Observer Idea, Film & Book Discussions

The Christophers is a 2025 British, black-comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh. It stars Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel.

"McKellen’s sparkling performance, an expert and energetic blend of foxy charm and casual cruelty, is what truly sets the film humming. For a film about approaching death, and the sudden, devastating loss of talent that may precede it, it’s a surprisingly sparky movie – one that exudes warmth and life.”

“It’s a fascinating study of power and productivity, masters and muses.”

Well, life isn’t perfect. That’s been pretty obvious lately. It’s also never static, but always changing. If we’ve been struck by these facts recently, maybe it would be a bit encouraging to take a look at some art that accepts and makes something positive out of them.

This underlying theme of the fleeting and imperfect nature of life may be one reason why Impressionist art is still appreciated by many ordinary people. Though contemporary artists may feel that it’s passé, cliché, or just too positive for jaded sensibilities or the current horrific state of the world. However, viewed as a counter to these feelings, Impressionist paintings remain the art par excellence of the everyday and, at a deeper level, of the ephemeral and ineffable experience of lives as they are passing - necessarily imperfect, never finished. You could think of it as a western expression of the Zen admonition to live and stay focused in the present as much as possible.

At the time it arose Impressionism was revolutionary, misunderstood, and usually condemned - essentially for what people interpreted as its lack of seriousness. Paintings were often criticized for shoddy craft and being left unfinished. But eventually we’ve come to see it in a very different light (pardon the pun). And as - perhaps - a beacon of the normal, pleasant, moment-by-moment experience that life can sometimes, at its best, be.

Let’s watch the youtube below (a historically based slide-show of Impressionist paintings with explanatory narration ~13 mins). Then we can discuss whether we think it’s serious art, or not? And whether its depiction of ordinary people captured in the unconscious living of their lives is worthy subject matter?