As we celebrate Pride month, Rivka and Frank are joined by actor, director, and educator Wren Mack for a deep-dive conversation about Lana and Lilly Wachowski’s sci-fi masterpiece The Matrix, which has become a meaningful film for the LGBTQ community since its release in 1999. Over the past few years, reactionary right-wing forces across the country have increased their legal attacks on LGBTQ folks, particularly the transgender community. Most notably, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a record amount of anti-LGBTQ laws in his state last May. The MVC group discusses how The Matrix has been misappropriated by online right-wingers who believe they’ve been “red-pilled,” while completely misunderstanding the film’s central anti-capitalist metaphor. They also unpack how the Wachowskis unintentionally created a transgender allegory in “Thomas Anderson versus Neo,” and they gush about how the movie remains one of the most entertaining, sexy, and sweaty action films of all time.A rough transcript of the episode is available here.For next week’s movie, we’ll be watching the 1997 Nickelodeon original movie Good Burger.This podcast relies on listeners like you to keep the show going:Go to MVCpod.com to become a supporter or leave us a tip. Supporters will also get access to The Lever’s premium content, including their exclusive newsletters, private podcast feed, e-books, and live events. MVC strives to practice its values as anti-capitalist media and will not be selling traditional advertisements. Instead, we will be donating our ad space to progressive or leftist causes. If you’re part of an advocacy organization, mutual-aid group, a worker co-op, a political campaign, or some other org, and you are interested in promoting your work on MVC, you can email us at moviesvscapitalism@gmail.com.Follow us on Instagram and TikTok.You can also watch our full episodes on YouTube.Produced by The LeverArtwork by Rufus Paisley
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