Voiceover: Movies that Move Us

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  TRAILER: Voiceover — Movies that Move Us 12.05.2025 2分

  What movies taught you about life? Showed you truths you didn’t know you needed to hear? Join Heather Bigley, a former academic and film teacher, and the host of Voiceover: Movies that Move Us—the podcast where films have an impact. Each episode, our guests share the cinematic moments that changed their lives. We want to learn from those silver screen experiences, and so we share those moments with you, looking at the films from a whole new perspective. With a Doctorate in Film Studies and a passion for storytelling, Heather brings a little history, a little philosophy, some behind-the-scenes know-how, and her whole life to the movies she watches. From Wild Strawberries to The Wiz, Terminator 2 to Tree of Life, we’re finding the films that moved us when we least expected it—golden age classics, recent blockbusters, and even the tiny indie film that barely anyone noticed. While Cosmo Brown might just want to Make ‘em Laugh, we’re interested in the films that make you cry, too. Movies that revealed something about ourselves. Mentored us when we needed mentorship. Maybe even illuminated the Divine. Join us for Voiceover: Movies that Move Us for cinematic epiphanies, reel recommends, and maybe some self-revelations. Don’t miss a moment. Subscribe to us now on BYUradio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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  Bonus — Check Out These May/June Movies on BYUtv! 14.05.2026 4分

  Heather chats about three films playing on BYUtv: It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, The King's Speech, and Young Victoria. Hear a few things to look for in each of them and a little behind the scenes info about how they were made. Every month BYUtv adds new movies to their movie collection, available on the BYUtv app. Simply sign in and watch any number of films for free.
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  10 Commandments: Moving Stained Glass 14.09.2026 33分

  What if The Ten Commandments isn't really the movie we remember it being? Seventy years later, Cecil B DeMille's biblical epic reveals something fascinating about old Hollywood, Technicolor, religious imagery, and the power of movies to feel genuinely sacred. In this conversation, Chloe Donaldson joins Heather to revisit The Ten Commandments starring Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner and Anne Baxter and explore why its theatrical performances, massive spectacle, rich Technicolor photography and Hollywood melodrama still have such unusual power. We also explore the idea of cinema as “moving stained glass” and why a movie theater can sometimes function almost like a sacred space. Along the way, we discuss why modern movies can look so washed out compared with old Hollywood, how animation changes the film's depiction of God, and Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein and Catholic imagery. Whether you love classic movies, biblical epics, film analysis, Technicolor, Cecil B DeMille or the history of Hollywood, this is a different way of looking at one of the most famous religious films ever made.
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  Heroism & Resilience of 9/11: An Interview with Michael Gier 07.09.2026

  What if the most important 9/11 stories are not the ones you already know? Michael Gier explains why his new 9/11 documentary looks beyond the attacks to the untold stories of heroism, resilience, service, and second chances that followed. In this Voiceover interview, Gier discusses The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11, his nearly five-year filmmaking process, 35 hours of interviews, and the decision to use reenactments to tell stories connected to Flight 93, the World Trade Center, the 9/11 boatlift, and New York Says Thank You. Michael Gier focuses on stories of service, sacrifice, and resilience, whether in narrative or documentary filmmaking. He produced the award-winning documentaries Wounded Heroes and Healing the Heroes of 9/11.
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  Hit the Road: Exile & Goodbye 31.08.2026 22分

  A chaotic family sings, jokes, and bickers across Iran—but the trip is hiding a goodbye none of them can face. Hit the Road turns a familiar family road movie into a devastating story of exile, censorship, love, and the lies people tell to survive. In this film commentary conversation, photographer and artist Maya June Mansour joins Heather Bigley to unpack Panah Panahi’s Hit the Road, its connection to Jafar Panahi and Iranian cinema, and the way humor becomes a survival mechanism under oppression. You’ll learn how Hit the Road uses long shots, color, music, unanswered questions, and emotional contrast to transform a simple road trip movie into a universal story about separation and freedom. Subscribe to Voiceover for more conversations about the movies that stay with us long after the credits.
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  Dr. Strangelove 24.08.2026 25分

  Dr Strangelove was supposed to make nuclear war look absurd. Decades later, one of its darkest inventions no longer looks like fiction. Nuclear disarmament activist Jim Thomas revisits Stanley Kubrick’s legendary Cold War satire and explains what the film got frighteningly right. From nuclear deterrence, mutual assured destruction, Golden Dome, the Doomsday Clock and the renewed nuclear arms race, this conversation explores why Dr Strangelove may be more relevant now than many viewers realize. Jim also reflects on Peter Sellers, George C Scott, Daniel Ellsberg, Hanford plutonium production and the silent theatrical performance that changed his life. Ultimately, Kubrick’s warning still matters to a generation that did not grow up under the shadow of the Cold War.
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  Hotel Rwanda: Constrained Choices 17.08.2026 31分

