Robert Eggers Hates Watching His Best Movie (No, Not Nosferatu)
It's hard to be a perfectionist.
Robert Eggers is one of the leading directors of the new generation, whose aesthetic and blood-curdling films have brought paganism back to the screen in all its beauty and nightmare.
The darkness he dredged up from the ancient depths of human consciousness and brought to the screen has become the most powerful cinematic experience for many connoisseurs of archaic horror and first-rate cinema.
Each new film by Eggers, from The Witch to Nosferatu, strengthened his special status as a director. Finally, it became clear that we were dealing with a cultural phenomenon.
Robert Eggers' Debut Film Was a Resounding Success
Robert Eggers made a big splash at Sundance 2015. The director's debut feature was the horror film The Witch, about the appearance of an ancient evil on the small farm of a family exiled from a 17th-century colony.
In order to recreate the appropriate atmosphere on screen, Eggers spent five years studying the history of the English settlers, their way of life and superstitions, as well as the witch trials of the 17th century. As a result, the film won more than 15 awards and was recognized as an example of folklore horror.
The Director Can't Stand to Watch His Own Best Movie
But what audiences adore is not always what directors like. In an interview, Eggers admitted that he could not watch his directorial debut:
“Honestly, I can't stand watching The Witch now. It's not that it's bad, and the performances are great, but I was not skilled enough as a film-maker to get what was in my brain on to the screen.”
Perhaps this desire for perfection is one of the things that sets Eggers apart from other young directors. But no matter how dissatisfied he may be with his own work, it does not change the fact that The Witch has already entered the history of cinema and is sure to stay there for a long time to come.
The Witch Was Noticed by the A24 Studio
The Witch is a case in which A24 saw potential in an up-and-coming director and acted as the film's distributor. The studio often gives debutants a chance to make a name for themselves. After The Witch, the director will shoot the black-and-white The Lighthouse, which the studio will also produce.
Eggers can give lessons on how to give the viewers goosebumps thanks to the tension of the slowburn subgenre. The author's cinematic language is not the usual jump scares, but mysticism, the collective unconscious and folklore.
Source: The Guardian