What Stanford students watched over spring break
“Project Hail Mary” (2026) by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller — Anisha Pandey ’29
An adaptation of the novel written by Andy Weir, “Project Hail Mary” is the story of how science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) finds himself on a suicide mission to save the world from a dying sun. Along the way, Grace meets an alien friend Rocky, who teaches him valuable lessons about relationships and sacrifice as they tackle the space quest together.
With “Project Hail Mary” being my favorite sci-fi book of all time, I just knew I had to watch the film adaptation. Walking in, I wasn’t sure if the movie would deliver. But to quote Rocky, I think the movie did an “amaze” job of portraying the plot’s emotional depth. Despite Gosling being the only on-screen human for most of the film, his balance of wit and humor carries the narrative beautifully. Go watch this film if you want to stare at beautiful space visuals and develop an emotional attachment to an alien creature. I also highly recommend reading the book as well!
“Invincible: Season 4” (2026) by Robert Kirkman — Daniel Xu ’29
Despite the absurd voice actor budgets and at-times questionable animation, “Invincible,” at its core, is still a show about family and our obligations to it. Season four continues the story of Mark Grayson, the half-Viltrumite (a sort of Superman stand-in), who is currently dealing with the chaos brought on by his evil doppelganger. Meanwhile, his father Nolan seeks atonement for his past sins as he brings the fight to the Viltrum Empire.
Despite the new array of flashy characters and cosmic adventures, however, this season is fundamentally a character study: of Mark and Nolan, of who they were and who they are becoming. And the critical part of both of their trajectories center around family, both in their father-son relationship, and in the families they have created, ruined and now set out to rebuild.
“Anatomy of a Fall” (2023) by Justine Triet — Emmett Chung ’27
Justine Triet’s 2023 Palme d’Or winning drama follows Sandra Voyter (Sandra Hüller), an author who lives in the French Alps accused of murdering her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis), who fatally falls from the attic of the couple’s home at the beginning of the film.
Most of the action takes place in the courtroom, where what initially seems to be a whodunit premise reveals the tension, resentment and jealousies that can emerge within an established marriage. Hüller (performing not in her native German, but in English and French), along with Milo Machado-Graner, who portrays Sandra’s son Daniel, offer standout performances in this pitch-perfect procedural.
“Hard Truths” (2024) by Mike Leigh — Blyss Cleveland, PhD candidate
While traveling over break, I was stunned by how poorly behaved people can be. The whole world is in need of an etiquette lesson — should we jostle people at baggage claim to save five seconds collecting our suitcases? Director Mike Leigh’s “Hard Truths” provided a much-needed respite.
The film follows two sisters, Pansy and Chantelle, and their respective family lives. Chantelle’s optimism and happy home are contrasted with Pansy’s surliness and difficult relationship with her husband and son. The cantankerous Pansy is played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who masterfully delivers the character’s long-winded rants. Pansy never comes across a person, place or thing that she doesn’t hilariously insult within an inch of its life. Ultimately, Pansy’s behavior is informed by unmet emotional needs. The film offers no tidy resolution, but it’s better to spend time with a fictional grouch than deal with impoliteness in real life.
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