‘Dog‘ (2009), feature film introducing the Greek director Yogos Lantimosincluding incestuous sexual relations and cat murders, In ‘Langosta’ (2015) he imagined a future like this: Singles should look for a partner to avoid turning into animalsIn ‘The Sacrifice of the Sacred Deer’ (2017), he showed a father shooting his own children with a rifle; In other words, his cinema is filled with behavior that actively aims to reject the audience.
And interestingly, the Greek is becoming a director whose films are eager to win awards, without needing to change his method. The last of these, ‘Poor Creatures’, has already received the Golden Lion. Venice Festivaltwo of them Golden Globes most coveted and a handful of other notable awards and that nominated for Oscar in 11 categoriesIncluding almost all the main ones.
This is also perhaps his most radical, strange and transgressive work to date. A feminist re-reading of the ‘Frankenstein’ legend, a black comedy full of sex and ‘jokes’. The retro-futuristic baroque display and various visuals – such as that of a duck-headed dog – are capable of leaving you speechless.
You decided to direct this film about 12 years ago. Why did it take so long to make this a reality?
Because for a long time I couldn’t find a producer who wanted to support me. They thought it was a very strange, very strange movie. And it’s very interesting, because these are the same people who called me recently and said that ‘Canino’ sounded amazing to them, just because it was weird and weird, and they wanted to work with me. Finally, when the success of ‘The Favourite’ gave me carte blanche in choosing which movie to make next, I decided to make ‘Poor Creatures’.
“Making movies gives me a lot of anxiety; every time I finish a movie I promise myself it will be the last.”
And would ‘Poor Creatures’ be the same as the movie now if it had existed 12 years ago?
It’s possible, but it almost certainly wouldn’t have as big an impact. Until relatively recently, many people considered it inappropriate to tell the story of a woman who lived her sexuality with complete freedom, without the slightest concern about what others thought of her; Fortunately, things have changed in this regard. Perhaps having spent so long doing this was a positive thing, as the public is now more likely to agree with the argument she proposes about men’s inability to accept women for who they are.
Almost all of his films feature characters facing rigid social rules and structures that they must abide by and from which they seek to liberate themselves. Because?
It always amazes me how docilely we accept the rules and laws that determine what we think is right or appropriate in society, even when we see that they don’t work. Frankly, the purpose of my films is to question these traditions. And what distinguishes ‘Poor Creatures’ is that its protagonist continues to move forward, despite being aware of the pain and suffering that his journey in search of freedom and knowledge will bring upon him. I think it is my most positive, most hopeful film.
“All the sex scenes in the film are necessary; if it were more modest, it would be a betrayal of its hero”
It’s also full of sex scenes. Are you surprised at how many people have been talking about them since the movie came out?
Not really, to tell the truth. Sex is almost completely absent from current ‘mainstream’ films. The puritanism that prevails in the world of cinema and the art world in general scares me a bit, and I find it incomprehensible, especially given the general lack of concern for explicit representation of violence on the big screen. All these sex scenes are necessary. Had it been more modest, the film would have been a betrayal of its hero.
In addition to ‘Poor Creatures’ and ‘The Favourite’ (2019), you and Emma Stone co-produced the short film ‘Vlihi’ (2022) and the new feature film ‘Kind of Kindness’, which is yet to be released. It’s obvious that they are a good team.
Emma can do anything and that makes her a great actress. And yes, we understand each other great. For me she is like a mirror. I give her suggestions and I just need to see how her face reacts to them to know for sure what I need to fix she.
Largely thanks to him, the film has been a success for months. When you started making films in Greece, did you have a goal of conquering Hollywood?
Of course not. I didn’t even believe that I could make a living making movies. At that time, there was no film industry in my country and it was almost impossible to find financing. One day we asked ourselves: “Why don’t we make a movie ourselves? Let’s buy a camera, buy film, pay actors and find a location. “It can’t be that hard.” Since then, I’ve only told stories that came to my mind and never cared about success. And if the movies I make with famous actors stop that, I’ll go back to making low-budget movies in Greece, and if that doesn’t work, I won’t hesitate to do something else.
Why did you leave your country in the first place?
Because after my first films, it became increasingly difficult to shoot there. There was no money and I had no choice but to ask for favors or expect people to work for free. London seemed like a good place to move because, at the time, Britain was still part of the European Union. But then Brexit and the pandemic happened and I started spending a lot more time in Athens lately. Maybe I’ll come home.
Has the way you work changed as your films have grown?
I’m definitely learning to let go of wanting to control everything and trust more in the people I work with, because they’re people I greatly admire and therefore try to work with often. Thanks to them, I find the process of creating a film more bearable.
Did you say it was more bearable?
Yes, making films in general gives me a lot of anxiety. Every time I finish a movie, I promise myself that this will be the last, that I will never go through this kind of pain again, but after a while I forget about it and the desire to start developing a new project returns. Part of the problem is that I have a hard time being convinced of my work. But on reflection, too much belief would be much more problematic. Artists who have no doubt about what they’re doing scare me a bit.