Episode 20: Mickey 17, Race, and the Politics of Auteurship
This week, Daniel and Gavin dissect Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17, using Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital to examine who gets to be seen as an “auteur” in the public imagination — and who doesn’t. We explore how race, class, and symbolic capital shape legitimacy in the film world, questioning why specific creators are celebrated as geniuses while others are sidelined, regardless of the quality of their work. Through Bourdieu’s lens, we look at the cinematic “field” as a battleground, where recognition isn’t just about talent — it’s about access to networks, education, prestige, and whiteness as an unspoken default. Mickey 17 becomes a springboard for unpacking how cultural power is produced and maintained in the West and how directors like Bong Joon Ho disrupt those norms — even while subtly reabsorbed into them. 🎬 Mickey 17 (2025) – Film Details Director & Writer: Bong Joon Ho Based on: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton Cast: Robert Pattinson Naomi Ackie Mark Ruffalo Toni Collette Steven Yeun (Full cast list available above or on IMDb) Production Companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, Plan B Entertainment Runtime: 137 minutes Budget: $118 million Box Office Gross: $127.3 million 🎙 Park Bench Ontology — existential comedy for the end of the world. 🔗 Follow & Support: 🌐 Website: http://gavinstephens.ca 🎧 Podcast: https://pod.link/uncolonized 📷 Instagram: @countgavin 🐦 Bluesky: gavinstephens.substack.com 🎵 TikTok: @ParkBenchOntology 📼 YouTube: http://youtube.com/@parkbenchontology Also, Check out the Substack: Dispatch From The Simulation Subscribe and leave a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.