In recent years, some of the conversation has revolved around concepts such as: crime, timeliness and political correctness. Talk to Todd Solondz (“Happiness”, “Palindromes”) about these things, the writer who made the discussion the essence of his life cinemait’s a luxury. A luxury that the Americana festival (March 7-12) provides us. The American independent film festival dedicates a retrospective to the filmmaker as part of its programming. On the occasion of the cycle, which started yesterday and will continue until March 26, Solondz is in the city for a few days, where he participates in various activities related to his work. We were able to talk to him.
According to Solondz, the reasons why it’s difficult for cinema to take risks today are fear and money, and they’re interconnected. “People are very worried, afraid of being cancelled. It’s hard to have fun today because if you have fun, you can get hit from the left as well as from the right. I teach and suffer for my students who have to find their way in a minefield. Also, even if they find people with money never bet on risky movies”. He also talks about illustrators and comics writers Joan Cornellà and Molg h., his son’s advice, and says he likes Javier Cercas’ ‘El impostor’.
-I have a feeling that I have been forced to speak from experience in cinema. Do you agree?
-It’s pretty complicated. I don’t think you have to be gay to make a movie about gays, or be a woman to make a movie about women. But if you want to make a movie about something you’re not, you have to be responsible and know what you’re talking about. Otherwise, you run the risk of looking like a lost tourist in an unfamiliar area. When I shot Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995), I was afraid of how women would react to a 30-year-old man making a movie about a girl threatened with rape, but I had faith in that character. and respecting its integrity.
-One of the things that makes your movies different is their sense of humor. There are filmmakers today who tackle topics as controversial as their own cinema, but not many dare to do it out of comedy.
-You are right. In fact, there are comedians in the United States who have stopped touring high schools for fear of offending the sensibilities of young people. In general, there is a lot of fear of offending someone. I’m used to breaking and I’m still here, it didn’t go that bad for me. It’s not fun to be around people without humor, and there’s not much point in making movies without irony. However, this is not the same for everyone and has to do with the money you produce. Dave Chappelle did a comedy special that greatly offended the trans community but brought in million-dollar revenue. Netflixers are balancing this revenue and the storm on Twitter and continue to recoup the money. On the other hand, if a teenager wants to start with films that are a bit subversive, they will have more trouble using humor and irony as they do not have the capacity to raise money.
– Is the current cinema hijacked to the present?
-Films with a strong take on one subject are often a bit superficial and therefore not very interesting. But that doesn’t mean you have to disconnect from burning issues. I don’t have a defined system when approaching stories. I start with a scene that comes to mind and see where it takes me. I must also say that I am lucky to work with very good people. If you’re lucky enough to pick the right players, it seems like you write better than you do.
-Some of your films, such as ‘Cosas que no se olviden’ (Storytelling, 2001), imply a reflection on the nature of stories and the act of telling them.
-I had to convince the Spanish distributor that this translation of the title wasn’t a good idea (he’s kidding). I’m not as self-analytical as I feel you think. What I really like is to play around with the format of the stories so that they are fresh, lively and have an impact on the audience. As filmmakers, we are primarily responsible for telling a story.
-Can we still talk about independent American cinema today?
-They award the best independent film every year, so it must have a scene. But I don’t know if I’m part of it (laughs). Of course there are good movies, but I haven’t watched them. To be fair, I have to say that I don’t watch Hollywood movies either. I’m old enough, my time is limited, and I’m more interested in books right now.
-Make ‘Love Boy’ a movie with Rachel Weisz and Colin Farrell. It’s been seven years since Wiener-Dog (2016). Why did it take so long?
-As always, the explanation lies in the money. If your movies raise a lot of money, it’s easy to find financing. It is very difficult to collect them. And I caused a lot of people to lose a lot of money.