Community

We are five friends. Once we came out of a house one after another, first came one and stood next to the gate, then came, or rather slid as easy as a drop of quicksilver, the next, through the gate and stood not far from the first one. Then the third, then the fourth, then the fifth. Finally we all stood in one row. The people became aware of us, pointed at us and said: Those five came out of this house now. Since then we live together, and it would be a peaceful life if there wouldn’t be a sixth person that keeps getting involved. He doesn’t do anything to us, but it is annoying and that’s already enough. Why does he force himself into something, where he isn’t welcome. We don’t know him and don’t want to have him here. The five of us didn’t know each other before as well, and if you think about it, we don’t know each other now either, but what is possible and tolerated between the five of us, does not apply to this sixth person and cannot be tolerated. Apart from that we are five, and don’t want to be six. And what kind of sense should this constant being together have in the first place, also between us five it doesn’t make sense, but as we are already together now, we will stay together, and we don’t want a new community, precisely because of our common experiences. But how should you explain this to a sixth? Long explanations would almost mean acceptance into our circle, we rather don’t explain anything and won’t accept him. He can try to persuade us with all his might; we push him away with our elbows, but as much as we push him away, he always comes back.

K’s Community. 2025. 8sec, ♾️ loop.

Translation by harry caul. Illustrations generated with googlefx.

This film series pays homage to New York in the movies and is by no means exhaustive. For current streaming options, please have a look online. The selection list and film info is at the end of the page below.

While We're Young, Noah Baumbach (2015)

New York is a city of eternal youth, but then life happens. When middle-aged filmmaker Josh and his wife Cornelia (Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts) befriend a young Brooklyn hipster couple (Amanda Seyfried and Adam Driver), their stagnant marriage gets a second wind. Noah Baumbach's dramatic comedy skewers generational divides, pitting perfectionism against improvisation. Funny yet poignant, it occasionally dips into cliché, but the characters and locales ring true for anyone who's navigated the city in the past decade. Based on a true story? It might as well be.

Kids, Larry Clark (1995)

Before Supreme ruled streetwear, they were Kids. Larry Clark's debut shocked and inspired in the 90s. Written by Harmony Korine amid the HIV crisis, it captures raw scenes of aimless skater kids, bringing the era's paranoia to the surface. Tragically, some cast members, like Justin Pierce (Casper) and Harold Hunter (Harold), didn't survive to the millennium, while Chloë Sevigny and Rosario Dawson rose to stardom in Hollywood and New York's art world.

Léon: The Professional, Luc Besson (1994)

I adore this film. In Little Italy, a corrupt NYPD detective (Gary Oldman at his unhinged best) triggers tragedy, leading young Matilda (Natalie Portman in her debut) to ally with reclusive hitman neighbor Léon (Jean Reno). Their unlikely bond is bittersweet, building up to an inevitable showdown. A match made in Manhattan.

Crooklyn, Spike Lee (1994)

Do the Right Thing is the obvious pick, but this chapter in Spike Lee’s Brooklyn Chronicles shines for depicting ‘70s Bed-Stuy family life through a 9-year-old girl’s eyes. Co-written by Lee’s siblings Joie and Cinqué, this semi-autobiographical “Spike Lee Joint” honors their childhood. With Soul Train dominating, the soundtrack bursts with soul and disco classics, until it turns jazzy down south.

When Harry Met Sally, Rob Reiner (1989)

Katz's Delicatessen in the Lower East Side owes much of its fame to this '80s rom-com staple. Meg Ryan's infamous fake orgasm amid pastrami paradise still draws tourists braving lines in the cold and paying $20+ for a sandwich. You've likely seen it, so relax as this witty duo debates if men and women can truly be just friends. "I'll have what she's having!"

Eyes of Laura Mars, Irvin Kershner (1978)

Voyeurism turns deadly in this stylish thriller set in New York’s fashion scene just before the 80s. Star photographer Laura Mars (Faye Dunaway) inspires a killer who recreates her provocative images with a lethal twist. Even worse, she has visions of the murders like in a live feed camera. Thankfully, NYPD detective Tommy Lee Jones is on the case. Featuring photographs by Helmut Newton .

Annie Hall, Woody Allen (1977)

Annie Hall catapulted Woody Allen into New Hollywood’s elite. Love or loathe his persona, his New York devotion is unquestionable, birthing neurotic archetypes (hello, Larry David). As comedian Alvy Singer, Woody romances Annie (Diane Keaton) in a hilarious emotional whirlwind, not considering the lobster.

