5 in 5: "Hereditary," Kasey Musgraves, and the Tale of a Con

Women & Power, A Manifesto, by Mary Beard
Women & Power, A Manifesto, by Mary Beard.
Courtesy of W.W. Norton & Company

"5 in 5" is a weekly list of things to watch, hear, read, or experience. This week MPR News producer Stephanie Curtis selects the lineup.

1. "Hereditary" - The new horror movie is the debut feature from writer and director Ari Aster. Toni Collette delivers one of the best performances of the year as Annie, a mother of two teens whose own mother dies, leaving her with questions about her role as a parent and her family's past. While it's more akin to "Rosemary's Baby" than "Saw," it has one of the most shocking deaths I've ever seen in a film. Seriously scary.

2. If you prefer dumb fun, try "The Imposters," a caper TV show about a con artist who seduces her targets, marries them, and then takes them for everything. The plot follows both the thieving Maddie and a gullible, Midwestern businessman whose life is upended in the aftermath of their brief union.

3. Classics professor Mary Beard, best known in the U.S. for her bestseller "SPQR," delivered 2 speeches about the history of our unease with women in power and how women's speech has been mocked and criticized for centuries. They are compiled in the brief, funny and sharp book "Women and Power." She calls on all of us -- whatever your gender -- to question how we look at and listen to women.

4. New York Magazine's profile of Anna Delvey is a must-read. Reporter Jessica Pressler chronicles the life of a German trust funder in her twenties who rolls into New York, makes friends amongst the glitterati, stays at the coolest hotels, eats at the hot restaurants, and leaves $100 tips while pursuing millions in financing for her dreams of a multi-floor art center and club. The catch? She is not German. She has no money. She is not named Anna Delvey. She is a con artist.

5. "Slow Burn" opens "Golden Hour," the new album by country singer Kacey Musgraves. It's a quiet, personal song about a rebellious woman celebrating her willingness to take her time and appreciate what she has and what is still ahead of her in life. "I know a few things but I still got to learn....so I am all right with a slow burn," she croons wisely. I am going to make that my inspiration at the kickoff of the summer as I soak in the lazy summer months with my family.

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