn't RESPOND the same we most of us would have) is a big question for me, but in any event it was an interesting and emotional (especially that finale) season.

[@Jdkieddj]

This show really did a number on me, there were times I thought there was going to be some huge reveal at the end, or other times I was almost going down conspiracy theory plotlines. The overall message was good and each episode had hilarious moments.

[@RawBerserker]

I'm so glad you started this off talking about some excellent Iranian cinema. There are so many amazing films from there which are easily overlooked by most general audiences. I definitely think people should branch out and see the unique differences you find in the way different countries make movies, even if just once every now and then.

[@pedterson]

I enjoyed hearing your thoughts about The Rehearsal. I'm genuinely wondering how many people conceived Angela as the "butt of the joke", because I really didn't. The premise of the show is so strange, and the situations are so artificial and contrived, that it never made sense for me as a viewer to cast any sort of real-life judgement upon the subjects of these experiments.

[@debrachambers1304]

I feel like the Nathan character in the show hasn't learned much. The final moment is him telling the other kid that he IS his dad. Nathan is lost in his own artifice. So the kind of change you'd like to see in season 2 might not happen.

[@Perfectix]

YES love to hear what u think of the rehearsal

[@chyocolatecaaake]

Loose or not, I’m interested in the topics you bring up and this is all very interesting to chew on, thank you

[@aarongonzalez6433]

You're such a nice guy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I feel very comfortable after listen this 👽

[@carlosfrostygreen6855]

Last of us is just like all the resident evil and looks very nice.

[@__-cd9ug]

i had to pause the video around 4:10 because i'm going to watch The Rehearsal now. Huge fan of NFY as well, it made me laugh throughout and cry at the end. Something about the language of irony and honesty in there that just gets me, it reminds me of Vlogvember which is a series of vlogs available here on KZbin, made by Adrian Bliss. To anyone reading this, go watch Vlogvember if you have the chance, you won't regret it imo

[@Metchta]

Thank you for sharing Joel, always nice to hear your thoughts :) and it's ok to be tired, and love frogs.

[@mehdi5297]

hey joel. i'm iranian and can confirm the name of the movie is "life and nothing more". love Kiarostami. have you watched "the wind will carry us"? one of his best in my opinion. i LOVE the ending of that movie. i love the last of us too. this video was fun to watch

[@Seijuki]

Hey! Have you seen any of satyajit ray's work? Would love to hear your opinions! (Specifically "Chaar", "Aparajito", and i know "Proffessor Shanku O El Dorado" is a cult classic)

[@benkuhn1562]

Hey Joel, I love the videos! Maybe you could make this into a podcast and upload it to Spotify? Just a thought, but I would love to listen to you on the way and I dont have that much mobile data or youtube premium.

[@ellmango]

joel its okay to take a break bud! enjoyed the new animation, please get some rest :)

[@Fliditude]

Hey Joel, I'm sorry this is a bit off topic, but I saw that you got to work with Justin Roiland on his new videogame. I'd love to see a video of you talking about it, perhaps on the main channel since this one is about movies. If you'd rather not, that's cool too!

[@thatsthesystem]

Please review Swiss Army Man!

[@__-cd9ug]

are you familiar with gaspar noé? his latest film Vortex is about an elderly couple, it's incredibly human and crude in a weird experimental way, in my opinion. I'd love to hear you talk about it if you've seen it. The whole film is edited as a split screen thing, but it surprisingly easy to follow nonetheless

[@altonkatz2041]

It’s about time the KZbin film analysis community starts giving kirostami some more love

[@marceloaguirree]

hey joel it would be interesting to know what you think about breaking bad or better call saul

[@lunchmeat9118]

As someone who literally just saw the first episode of Nathan for you a week ago, this was extremely confusing lmao. It’s like watching the first episode of SpongeBob and then hearing it becomes a psychological thriller

[@WallEPaulnuts]

If you like Nathan for you and enjoy arcs like that check out On Cinema at the Cinema

[@GasparGa]

Its such a shame that The Last of Us 2 got all that hate after release....It was an amazing story and now after all that hate I'm sure they will never try to make a game like that ever again.

[@ryanrockers]

Nathan Fielder is funny, my wife thinks he's a sociopath. How to with John Wilkenson is nice easy fun with real people.

[@jojokaleido]

How do you forgive someone who does something unforgivable

[@LivinNexus]

🌌Joel, talk about Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus!!! 🥰 or Peter Jackson's Meet the Feebles! Love all of your work! 👑

[@TheLuckyKings1]

DILF

[@diracflux]

What does it mean?

[@DougerArt]

a BIGLONGWEE k?

[@ethancochran3526]

Hey Joel, I thought the show was great, but I was wondering how you felt about the negativity around the show. Due you feel that Nathan takes advantage of the people in the show?

[@majesticseeotter_45]

What’s that shirt?

[@thatsthesystem]

D.I.L.F. - Dude, I love frogs. Lol

[@GreenEyedDazzler]

Nathan for You isn’t as real as you think it is dog it’s scripted improv

[@Two49]

I loved the last of us part II but the online discourse around it is/was so toxic... lmao

[@BrandonCourt]

tlou2 got too big for its shoes. We didn't "fail the experiment" we're not dumb we know what the message is because it was shoved down our throat (messages if you count the overt political correctness statements sprinkled into the game). The problem is most of the game ultimately felt patronizing because it was like THIS IS THE MESSAGE FEEL THIS WAY, ARE YOU LEARNING YOUR LESSONS PLAYER. Their finger wagging messages took precedence over the characters. tlou1 did none of that. tlou1 let the characters reveal a story and left whatever messages up for interpretation. But I agree tlou2 is definitely an interesting experiment.

[@Gome.o]

Re: Last of Us pt 2 - When you say people who didn't get the forgive-ness aspect kinda failed, are you saying that your interpretation of the ending is the right one and anyone who may disagree is wrong?

[@keerthi321]

Why won't American get country names correct.. it's not pronounced "i ran", it's more like "E Ran"

[@shindig9000]

The last of us 2 was so shallow that none of it mattered let alone made any sense.

[@MrBirdlady92]

What about it made no sense to you?

[@shindig9000]

@@MrBirdlady92 some of the character interactions at the beginning and at the end. Just to keep it vague

[@fl1490]

Same could be said about your comments lmao “just to keep it vague” 😂

[@shindig9000]

@@fl1490 do you want to read a whole book of a comment or something? You can say anything about anything, but that doesn't mean the arguments stand on equal ground.

[@shindig9000]

You are free to like what you want and disagree, no need to go out and target people because of a difference in opinion.

[@drink__more__water]

Nathan For You makes me so uncomfortable... but that sounds like a pretty good episode. Gonna give it a go.

[@drink__more__water]

yuuuuup. still uncomfortable.

[@mrlagx]

@@drink__more__water what doesnt kill you makes you stronger