After Hours, Martin Scorsese (1985)

Leap to ‘80s SoHo/NoHo, pre-gentrification. Martin Scorsese’s comedy tracks Paul (Griffin Dunne) through a chaotic, unplanned night where chaos reigns. The title says it all: It’s one of those wild spontaneous city nights in which anything can happen. Go with the flow!

News from Home, Chantal Akerman (1976)

In this essayistic gem, 24 year old Belgian director Chantal Akerman, who was NY based at the time, reads her mother’s letters over meticulously framed 1970s city shots. Omitting her own replies, the urban visuals speak volumes and portray a city long lost in time, conveying her perspective as visual responses. More of a visual poem than a conventional movie.

Three Days of the Condor, Sydney Pollack (1975)

Nixon-era paranoia pulses in this conspiracy thriller prototype. Robert Redford plays "Condor," a Manhattan CIA analyst who knows too much. Inexperienced in fieldwork, he becomes the elusive target in a thrilling cat-and-mouse game. Even as shadowy forces pull the strings, a cornered mouse shouldn’t be underestimated. Max von Sydow shines as a memorable freelancer.

Klute, Alan J. Pakula (1971)

Though the film is named for detective John Klute (Donald Sutherland), who arrives from Pennsylvania to search for a missing executive, Jane Fonda owns the screen as Manhattan call girl Bree Daniels. Their paths entwine in this thriller, sparking attraction amid danger. Turns out, Klute isn't the only one with eyes for her.

Shaft, Gordon Parks (1971)

Beyond its cult appeal, Shaft holds historic weight. Photojournalist Gordon Parks adapted Ernest Tidyman's novel into this '70s Manhattan action flick, targeting Black urban audiences and birthing the ‘blaxploitation’ genre as a result. Richard Roundtree's effortless detective navigates legal and illicit worlds all across the city. With Isaac Hayes' on the soundtrack, some romance is inevitable, too.

The Queen, Frank Simon (1968)

Before Paris Is Burning, there was The Queen. This doc follows drag queens at the 1967 Miss All-America Camp Beauty Pageant in NYC’s Town Hall. Premiering at Cannes amid 1968 unrest, the film screened in Manhattan as people were still arrested for cross-dressing. A year prior to Stonewall, The Queen is a vanguard of LGBTQ+ visibility and a snapshot of New York way ahead of its time.

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One, William Greaves (1968)

What if you filmed an arguing couple in Central Park, with varying actors and three cameras? Over and over again. Enter Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One. Steve Buscemi loved this film so much to co-direct its sequel 35 years later. The ultimate meta-flick, William Greaves’ 1968 hybrid blurs doc and fiction while questioning its own making. Loose and anarchic in cinéma vérité style, Greaves becomes director and actor in his own film. Tensions peak when the crew debates the project in his absence, but was that scripted too? Where to draw the line between reality and fiction: you decide.

Shadows, John Cassavetes (1959)

“The film you have just seen was an improvisation.” Partly true, John Cassavetes’ debut spearheaded American indie cinema. Shot guerrilla-style on location without permits and with a mostly nonprofessional theater cast, Shadows follows three drifting African-American siblings in their mid-twenties over the course of two weeks.

In an attempt to break from method acting conventions at the time, Shadows’ central premise emerged from a classroom exercise: A light-skinned young African-American woman starts dating a white man, but he rejects her when he discovers she has a black brother. The film expands on this concept, offering an unprecedented look at unfulfilled expectations in relationships and life.

On the Waterfront, Elia Kazan (1954)

No wonder it’s a Scorsese favorite: On the Waterfront prefigures mafia tales before the genre was a thing. Inspired by Malcolm Johnson’s Pulitzer-winning “Crime on the Waterfront” articles, the film exposes Hoboken dockworkers’ extortion under a corrupt union. After a fatal “accident,” the victim’s sister Edie (Eva Marie Saint’s debut) seeks justice. Ex-boxer Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) knows secrets, but the honor code of ‘omertà’ demands silence, with dire stakes. Leonard Bernstein’s score elevates it all.

