In this week’s SojoMail, Ezra Craker writes about the films and TV shows that inspired us this year:

In the third episode of HBO’s The Last of Us, a couple argues bitterly over home renovations amid the fungus-fueled societal collapse around them. Frank, played by Murray Bartlett, wants to paint the house and spruce up the neighborhood-turned-compound they live in. Bill (Nick Offerman) thinks this would be a waste of precious resources.

But Frank isn’t moved by his prepper partner’s anxieties. “Paying attention to things,” he says. “It’s how we show love.”

At their strongest, films and TV shows can help us pay attention to — and by extension, love — the people and the world around us. They can reveal and indict unjust power structures, uncover buried histories, and point us to freer ways of being. These on-screen stories do just that and more — and they represent some of the best entertainment of the year.

READ THE FULL LIST

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