We Were Pretending Movie List

The films that inspired me as I wrote and researched my second novel

My second novel, We Were Pretending, came out last month. It’s available now on Amazon—you can get it in hardback or paperback. It’s only $5.99 on Kindle, and if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, it’s free. You can also track down copies at Target and Powells, or order it from your local store.

Between my book coming out and my kids being home all day in the twilight of August, I haven’t had much time to catch up on movies and TV. I thought I would share something a little different for this post, and write about the movies that inspired me as I worked on my novel. (Long time readers of Thelma & Alice will likely recognize some of these titles.) I hope you enjoy the list, and I’ll be back in a couple weeks with some thoughts about recent movies. Paid subscribers can look for a post next week—sorry to miss you last month, I trust you were out and about, enjoying the last weeks of summer.

First Reformed (2017)

The intersection between environmentalism and spirituality in this film really spoke to me, because I was working with these ideas in my novel. My protagonist, Leigh Bowers, is helping to develop therapies and technologies to help veterans deal with spiritual malaise. Raised by environmentalist parents, she has a special interest in climate anxiety and struggles with the ethics of her work.

Woman at War (2018)

This is another movie with environmental themes. It centers on a choir conductor who has a secret life as an environmental activist. She’s also hoping to adopt a child, and I liked the way the film mixes domestic realism with thriller elements and tried to do the same with my novel.

Embrace of the Serpent (2015)

An unusual film about the search for a rare flower with mystical powers, told across two timelines. I was thinking a lot about the intelligence and endurance of plants when I worked on my book and this movie was just what I was looking for.

Fantastic Fungi (2019)

I became fascinated by mushrooms while I was writing my novel. It started when I was developing a storyline for Leigh about procuring a palliative mushroom for her dying mother. I decided that I wanted to invent a new mushroom for Leigh to find, rather than using a real mushroom that already exists. So, I had to learn a little bit about mushrooms in order to make up on up. Turns out, once you start to know a little about mushrooms, you want to know a lot more! At least, I did. When I heard this movie was coming out (back in pre-pandemic 2019), I bought a ticket for a showing at BAM, in Brooklyn. I expected it to be attended by just a handful of people, because it was a one-time showing on an odd night, but it was sold out. That was when I realized that mushrooms were having a moment. Now you can’t walk into a gift shop without seeing a dish towel or a coffee mug with a mushroom on it.

The Truffle Hunters (2020)

A very charming portrait of truffle hunters and their dogs. Both mushrooms and dogs play an important role in my book so I obviously vibed with this documentary. Also, the cinematography is beyond gorgeous.

Leave No Trace (2018)

This has to be one of the most underrated films of the past decade. It’s about a veteran suffering from PTSD who finds solace by living in a large, wooded public park with his daughter. When he and his daughter are discovered, social services transfers them to subsidized housing, which seems to be better for the daughter, but impossible for him. A beautiful film about parenting, grief, trauma, and the healing power of nature—all themes that I was mining in my novel.

Mermaids (1990)

This may be my favorite mother-daughter movie. I’m never sure if it’s more Cher’s movie or Winona’s. They are both so potent. My book has very strong mother-daughter themes, with Leigh, who is both a grieving daughter and the mother of a little girl, Rose.

Petite Maman (2021)

Actually, maybe this is my favorite mother-daughter movie. It’s certainly one of the deepest and yet it has such a lightness to it. There’s some magical time travel, but it seems utterly real as a mother and daughter connect across time.

The Thin Red Line (1998)

A war story that shows the brutality of combat and the beauty of the natural world, which shimmers in the background, indifferently. Stunning.

Taming the Garden (2021)

This documentary reveals the extremes that people will go to in order to bend nature to their will. A commentary on wealth, technology, and capitalism.

My Dinner With Andre (1981)

This movie is a reliable source of inspiration, but for this particular novel, it was Andre's mystical, dreamlike musings that spoke to me.

Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint (2019)

To my surprise, my novel took a turn toward the mystical and the psychedelic. I decided to go with it. Hilma af Klint’s paintings and notebooks have a joyful, mysterious quality that I found myself thinking of when I worked on We Were Pretending.