  Chelsea Allen, a producer at Ninth Mode Media, revisits Hotel Rwanda with Heather, discussing how she's changed since she first saw the film as an idealistic high schooler. Hotel Rwanda (Terry George, 2004) asks a question most viewers think they can answer—until fear, family, and survival enter the room. Rewatching the film as an adult reveals why “Never Again” is not merely a promise but a test of how much we are truly willing to risk for another person. Heather and Chelsea revisit the film, while bystander apathy, dehumanizing propaganda, colonialism, and the international community’s failure to act inform their discussion. Chelsea Allen has worked with non-profit organizations such as Impact Experience, the Guild of Future Architects, and the San Diego Symphony to create community through arts-based social impact initiatives. Chelsea holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University. Subscribe for more thoughtful film analysis, classic and contemporary movie commentary, and conversations about the films that change how we understand the world.
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  Spartacus: Vicious v Virtuous 10.08.2026 30分

  Philosopher Barry Lam joins Heather for a chat about Spartacus (Kubrick, 1960). Spartacus is remembered as a massive Hollywood epic, but its most dangerous idea has little to do with gladiator battles. This conversation reveals why Stanley Kubrick’s 1960 film is really about human dignity, political power, freedom, and something Roman elites can never understand. Starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, and Woody Strode, Dalton Trumbo’s screenplay emerged from the Hollywood blacklist. This might be why the slave rebellion represents more than political resistance, and the film contrasts Roman power with family, tenderness, art, education, and community. The discussion also considers Stanley Kubrick’s relationship to the film, the legacy of classic Hollywood epics, the politics of the Roman Empire, and why Spartacus still speaks to modern culture wars. Barry Lam is a professor of philosophy at UC Riverside and the Host/Producer of Slate's Hi-Phi Nation podcast.
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  Red Turtle: Trapped by Beauty 03.08.2026 29分

  Kelly Loosli, co-founder of the BYU Animation Program, discusses The Red Turtle (Dudok de Wit, 2017) and how it's a film with "spirit." The Red Turtle looks like a survival story, but its real escape may have nothing to do with leaving the island. This Studio Ghibli co-production uses almost no dialogue to turn loneliness, nature, love, and loss into a mystery that keeps changing the longer you sit with it. Heather and Kelly also discuss The Red Turtle meaning, its ambiguous ending, Michael Dudok de Wit’s minimalist visual storytelling, and why wordless animation can create such intense emotion. The conversation also challenges the assumption that animation is only for children, connecting The Red Turtle to Studio Ghibli, adult animation, and other films that tell profound stories through images, movement, sound, family, and nature. Kelly has worked extensively in live action and animation for commercials, television, and feature film for leading companies including DreamWorks Feature Animation and Buena Vista Motion Pictures. Subscribe to Voice Over for more film analysis, animation commentary, and conversations about the movies that change how we see cinema.
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  Apollo 13: Career Day 27.07.2026 29分

  Sarah Ruiz, aerospace engineer, describes how Apollo 13 (Ron Howard, 1995) propelled her toward a career with NASA. Apollo 13 was nominated for 9 Academy Awards and won for Best editing and Sound. Based on the 1994 book Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, the film details how the three astronauts on Apollo 13 were forced to abandon their mission to land on the Moon and instead return to Earth because of an equipment failure that lead to reduced oxygen and electrical power. The film stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, and Gary Sinise as astronauts and was a huge career boost for Ed Harris who played the Houston Control Center Flight Director. Sarah Ruiz currently works in private industry on a new rocket program. In December 2025, she retired from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where she worked for more than 28 years, including as a flight controller for the space shuttle from 2005-2011.
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  Empire of the Sun: Fantasy & Erasure 20.07.2026 23分

  Jenny Chan of Pacific Front Untold podcast joins Heather to discuss Asian representation--they focus their remarks on Empire of the Sun (Spielberg, 1987). Empire of the Sun stars a young Christian Bale in a historical war drama about the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in 1941 and a boy caught in a concentration camp with other British colonials. But the film is emblematic of challenges in other American films that should include characters from a variety of Asian nations but instead uses Asians as background set dressing. Jenny Chan is Director at Pacific Atrocities Education. Based in the Bay area, she is an alum of University of Illinois.
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  The Hunger Games: Gen Z Canon 13.07.2026 28分

