New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

NYU students talk to WSN about their obsessions, ranging from writing on sticky notes to preparing for the apocalypse. Explore your obsessions and have fun embracing them! (Staff Illustration by Alexandra Chan)

Students Reveal Their Odd and Not-So-Odd Habits

From gearing up for an apocalypse to rewatching a movie scene over and over, NYU students dish on their favorite things to do.
Jasmine Zhong, Contributing Writer March 3, 2020

Many of us have our own habits, more or less normal. Others, however, have obsessions that are a little more obscure. While we may not always want to admit it, they make us unique...


“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is now playing in cinemas. The film explores the blossoming relationship between two women in the 18th century. (Staff Photo by Kaylee DeFreitas)

‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’: A Masterful Exploration of Love

The Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay Winner is a stunning portrayal of love through the gaze of an artist.
Kaylee DeFreitas, Arts Editor February 18, 2020

The Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Screenplay Winner is a stunning portrayal of love through the gaze of an artist. A group of women hum different notes around a fire....

A student walks to school with a sinister plot against their teacher. The Dardenne brothers film “Young Ahmed” was the recipient of the Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival. (Staff Photo by Jake Capriotti)

Extremism Burns Slowly in the Mind of ‘Young Ahmed’

The Dardenne brothers’ “Young Ahmed” is a complex and unsettling portrait of radicalization.
Alexandra Bentzien, Staff Writer February 10, 2020

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s “Young Ahmed” is deceptively bright. The first thing that comes to mind when reflecting on the film is the quality of the light. It barely...

The Russian drama is now playing at the Film Forum on Houston St. (Staff photo by Kaylee DeFreitas)

In ‘Beanpole’ Peacetime is Anything But

Russia’s Oscar entry for Best International Feature focuses on the bond between two women as they try to seek ways to heal from the traumas of war.
Kaylee DeFreitas, Arts Editor February 3, 2020

When war is over, is there ever peace? What happens to those most affected? How do they go back to the lives they had before the war? All these are questions posed by the film...

A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, directed by Marielle Heller, is a story based on the real-life friendship between journalist Tom Junod and television star Fred Rogers. (Via Facebook)

‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ is a Lesson in Forgiveness and Healing

The new film about children’s television icon Mr. Rogers is a touching tribute to how one man’s kindness helped shape the life of someone in need.
Kaylee DeFreitas, Deputy Arts Editor November 25, 2019

How should we deal with anger? Why do we hold onto it instead of attempting forgiveness, hard as forgiveness may be? How can we begin to constructively deal with feelings holding...

Waves is a drama film released by A24 on November 15. (Via Twitter @wavesmovie)

‘Waves’ Verges on Cinematic Sensory Overload

“Waves” is a gripping family drama that captivates with experimental sound design and visual components.
Alexandra Bentzien, Contributing Writer November 17, 2019

Don’t expect to watch “Waves” like a movie. That’s what it is, technically, but it is precisely “Waves’” technical elements that elevate it beyond all cinematic convention...

NYU alum Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s “One Child Nation” delves into China’s inhumane one-child-policy through heartrending personal interviews that reflect a tension between government policy and families. (via Amazon Studios)

‘One Child Nation’: Fighting for the Right to Choose

Propaganda is a powerful tool, and China abused it. NYU alumna Nanfu Wang reflects on the iron grip of China’s propaganda in her newest documentary.
Megan Chew, Contributing Writer November 11, 2019

As far as China is concerned, Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang’s documentary film “One Child Nation” does not exist. The film was wiped clean from any reporting platforms in...

Primarily set in an opera house, “Varda by Agnès,” is the renowned documentarian’s posthumous film that beautifully accounts – and transcends – her life and her career. (Photo Courtesy of Mk2 Films)

‘Varda by Agnès’: a Revolutionary Retrospective

Agnès Varda’s posthumous swan song is an inspirational love letter to the cinematic arts.
Nicolas Pedrero-Setzer, Contributing Writer November 11, 2019

Whether you remember her as a fierce documentarian, French New Wave pioneer, fervid feminist, installation-piece wizard or potato-lover, there’s no doubt AgnèsmVarda has etched...

Searching for Mr. Rugoff is a documentary exploring the life of Donald Rugoff, a successful art film distributor who once owned NYU’s Cantor Film Center. (Via Twitter)

‘Searching for Mr. Rugoff’ Immortalizes a Titan of the Film Industry

The documentary tracks the life of a man who once owned NYU’s Cantor Film Center and brought “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” to the United States.
Nicholas Weid, Contributing Writer November 4, 2019

Before watching “Searching for Mr. Rugoff,” I did what most viewers would probably do — I googled Donald Rugoff. I hadn’t known the name before hearing the title and as...

Yorgos Lanthimos’s 2005 solo debut comes to America for the first time. It follows three strangers in a strange alliance to recreate homicides. The writer explains how the film failed to reach its potential both in its aesthetics and character development. (via Haos Film)

‘Kinetta’: A Cornucopia of Wasted Potential

Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’s 2005 drama makes its American debut 14 years later, but American audiences weren’t missing much.
Nico Pedrero-Setzer, Staff Writer November 1, 2019

Unseen by American eyes up until now, Yorgos Lanthimos’s 2005 solo debut has finally arrived in the U.S. courtesy of the Museum of the Moving Image. Following a photo-store clerk,...

Tokyo Twilight, a Japanese drama film, was originally released in 1957. (Via Wikimedia)

‘Tokyo Twilight’: Ozu’s Metaphorical Landscape of Heartbreak and Change

Master Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu illustrates a complex narrative of transformation through the breaking of a family and the evolution of Tokyo.
Alexandra Bentzien, Contributing Writer October 28, 2019

Yasujiro Ozu’s “Tokyo Twilight” (1957), restored in 4K at Film Forum on Houston Street, documents the simultaneous evolution of the Sugiyama family and the eponymous Japanese...

Knives Out is a mystery film that is scheduled to release in theaters on November 27, 2019. (Via Twitter)

‘Knives Out’ Is a Lighthearted Whodunnit

With an all-star cast and witty dialogue, "Knives Out" is a fun murder mystery that keeps the audience guessing.
Nicholas Pabon, Contributing Writer October 27, 2019

For years, Rian Johnson has wanted to write a mystery film inspired by the works of Agatha Christie, whose novels have been developed into such films as “And Then There Were...