Saturday Afternoon In Your Apartment: A Sad Movie & Cheese Marathon

It’s quite possible that you might have absolutely no desire to leave your apartment today. Understandable. What you need is a monumental sulk and an unspeakable amount of dairy, possibly consumed without pants or any regard for your neighbors as you wail in your living room. To help you through this, below you’ll find an itinerary for a sad movie marathon. And, like a sommelier pairs wine with food, we’ve designed the perfect combinations of cheesy takeout dishes and heartbreaking movies. Whoever you are, know that we commend you, we’re here for you, and we possibly want to hang out with you in the year 2022. Until then, let it out.

The Pairings

1) if Beale Street Could Talk

Fancy Cheese & Conservas from Cervo's

Barry Jenkins’ adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel tracks the immovable love of two Black teenagers in Harlem in the ’70s. Fonny (Stephan James) and Tish (Kiki Layne) love each other in subway cars, in tiny apartments, and, eventually, in prison visitation rooms after Fonny is wrongfully arrested for a crime he did not commit. Especially in the context of the Black Lives Matter protests this year, the movie’s conversations about racist policing in NYC are devastatingly timeless. Start your marathon of eating with a first course of cheese and conservas from Cervo's general store. The combination will make you feel even more like a fly on the wall during the scene where Fonny and Tish go on a special date night at a Spanish restaurant in the village.

2) Blue Valentine

Mac & Cheese from Sugar Freak

Watching this movie is like being slapped in the face after someone has told you they are about to steal your social security card. Blue Valentine shows the demise of a marriage in jumbled order, so even the romantic parts feel like a pre-divorce dumpster fire. The scene where Dean (Ryan Gosling) croons at Cindy (Michelle Williams) as she tap dances in front of a consignment shop comes to mind. It’s irresponsible to sit through all of the yelling in Blue Valentine without cheese-covered pasta nearby. So cuddle a takeout container from Sugar Freak and let the Grizzly Bear soundtrack mercilessly activate your tear ducts.

3) Coco

Cheeseburger from Sisters

After four hours of injustice, heartbreak, and hopelessness, you’re going to need some relief in the form of a sweet, animated boy named Miguel. Miguel is destined to be a guitarist, even though his parents want him to be a shoemaker. Magical realism ensues and suddenly Miguel is running around the underworld playing music with his skeletal ancestors. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve heard it, Mama Coco and Miguel’s “Remember Me” duet will consistently produce tears. Eat something warm and hearty, like a burger covered in cheddar and crispy bacon from Sisters in Clinton Hill (or one of the other spots on our burger delivery guide).