At the Sundance Film Festival last year, there was no movie I was more excited to see than Wrong. Quentin Dupieuxs Rubber was my favorite film of 2011 so his follow-up was my most anticipated. I mean, just making a film about a killer tire is awesome enough, but when Rubber turned out to be a deconstruction about the assumptions viewers make while watching films, that blew my mind.
Now its been over a year and Wrong has finally come out. Its hard to believe I already saw it in January 2012. Theres already been another Sundance Film Festival since then. Wrong is in limited theaters and available on VOD so people can absorb the next level of Quentin Dupieux weirdness.
Wrong stars Jack Plotnick as a man whos been fired from his job, but keeps going to work anyway. The alarm still wakes him for the day every morning at 7:60AM. Things get really weird when he goes looking for his lost dog. A pizza delivery operator believes two separate lovers are the same person, it rains inside an office and William Fichtner plays Master Chang. Its no less weird than a killer tire, and perhaps even weirder.
Sundance is itself a bit of a surreal world where hundreds of unique movies play and the streets are elbow to elbow with cineasts analyzing them. I met Dupieux in a loft above the snowy Main Street of Park City, UT. Taking shelter from the cold, things heated up as we explored the weirdness we accept in movies, and more importantly the nonsense of real life.
SG: Rubber was all about things happening for no reason. Can I say Wrong is another no reason film?
QD: Actually, when I did the monologue, the intro monologue for Rubber, I was honestly thinking this should be the start of every movie I do because to me its just the perfect introduction.
SG: I thought you were going to say every movie. It should be the start of every movie. Every movie happens for no reason.
QD: Yeah, maybe. I would be proud of it. I just love this statement, even if its not a real statement. Its probably more like something trying to reconnect the audience to the real thing, like okay, weve been watching a lot of movies and now movies are made like a science. The structures are always a little bit the same. When you watch a movie, even a good one, like for example the last Martin Scorsese movie. You watch it. Even if its good, you know whats going to happen. You can feel when youre in the middle. You can feel when the end is approaching because we are so used to these structures and the science of the script. Usually I love a movie, I love a scene when I dont get it and when I have to watch it again.
SG: I think American movies play by too many rules. Even compared to Bollywood and Hong Kong. Hong Kong has people flying around, it doesnt matter if it makes sense. Bollywood has people break into songs just because. In America, its like if youre watching an action movie and someone does something too crazy, people might say Thats not realistic. Its not realistic when they hit each other and get up! Its all just a movie.
QD: Yeah, these rules are a little bit stupid in a way but we accept them. Its like okay, its a movie.
SG: Its like a contract we all agreed to, but I wasnt consulted.
QD: [Laughs] Me neither.
SG: You break so many rules in your movies, are there real life rules youd like to break?
QD: Im already doing it. I hate life rules. To me, the concept of being an adult is the most stupid thing ever because as a kid youre discovering stuff, youre excited every day because everything looks new and youre creative. Youre able to meet people and you can be friends with someone who is very different from you. Everything is possible when youre a kid and suddenly theyre trying to explain to you, No, no, no, now you have to be what we call an adult. And this makes no sense to me because I see so many sad people being an adult. Its not only about work. This stupid thing about now Im 40 so life is like a square. I can do this but this is forbidden. As a kid, you are learning stuff every day. You discover life by yourself and when you grow up, you have to follow the rules, societys rules. I think this is the stupidest concept ever, being an adult.
SG: Even to the point where were always explaining ourselves, like if were not conforming we have to give someone a reason why. We dont owe them an explanation.
QD: Obviously, you cant kill someone in the street. You cant rape a girl. We know that.
SG: Right, Im assuming youre a good person, but we buy into some unhealthy social contracts.
QD: Yeah, you know what I mean. Apart from these obvious rules, everything is possible. I hate the way this world works. Its terrible, so Im just trying to be connected to my childhood, but its more the spirit. The way your brain works when youre a kid, like everythings possible. Thats how we made this movie because if youre thinking too much, if I was trying to be like an adult, like a reasonable adult, I would not shoot this movie because it makes no sense from the adult point of view.
