Director Justin Simien on ‘Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One’

Episode 159

6th February 2025

In 1968, one director sees himself through the eyes of his crew; decades later, another director sees himself on screen. Everyone say it together! Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One. Round 2!

Episode notes

This week, we’re throwing it back to one of our favorite interviews! When writer/director Justin Simien (Dear White PeopleHaunted Mansion) first saw William Greaves’ groundbreaking 1968 film, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One. He was mad. Not about the film’s avant-garde style (part fiction, part documentary, part  performance art) but about the fact that he hadn’t seen it sooner — it might’ve saved him a lot of trouble as he found his way in a challenging, second-guessing industry. Now Justin is introducing more people to the contributions to cinema made by Black creatives like Greaves, through his series Hollywood Black, now streaming from MGM+.

Then Jordan has one quick thing about the politics of horror! It’s a terrifyingly good take.

In this episode...

Guests

  • Justin Simien

About the show

On Feeling Seen, writer and general enthusiast Jordan Crucchiola invites filmmakers, writers, comedians, and artists to discuss the movie characters that made them “feel seen.” It’s about that instant when a person connects to a piece of art so deeply that they see themselves reflected in it. Every week Jordan gabs it up with a guest about those magical moments when they were watching a film and realized, “That’s me!” It’s an informative, funny, and comforting show about our intimate relationship with movies, the impact they have on our lives, and how they influence our art.

How to listen

Stream or download episodes directly from our website, or listen via your favorite podcatcher!

Share this show

New? Start here...