The Naked City, Jules Dassin (1948)

Jules Dassin delivers this naturalistic noir, filmed on-location in 1948 New York. An ex-model's murder on a hot summer night draws a veteran detective and his rookie partner in this classic police procedural. Their quest unfolds amid vivid cityscapes, from aerial Manhattan views to a gripping Williamsburg Bridge climax. The narrator reminds us: "There are eight million stories in the Naked City; this is one of them." Blacklisted for Communist ties amid McCarthyism, director Dassin fled to France, crafting heist classic Rififi (1955). He never returned to the U.S., dying in Athens at 96 in 2008.

Selection list (in reverse chronological order):

• While We’re Young (United States, 2015) (Noah Baumbach) (97 min) Cast: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried

• Kids (United States, 1995) (Larry Clark) (91 min) Cast: Leo Fitzpatrick, Justin Pierce, Chloë Sevigny, Rosario Dawson

• Léon: The Professional (Léon, France, 1994) (Luc Besson) (110 min) Cast: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, Danny Aiello

• When Harry Met Sally… (United States, 1989) (Rob Reiner) (95 min) Cast: Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby

• Crooklyn (United States, 1994) (Spike Lee) (115 min) Cast: Alfre Woodard, Delroy Lindo, Zelda Harris, David Patrick Kelly

• Eyes of Laura Mars (United States, 1978) (Irvin Kershner) (104 min) Cast: Faye Dunaway, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Dourif, René Auberjonois

• Annie Hall (United States, 1977) (Woody Allen) (93 min) Cast: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane

• News from Home (Belgium/France, 1977) (Chantal Akerman) (85 min) Cast: Chantal Akerman (voice)

• Three Days of the Condor (United States, 1975) (Sydney Pollack) (117 min) Cast: Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow

• Klute (United States, 1971) (Alan J. Pakula) (114 min) Cast: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Roy Scheider

• Shaft (United States, 1971) (Gordon Parks) (100 min) Cast: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John

• The Queen (United States, 1968) (Frank Simon) (68 min) Cast: Jack Doroshow (as Flawless Sabrina), Crystal LaBeija, Harlow (documentary participants)

• Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (United States, 1968) (William Greaves) (75 min) Cast: William Greaves, Audrey Heningham

• Shadows (United States, 1959) (John Cassavetes) (87 min) Cast: Lelia Goldoni, Ben Carruthers, Hugh Hurd, Anthony Ray

• On the Waterfront (United States, 1954) (Elia Kazan) (108 min) Cast: Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb

• The Naked City (United States, 1948) (Jules Dassin) (96 min) Cast: Barry Fitzgerald, Don Taylor, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart

Open the (flood)gates…

aq·ue·duct | ˈäkwəˌdək(t), ˈakwəˌdək(t) |

noun an artificial channel for conveying water, typically in the form of a bridge across a valley or other gap.

• Anatomy a small canal containing fluid.

ORIGIN

mid 16th century: from obsolete French (now aqueduc), from Latin aquae ductus ‘conduit’, from aqua ‘water’ + ducere ‘to lead’.

(Source: New Oxford American Dictionary)

It’s been a long time coming…

Welcome to my Substack! The idea of running some sort of outlet to write about culture has been on my mind for way too long. Maybe as early as 2010, when I moved to the United States from Germany for Grad School. There was never a shortage of new ideas, but somehow I kept finding a way to stop myself from following through. Expectations be damned! This is about to change:

The Aqueduct - Culture Currents (TheAqueduct.cc) is an online publication and newsletter that engages in cultural commentary and social observations. Not overly political nor too tech focused, The Aqueduct aims to become a contextual archive of engaging curations of films, books, video games, and other cultural artifacts worthy of our time and attention.

Selected lists of genre films and directors may live side by side with short reviews of literary classics; or original essays on video games and zen buddhism. Brief entertainment recommendations will be featured as well as deep dives on cultural phenomena, unbound from the pressure of creating the next “viral moment.” Similarly to the mountain source providing fresh water for our beloved filthy cities, TheAqueduct.cc intends for steady quality and consistent output, putting forward a continuous supply of ideas and topics.

Expanding on the fresh water metaphor, The Aqueduct features distinct article categories: As of now, these are Currents, Streams, and Sources.

Currents feature observations that stay on the pulse without chasing trends. These can be: feature-length articles, (guest) essays, columns, or in-depth background analyses with multiple perspectives.

