The Next Reel Film Podcast
Resurrection
We dig into Resurrection in our Ellen Burstyn series—healing without doctrine, faith without explanation, and a performance that carries everything.
May 21, 2026
Ellen Burstyn has spent decades choosing films that ask everything of her—and The Next Reel devoted a series to following that thread. From a single mother on the road to a parent facing supernatural forces, from a woman who returns from death with the power to heal to an older woman trapped in addiction—these are performances that don’t flinch.
We dig into Resurrection in our Ellen Burstyn series—healing without doctrine, faith without explanation, and a performance that carries everything.
In our Ellen Burstyn series, Pete and Andy close out with Requiem for a Dream—the film both hosts place in their all-time top five, and the performance they consider the best of Burstyn’s career.
It’s pretty rare for a film to come along that has such a visceral effect on people when they’re watching it where they faint or throw up because it’s so overwhelming. When “The Exorcist” was released just after Christmas in 1973, it had that effect. People flocked to it in droves and seemed to have these heightened reactions to it, whether because they were so scared or they felt it was truly evil. It’s a fascinating case study in how religion and horror draws people to the theatre. Join us — Pete Wright and Andy Nelson — as we continue our Ellen Burstyn series with William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist.”
In our Ellen Burstyn series, we dig into Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore—the Scorsese film Burstyn spent years pushing into existence, and the performance she built from scratch.
Ellen Burstyn's fearless dedication to complex, challenging roles has made her one of cinema's most formidable performers. The Next Reel devoted a series to proving it. Three films anchored the original 2014 run: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), The Exorcist (1973), and Requiem for a Dream (2000). Season 15 adds a fourth—Resurrection (1980)—completing a portrait of an actress who has never once played it safe.
Burstyn's performances are defined by their refusal to simplify. Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore gives her room for warmth and wit alongside the harder edges. William Friedkin's The Exorcist asks her to anchor one of cinema's most terrifying films. Her work there is often undersold against everything else happening on screen. Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream is one of the most punishing films Pete and Andy have covered in the show's history. Her performance is devastating in ways that stay with you.
Resurrection, added in Season 15, earned Burstyn another Oscar nomination. She plays a woman who survives death and returns with the power to heal others. It's the same commitment and emotional precision she brings to every film in this series.
Andy and Pete use the series to trace what makes Burstyn's presence so singular. The intelligence and physicality she brings. The way each character emerges as fully human even in her most desperate moments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Next Reel's Ellen Burstyn series complete?
The Season 15 run concluded with Resurrection, bringing the total to four films—but a series is only ever as complete as we decide it is. Burstyn has a robust filmography, and Pete and Andy may well return to it in a future season.
Which Ellen Burstyn films did The Next Reel cover?
Four films across two seasons: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, The Exorcist, and Requiem for a Dream in Season 4 (2014); and Resurrection in Season 15 (2026).
Where should I start if I'm new to The Next Reel?
Any of the four episodes works as a standalone. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore is the warmest and most accessible—a good introduction to how Pete and Andy approach an actor-focused series.
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Related Listening
If the Ellen Burstyn series brought you here, you might also want to explore the Meryl Streep's Oscar Nominations series—The Next Reel's deep dive into the films that earned Streep her record-setting nominations. Another legendary actress, another chance to trace what a singular screen presence looks like across decades of work.