I was complaining again. I know what I love. I know what I want to see. Unfortunately it aligns all too rarely with the film industry’s main desires. Along these lines, Bill Horberg and I were emailing back and forth about our pursuit to bring Edwidge Danticat’s The Dew Breaker to the screen. Bill remarked:

Art House has become everyone’s favorite perjorative. And we don’t get to say “probably too mall for me.”

I love that. People generally only want to see ambitious films once they are already made and some critic — if they haven’t all been fired from their jobs — shames them into wanting to see it. It gets worse at the level of gatekeeper and financier: if you quiz them about their favorite film, it generally is something quite beautiful and aiming high.  They seem to forget why they got into this business — to make films that are as ambitious as their favorites.  The hard economics of this craft leaves everyone shaken and skittish.  Yet you can marry great material to reasonable budgets.  Unique worlds, original characters, dramatic and truthful situations — these will always be what makes up great films.  But money is afraid that all people want to see is escape.  They also want to be transported, transformed.  They want to appreciate their lives and to aspire to more.  They want to recognize themselves in others whom lives are quite different.  They want to see their stories told.  Ah, well.  I am going to keep trying.

Tweet