Tara Kenny

Tara Kenny is a writer and critic in Melbourne who writes highbrow analysis of lowbrow culture. She has been published in Interview, Dazed, i-D, Paper, The Guardian, The Monthly, The Saturday Paper, Esquire Australia, and numerous zines and independent publications.

Outlets: Consistent reviews in The Monthly, and otherwise scattered across the internet. I love writing for small zines and publications, such as KinoTopia, The Paris End, Cake Zine, Liminal and others.

Instagram: @slurpette

Substack: Slurp It Up!

Location: Melbourne/Naarm

Movie location I call home: Cher’s digital wardrobe in Clueless.

What was the film or experience that made you want to write about the screen? Due to lax parenting, I watched a lot of wildly inappropriate films as a child – Pulp Fiction and The Shining come to mind – which led to much confusion and nightmares but also piqued my interest in cinema's ability to unsettle.

What do you think are the major issues facing contemporary film criticism? The inadequacy of existing media models, TikTok brain takeover, how it exists as part of the undifferentiated slop of the internet. And yet, we persist!

How can film criticism stay vital in 2026? Film criticism still feels relevant within a niche community of hardcore cinephiles. Beyond that, looking beyond the cinema canon to make unexpected connections between film, other artforms and our contemporary moment may bring more people in.

What’s one piece of advice that you’d give an emerging critic today? In Australia, at least, the ceiling is low, so there’s no point trying to reverse-engineer “success”. You might as well just follow your weird obsessions and interests and write what you actually want to without constraints. Also, you can just do things (pitch your dream publications, write on Substack, host readings or screenings with your friends that you would want to go to).

Who’s a critic/writer that has inspired you? Naomi Fry is my high/low culture north star.

Who’s a critic that everyone should be reading right now? Philippa Snow’s writing on popular culture, women, celebrity and violence is experimental and current.

What’s the best thing you’ve seen this year so far? Serial Mom by John Waters. A necessary antidote to the tradwives.