(in this email: movie recommendations, course information and a pooing log!)

I recently went to see Conclave, and let me tell you: this is a must-watch for Latin students! The movie is a 12Aa, which suits both GCSE and A-Level students.

So, why should Latin students watch it? Watch the trailer, and then we can talk:

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The trailer does indeed do justice to this trepidant thriller: I was on edge for the whole two hours (which felt like 30 minutes anyway). And this is despite having read the book by Robert Harris some years ago and knowing the plot quite well. Ok, but what about the Romans? This is a movie about the Vatican?

Precisely.

Throughout the film, Latin plays an important role in ritual and communication, and there is an inviting debate running in the background about the role it should have in a universal church. The care that has gone into the acting is outstanding, and the Latin is spoken with fantastic local accents, maintaining the living link to its Italian heritage. No history of Latin is really complete without making it to its modern role in the Catholic church, so this movie is a golden ticket to understanding it better without the wild representations of, say, (ehem) Dan Brown.

And despite all this, this is not just a film for classicists. I thoroughly enjoyed the political and religious views and controversies, and came out of the cinema uplifted, impressed and full of challenging thoughts that had not occurred to me before.

You should expect another cinematic email from me very soon, as another big hit is coming out: The Return, about the last books of the Odyssey. If you would like to start warming up, I suggest you take a look at my Odyssey-themed advent calendar on Instagram here:

Before I go, let me remind you of a few things happening now. I will send a full reminder in my last email of the year this week-end, but you can start planning for this:

1. Registration is closing this weekend for my Saturday ancient Greek group courses. Reply to this email as soon as possible if you are interested in securing a spot.
2. Doors are open to my GCSE Language revision course. If you join now, you can attend our next live surgery that will take place in January. This is a new addition to the course and an excellent opportunity to ask questions, work on a brand new unseen (I write them, so believe me: they are new!) and learn more about the best ways to prepare for the GCSE exam. Members of this course and all secondary-aged current students can attend surgeries for free (and they can choose to participate actively or just watch).
3. You asked, and I delivered: as I cannot offer live taster sessions at the moment, I have followed your requests and made a self-paced version of my popular taster class. I am still adding some videos and activities, but you can already access it at a special introductory price of £12 - and get all the new videos as they get released! If you are unsure if this course is for you, just reply to this email, and I will answer all your questions. See the syllabus for more information.

And I do not really think I should leave, given the time of the year, without showing you my Catalan Christmas buddy, Tió. Did you know that children feed this special log in the lead up to Christmas, and then hit it on Christmas Even to get it to... wait for it... poo the sweets and presents? I will tell you a bit more about it in my end of year email this weekend: make sure you open it!

Do you have any special learning plans for 2025? Any courses you are interested in taking? Let me know!

Oh! And I was forgetting! If you need to get any last minute gifts for a young classicist, I have shared my favourites here.