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Film Review: Faustian Bargains and Family Betrayals in “Fatherland”

Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions: October 25 through November 9 — What Will Light Your Fire

Our expert critics supply a guide to film, visual art, theater, author readings, television, and music. More offerings will be added as they come in.

The Arts Fuse Currents

Music

Classical Album Review: The NSO Makes a Stirring Case for William Grant Still

By Jonathan Blumhofer | November 2, 2026

Gianandrea Noseda leads sumptuous, finely wrought accounts of the composer’s Second and Fourth Symphonies, revealing music that deserves a wider hearing.

Visual Arts

Book Review: Marina Abramović — The Art of Remembering

By Margherita Artoni | November 2, 2026

In “Long Life, Short Stories,” Marina Abramović turns memories, images, and personal histories into an exploration of identity—and of how a life becomes art.

Film

Film Review: Faustian Bargains and Family Betrayals in “Fatherland”

By Peter Keough | November 2, 2026

Director Paweł Pawlikowski’s austere account of the writer Thomas Mann’s 1949 homecoming puts art, political idealism, and family loyalty on trial.

Books

Author Interview: Meghan O’Gieblyn — “Harmony Requires Two Notes”

By Henry Carrigan | October 27, 2026

In “Will and Attention,” the essayist explores addiction, faith, and the divided self—and asks whether lasting change begins not with willpower but with attention.

Poetry at The Arts Fuse

Weekly Feature: Poetry at The Arts Fuse

October 29, 2026

This week’s poem: Mark Lamoureux’s “In Search of Anastasia”

Theater

Theater Review: A Less Idealized Atticus, a More Challenging “Mockingbird”

By Martin Copenhaver | October 23, 2026

The Huntington Theatre Company’s staging of Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation finds fresh complexity in Harper Lee’s moral hero, even as uneven performances and distracting choices diminish its power.

Television

Watch Closely: Spooky Season Streaming

By Peg Aloi | October 19, 2026

From haunted islands to Gilead and outer space, four series keep the scary season alive.

Podcasts

Short Fuse Podcast #90: Ruchira Gupta Reflects on her Friendship with Gloria Steinem

By Elizabeth Howard | October 21, 2026

Ruchira Gupta joins Elizabeth Howard to explore her friendship with Gloria Steinem, the influence of India and Gandhi on Steinem’s activism, and their shared commitment to women’s freedom.

Short Fuses

November Short Fuses — Materia Critica

By Arts Fuse Editor | November 1, 2026

Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, television, film, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.

Spotlight

Arts Commentary: Superman, Spider-Man, and the American Art of Slugging Nazis

By Michael Marano | September 30, 2026

William Nicholas Love’s punch heard round the internet belongs to a long comic-book history of fighting homegrown fascism—from Captain America to “The Clan of the Fiery Cross.”

About the Arts Fuse

The Arts Fuse was established in June, 2007 as a curated, independent online arts magazine dedicated to publishing in-depth criticism, along with high quality previews, interviews, and commentaries. The publication's over 70 freelance critics (many of them with decades of experience) cover dance, film, food, literature, music, television, theater, video games, and visual arts. Support arts coverage that believes that culture matters.

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