Film column by Tamim Alnuweiri. Follow her at @tamimalnuweiri.
New York’s got a reputation for being real swampy and muggy during the summer but it’s almost worse than anyone ever tells you. The humidity, the heat, the dripping mystery water, the hot garbage stench, the tunnel people… This isn’t a list of “summer movies” really it’s just a list of movies where the characters seem to really get the humid hell we’re experiencing right now.
1. Dog Day Afternoon
This movie came out in 1975 which you may recognize as being after Godfather II and before the unspeakably horrible Godfather III. This was also before Al Pacino decided that he was really going to commit to parodying himself for the rest of his career. The movie is based on a true story of the world’s most sympathetic bank robber, Sonny, who seems like an all around stand up guy just trying pay for his partner’s sex change operation (surprisingly progressive for its era).
2. The Seven Year Itch
This isn’t technically a very good movie. I’m not even sure that I enjoyed it. It’s peak Marilyn Monroe doing her whole baby voiced sex kitten schtick and it’s bizarre. BUT you can very physically feel the heat come off the sidewalk and the plot is largely driven by the fact that New York can be an unbearable wasteland in the summer. Honestly if you’re trying to understand why tourists are getting crotch burns over subway grates in Times Square then give this a quick watch.
3. A Streetcar Named Desire
Stanley Kowalski was my first crush. I remember the scene introducing us to a young Marlon Brando and the immediate confusion that followed after hearing the high pitched voice that came out of his mouth. Still this is one of the few movies that managed to do it’s writer any justice (even if they did fuck up the ending). The visible discomfort brought on by the excessive heat and humidity make me feel better about my day, at least we have air conditioning.
4. Desperately Seeking Susan
My mom made watch this when I was like twelve because she wanted me to understand what fully formed personal style looked like. At twelve I was mostly confused but now I get it— it’s Madonna at her peak as a fashion icon although it’ still unclear how exactly she managed to run around the city in the middle of the summer in a leather jacket. It’s also where I learnt that you could (should?) dry your armpits using an industrial hand dryer. There’s also a Richard Hell appearance which justified the entire movie for me.
