To me, Ennis stands for the conservative side of America. He’s the biggest homophobe in the whole movie – culturally and psychologically – but by the time he admits his feelings, it’s too late.
I wanted to shoot straight, mainstream, somehow off-beat. Not only realistic West, which is quite unfamiliar to the world’s population – even to a lot of Americans.
First we pre-visualized it so the actors could act. It took a long time to get that to come to life and to design those coming out of the screen. We had great fun with that. It takes a long time, a year maybe.
Usually with this genre the first thing that happens is a good fight sequence to show that you’re in good hands. So we broke that rule. I think a lot of that comes from the western audience.
When I have a full schedule like that, I don’t see myself sitting there for a couple of months, doing the research, going through a painful process, it’s just not my thing anymore.
Every movie I make, that’s my hideout, the place I don’t quite understand but feel most at home.
I took the name Green Destiny from – well there is such a sword called Green Destiny. It is green because you keep twisting it, it’s an ancient skill, you keep twisting it and knocking it and twisting it until it is very elastic and light.
Meanwhile, the Ice Storm was still in development, And that was something I really wanted to do, and frankly I don’t think I was ready to do a big production like this.
My mother loves me and everything goes well. I have no conflict with her, so that’s not dramatic.
Americans are hidden dragons to me.
Beautifully-acted and precisely observed, ILO ILO is an amazing debut, full of heart and intelligence.
Making a martial arts film in English to me is the same as John Wayne speaking Chinese in a western.
My father was the center of the family, and everyone tried to please him.
I have a lot of repression. So repression is what I make movies about.
I make movies for a long time. It doesn’t get easier.
A movie is really provocation. It’s not a message, it’s not a statement.
Every movie is unknown.
I think a movie is a media that is evoking feelings.
You become the movie you are making.
I’m not a master of films. I’m rather a slave.