Streams are the home for entertainment, recommendations, reviews and features on topics in film & tv, literature and video games.

Sources feature original work in fiction, non-fiction and reportage by established and unknown authors alike and can be fluffy at times.

Why bother now and who am I?

After graduating with a PhD in 2018 and joining the freelance hustle in my favored town of choice—Brooklyn, New York—I have been in a constant uphill battle juggling between my personal creative ambitions, learning new professional crafts in the “creative industry” and making a living in maybe the most expensive (and therefore, unforgiving) city on the planet. While people around me have been starting families for a while now, overwhelm and confusion became more familiar companions to me throughout the years. I’m well aware of my stereotypical qualities, a humanities PhD turned media professional and writer in Brooklyn; but as immigrants from Germany and Mexico—my wife is originally from Mexico City—we very much identify with the type of New Yorkers that E.B. White called ‘passionate’— in his own words:

“There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter—the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. Of these three trembling cities the greatest is the last—the city of final destination, the city that is a goal. It is the this third city that accounts for New York’s high-strung disposition, its poetical deportment, its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements. Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion. ” —E.B. White, Here is New York.

I learned to love writing as a mode of thinking. To use it to improve my understanding of language and refine thoughts further. As a native German, my conception of language was rather rigid, and while my prolonged academic education surely taught me about knowledge and critical thinking, it did not necessarily help to make my writing more playful. Instead, it amplified rationality and learning how to think structurally in pre-configured ideas of the past. In Germany even more so than in the US, which became especially obvious in the differing academic writing styles: Formulaic & strict vs. flowy & essaysistic. Meanwhile, I daydreamed of a more open outlet for my own thoughts and ideas. One with more freedom and less rules. Something that can be entertaining but also educating. Not bound by academic or commercial interest, only by my own curiosity. But taking blogging seriously? Come on, I was doing a PhD! This is about to change.

Paranoia and Surveillance: The Origins of harry_caul

Harry Caul is not my real name, but it was born as an online alias and is inspired by Gene Hackman’s character in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Conversation from 1973. Back in a film history class in Germany, we were discussing a bunch of paranoia thrillers from the 70s, and this was the movie I had to present on. In the film, Harry Caul is a surveillance expert from San Francisco that gets caught in a web of government and corporate conspiracy. It was not only for its paranoid and conspiratorial nature that the film became a classic in my personal memory but also for its main characters’ name and its ambiguous meaning. Little did I know, that other than being a fairly common name, (to) ‘Harry’ can also signify to ‘attack’ or ‘harass’ someone (Hackman’s character spies on the title giving Conversation with his sophisticated audio surveillance tools). ‘Caul’ on the other hand, is where the ambiguity gets even weirder. The birth ‘caul’ is a rare amniotic membrane some babies are born with and is said to bring good luck. So besides adding a superstitious layer, ‘Caul’ makes the veil in sur-veil-lance quite literal and therefore, visible.

To consider being born into a state of surveillance as a stroke of luck felt relatable for my coming of age in the United States. By learning more about the paranoid 70s, their historical context (JFK, Nixon, Watergate) and experiencing the massive acceleration transformation that big tech introduced in the 2010s, I could not help but see similarities to those earlier times. Conspiracies, paranoia, propaganda, divisive tactics and politics, unpopular wars and the gutting of social services—history seemed to repeat itself. Observing the evolution of big tech over the years was reason enough to plant a powerful seed of doubt for their motivations and ambitions, always expecting the moment their limitless hunger for power could sell out to the next highest bidder or a government looking for authoritarian control.

In this environment, Harry Caul has felt appropriate as an alias, providing my own little paranoid veil against the (perceived) threat of increasing surveillance. Growing up at a time when it was normal to use aliases online, for gaming, in forums or online chats (remember IRC, ICQ, AIM?)—harry_caul became my alias since I signed up for instagram in 2011, not wanting to use my real name to leave any unwanted traces online. In the age of so called ‘kidfluencers’ today, it almost sounds nuts that this used to be the default.

Does knowledge breed paranoia, while ignorance breeds innovation? I don’t want to give a definitive answer, but this question will surely resurface here from time to time.

Besides all that, The Conversation is still as relevant as when it came out 50+ years ago. You should really see it if you haven’t!

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DisclAImer: Critical thinking and writing are as valuable as they have ever been. Consultation of AI/LLMs for research and illustration purposes only.