  Two Gen Z all-stars join Heather to discuss whether the Hunger Games influenced them or not as young people. Claire and Cyrus were once members of the high school chess team and they bring with them a long-term friendship that informs today's chat. Watch them react to each each other as much as they react to the films under discussion. Claire Cirelli is a software engineer in Phoenix, with a Bachelors from Arizona State University. Cyrus Kirby is a philosopher turned data engineer in Boston who just finished a MS in Computer Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
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  Ikiru: Sustaining Change 06.07.2026 30分

  Gareth Higgins, a Reconciliation scholar from Belfast, Ireland, talks to Heather about Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (1952), a film about a city bureaucrat who decides to build a playground for a local women's group. While Akira Kurosawa is best known for his samurai films, Ikiru won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Gareth Higgins' most recent book, co-authored with Kathleen Norris, is A Whole Life in Twelve Movies: A Cinematic Journey to a Deeper Spirituality. He also helped found the Wild Goose, New Story and Movies & Meaning festivals. Gareth leads retreats in North America and Ireland; he co-founded The Porch community, and is deeply involved in transformative men’s work through The Storyteller and the Firekeeper. He holds a PhD in Sociology from Queen's University Belfast.
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  Bonus. Chief of War: Hawaiian Spirituality 25.05.2026 33分

  Kawika Allen and Leone Saaga joined Heather for a bonus discussion about Chief of War (2024) and Hawaiian spirituality. Chief of War is a limited series created by Jason Momoa for Apple TV that tells how the Hawaiian islands were unified under Kamehameha in the face of encroaching Western colonialism. Chief of War has won multiple awards, including from the Critic's Choice for Social Impact. Leone Saaga teaches Hawaiian Language courses at Brigham Young University. Previously she has taught in multiple Hawaiian Language Immersion programs. She holds a Masters in Education with an emphasis on Teacher Leadership. Kawika Allen is the founder of and leads the Polynesian Psychology Education Research Team at BYU’s McKay School of Education. He is a co-editor of the Handbook of Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapies from the APA. He holds a PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
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  Rebecca: Twisted Fairy-Tale 18.05.2026 32分

  Nina McConigley talks to Heather about her new novel How to Commit a Post-Colonial Murder (Pantheon, 2026) and how her feelings have changed about Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca (1941). Rebecca is an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s 1938 novel, which is itself a reworking of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, from 1847. And we only just realized that in this interview! Nina McConigley's short story collection, Cowboys and East Indians, won the 2014 PEN/Open Book Award and the High Plains Book Award. She was also a 2022 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Creative Writing Fellowship. She teaches at Colorado State University.
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  Little Women: Mother Wisdom 11.05.2026 30分

  Aubrey Chaves chats with Heather about how Little Women influenced her as a young woman and how the film reads today, especially the power and wisdom of Marmee. They chat about which sister they identified with (as you do) and the stacked cast that made this film great. Aubrey Chaves serves on the executive board of the Faith Matters Foundation and co-hosts its weekly podcast with her husband, Tim. She is the mother of four.
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  Night of the Hunter: Modern Parable 04.05.2026 31分

  Abby Olcese talks to Heather about Night of the Hunter (Laughton, 1955): the director's motivation, the use of music, the film's massive influence, and why it's a Christmas movie. Abby Olcese is the author of Films for All Seasons: Experiencing the Church Year at the Movies. She is also the film editor for The Pitch, a website and magazine serving the greater Kansas City, Missouri, area.
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  LOTR: Family Culture 27.04.2026 15分

  Movies can become part of your family's identity in a profound way. Heather chatted with her friend Kathy about how Kathy instituted LOTR Day, first as a chance to recover from the intensity of the December holiday onslaught, and then as a way to bring her family closer together. Kathy Weinzinger is a Senior Executive Assistant at Northern Arizona University’s Center for International Education. She is originally from Maine. She and her husband Walter, an engineer and accordion enthusiast, are the parents of 3 daughters.
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  Charulata: Silence & Subtext 20.04.2026 29分

  Oindrila Mukherjee talks to Heather about Charulata, directed by Satyajit Ray from 1964 and adapted from Rabindranath Tagore’s 1901 novel Nastanir or The Broken Nest. The main character Charu was married before puberty and now as a young woman in her 20s, she blossoms as a writer under the guidance of her husband's cousin. But the film is a tragedy as it examines what it means for a woman to awaken to herself in a culture where she has no way to live out any of her choices. Oindrila Mukherjee teaches creative writing at Grand Valley State University. She is the author of the novel The Dream Builders, published on four continents in 2023.
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  Field of Dreams: Defining Heaven 13.04.2026 29分

  It's spring! That means baseball is in season. Cleon Wall joins Heather to discuss Field of Dreams (1989) and how the film attempts to show us what forgiveness, faith, and heaven can be in our lives. Cleon Wall produces Sports Programming at BYUradio and in the past was a sports journalist and podcaster for KSL.