Nancy Updike

Us as a species being unable to save ourselves from our own behavior. is the plot of Dr. Strangelove. The entire story lives in the minutes right before the world pivots from a planet full of life to a deathscape of ashes and poison. The story is an American general goes quietly nuts. He's a conspiracy theorist who believes commies are poisoning America through fluoridation.

Us as a species being unable to save ourselves from our own behavior. is the plot of Dr. Strangelove. The entire story lives in the minutes right before the world pivots from a planet full of life to a deathscape of ashes and poison. The story is an American general goes quietly nuts. He's a conspiracy theorist who believes commies are poisoning America through fluoridation.

To stop that, he sends U.S. bombers off to start a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. When reasonable people on both sides realize what's happening, they try to stop it. The U.S. president gets so desperate that he gives the Soviets the information they need to shoot down the planes.

To stop that, he sends U.S. bombers off to start a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. When reasonable people on both sides realize what's happening, they try to stop it. The U.S. president gets so desperate that he gives the Soviets the information they need to shoot down the planes.

But one bomber gets through anyway, triggering a cascade of nuclear bombs to fire automatically, destroying the world.

But one bomber gets through anyway, triggering a cascade of nuclear bombs to fire automatically, destroying the world.

More than any one-to-one correspondence with the news now, there's a feeling to Strange Love that I found familiar. A sense that enormous danger is looming, but we're also wading through a sludge of ridiculousness. I feel some level of dread all the time, for a while now. And I had a hunch, based on Armando's work, that he might have a similar feeling.

More than any one-to-one correspondence with the news now, there's a feeling to Strange Love that I found familiar. A sense that enormous danger is looming, but we're also wading through a sludge of ridiculousness. I feel some level of dread all the time, for a while now. And I had a hunch, based on Armando's work, that he might have a similar feeling.

I mean, was it a way for you to channel, to sort of organize or contain your own dread as a project?

I mean, was it a way for you to channel, to sort of organize or contain your own dread as a project?

Once I got an answer to why make Strange Love now, we moved into a meandery but very enjoyable conversation about how to confront your dread these days. Because I am taking suggestions. And Armando's work is something I've returned to again and again. And what I'm thinking now is that, especially with his movies and with Strange Love, I come for the comedy, but maybe stay for the dread.

Once I got an answer to why make Strange Love now, we moved into a meandery but very enjoyable conversation about how to confront your dread these days. Because I am taking suggestions. And Armando's work is something I've returned to again and again. And what I'm thinking now is that, especially with his movies and with Strange Love, I come for the comedy, but maybe stay for the dread.

So we talked about how do you go about making comedy out of catastrophe and fear? You've said that people underestimate comedy, which I agree, especially about things that are sort of big and terrifying. But make the case. What do people underestimate its ability to do that you feel like, no, no, it's best. It's best at that.

So we talked about how do you go about making comedy out of catastrophe and fear? You've said that people underestimate comedy, which I agree, especially about things that are sort of big and terrifying. But make the case. What do people underestimate its ability to do that you feel like, no, no, it's best. It's best at that.

They can't control it or predict it.

They can't control it or predict it.

The Great Dictator is a movie about Hitler that Charlie Chaplin put out, incredibly, in 1940.

The Great Dictator is a movie about Hitler that Charlie Chaplin put out, incredibly, in 1940.

Armando pulls it off because he doesn't skimp on either the bad in The Death of Stalin or the comedy. The bad is quite bad, and the funny is really funny. And one way I've noticed that he keeps those two moods aloft at the same time in many of his projects. He often focuses on people who work together.

Armando pulls it off because he doesn't skimp on either the bad in The Death of Stalin or the comedy. The bad is quite bad, and the funny is really funny. And one way I've noticed that he keeps those two moods aloft at the same time in many of his projects. He often focuses on people who work together.