Sense 8 (Netflix: J. Michael Straczynski, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski, 2015 - )

Sense 8 (Netflix: J. Michael Straczynski, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski, 2015 - )

Series Description: Eight strangers around the globe find themselves connected -- first by a violent vision, then by their shared ability to connect with one another's thoughts and actions, and finally by the urgent need to find out what happened and why. Their need to know goes beyond simple curiosity -- as they pursue answers, a mysterious organization hunts them down, intent on destroying them. The intense thriller is the first foray into television (or, more accurately, Netflix) for renowned filmmakers Lana Wachowski and Andy Wachowski ("The Matrix Reloaded"), who created the series with J. Michael Straczynski ("Thor"). The international cast includes veteran actors known to U.S. audiences, like Daryl Hannah ("Kill Bill") and Naveen Andrews ("Lost"), and others well-known in their home countries, like German actor Max Riemelt and Doona Bae of South Korea. In keeping with the global premise of the series, shooting takes place all over the world, including London, Reykjavik, Nairobi and Mumbai.

Adams, John Joseph, Tobias Buckell and Sam J. Miller. "Is Sense8 Too Radical for Critics?" Wired (July 6, 2015)

Arrant, Chris. "J. Michael Straczynski Discusses Collaborating With Wachowskis For Netflix’s Sense8." Spinoff (October 30, 2013)

Carriaga, Jessica. "8 Awesome Things We Learned About the Making of Sense8." Indiewire (August 13, 2015)

Cloud Atlas (Germany/USA/Hong Kong/Singapore: Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski, 2012) Dialogic Cinephilia (Ongoing Archive)

Gieben, Brian E. "The Wachowskis’ Sense8 Is the Philip K. Dick Adaptation We Always Wanted." io9 (June 23, 2015)

Grozdanovic, Nikola. "The Wachowskis Nonsensical Sense8 Is The First Major Slip For Netflix In 2015." IndieWire (June 11, 2015)

Kornhaber, Spencer. "Sense8: The Premise is Not Enough." The Atlantic (June 5, 2015)

Light, Claire. "Sense8 and the Failure of Global Imagination." The Nerds of Color (June 10, 2015)

Lightwave, Noble. "Sense8: Better Violence." Signsofseduction (June 12, 2015)

The Matrix (USA: Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski, 1999) Dialogic Cinephilia (Ongoing Archive)

Miller, Liz Shannon. "No More Learning Curve, As Lana Wachowski Revs the Show Forward." IndieWire (April 26, 2017)

---. "Sense8 Co-Creator J. Michael Straczynski on How Netflix's Show Changed Him, and Could Change Television." Indiewire (June 5, 2015)

Ricard, Sarah. "13 Questions about Netflix's New Series Sense8 Answered: Co-Creator J. Michael Straczynski Explains All." Rotten Tomatoes (June 3, 2015)

Segade, Alexandro. "We Belong: On Sense 8." Art Forum (August 24, 2017)

Stanley, Alessandra. "Review: Sense8, the Wachowskis’ Netflix Series, Connects Young and Cute." The New York Times (June 4, 2015)

Townes, Carimah. "Why Netflix Shouldn’t Care If White Men Watch Its Newest Sci-Fi Series." Think Progress (July 8, 2015)

Wachowski, Lana. "What it Means to Be Transgendered." Women and Hollywood (October 24, 2012)

In a year in which we have had to pull back and not be so physically present in the lives of others I could think of no better series to watch for the first time or to revisit than the Wachowski Sisters 'Sense8' (Netflix: 2015 - 2018). As I reflect on this transformative show that reshaped my long meditation on empathy, relationships, connectedness, love and freedom, I wonder if it was somehow brought into our lives to help us deal with an impending time of socially distanced reality and to evoke a strong sense of the importance of truly seeing & accepting people as they are (not just as we perceive them to be). A truly remarkable show that opens anyone to the possibilities of humanity, no matter their background or perspective, as long as they are willing to open themselves to its optimistic narrative (in a time when our culture celebrates the cynical and cruel - think of the majority of shows). How do we stay connected in these times? How do we make authentic connections? How do we see others as they truly are? How do we deal with the fear of the other? How do we love others in ways that are not controlling? (MB - December 12, 2020)

“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.” -- Frida Kahlo