173. Beginnings and Endings: Jane Austen Wrecked My Life

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life is one of the best films of 2025. In this episode, Alex Heeney zooms in on its beginning and ending scenes to show how they set up and pay off the film’s emotional arc.

From the start, you know you’re in a warm, fun place (with a touch of sadness); by the end, you land on a romantic high the film truly earns. 

Alex unpacks how choices from structure to song lyrics to blocking work together to deliver that strong emotional payoff.

🎧 Full breakdown of the film: Episode 172

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💬 Enjoy digging into filmmaking details like this?
That’s one of the things we do inside Reel Ruminators — a space for curious film lovers to explore great movies together, spark insights, and deepen your appreciation of film craft.

Join by June 2, and you’ll get access to May’s featured film and the close readings we did together — perfect if you want more of the kind of scene-level analysis you heard in this episode.

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✍️ More on cinematic structure and craft at Seventh Row