SG: Except it sort of makes perfect sense.
QD: I know, but your brain is open wide. A lot of people are just like this and a lot of people live in a square. Thats why screening the movie here and last night in Salt Lake City, thats really, really interesting. Thats quite a good sign. People watch the opening credits quietly, but then when the clock switches to 7:60, they got it. Suddenly oh, okay. Then they buy it and they laugh. I think thats a good switch.
SG: One rule is you never kill the dog in a movie. Is that one rule you follow?
QD: No. Theres another one. I will never film a couple fucking. Theres no point to me. I honestly think its like filming the main character, the hero, going to the toilet. A kiss is okay but I think people who do this [film sex scenes] have serious issues. Thats one rule. After that, I think killing a dog, let me think about it. I mean, I cant do it because I love animals too much, so its not like a rule. Its more like I cant do it. My obsession when I was young was like, I want to make horror movies. I want to make horror movies. The problem is, if you do make horror movies for real, lets say for two months you have to be in this horror world. For example, if you have a scene where a guy gets killed by a strange creature, you have to do it. You have to think about, Okay, blood is going to... You have to be in this world. That was confusing. What Im trying to tell you is, for example Rubber is not a horror movie obviously. Im just making fun of movies because I dont want to shoot horrible stuff, so the exploding heads were funny. Theyre not horrible.
Wrong is now playing and available on VOD.
Now its been over a year and Wrong has finally come out. Its hard to believe I already saw it in January 2012. Theres already been another Sundance Film Festival since then. Wrong is in limited theaters and available on VOD so people can absorb the next level of Quentin Dupieux weirdness.
Wrong stars Jack Plotnick as a man whos been fired from his job, but keeps going to work anyway. The alarm still wakes him for the day every morning at 7:60AM. Things get really weird when he goes looking for his lost dog. A pizza delivery operator believes two separate lovers are the same person, it rains inside an office and William Fichtner plays Master Chang. Its no less weird than a killer tire, and perhaps even weirder.
Sundance is itself a bit of a surreal world where hundreds of unique movies play and the streets are elbow to elbow with cineasts analyzing them. I met Dupieux in a loft above the snowy Main Street of Park City, UT. Taking shelter from the cold, things heated up as we explored the weirdness we accept in movies, and more importantly the nonsense of real life.
SG: Rubber was all about things happening for no reason. Can I say Wrong is another no reason film?
QD: Actually, when I did the monologue, the intro monologue for Rubber, I was honestly thinking this should be the start of every movie I do because to me its just the perfect introduction.
SG: I thought you were going to say every movie. It should be the start of every movie. Every movie happens for no reason.
QD: Yeah, maybe. I would be proud of it. I just love this statement, even if its not a real statement. Its probably more like something trying to reconnect the audience to the real thing, like okay, weve been watching a lot of movies and now movies are made like a science. The structures are always a little bit the same. When you watch a movie, even a good one, like for example the last Martin Scorsese movie. You watch it. Even if its good, you know whats going to happen. You can feel when youre in the middle. You can feel when the end is approaching because we are so used to these structures and the science of the script. Usually I love a movie, I love a scene when I dont get it and when I have to watch it again.
SG: I think American movies play by too many rules. Even compared to Bollywood and Hong Kong. Hong Kong has people flying around, it doesnt matter if it makes sense. Bollywood has people break into songs just because. In America, its like if youre watching an action movie and someone does something too crazy, people might say Thats not realistic. Its not realistic when they hit each other and get up! Its all just a movie.
QD: Yeah, these rules are a little bit stupid in a way but we accept them. Its like okay, its a movie.
SG: Its like a contract we all agreed to, but I wasnt consulted.
QD: [Laughs] Me neither.
SG: You break so many rules in your movies, are there real life rules youd like to break?
QD: Im already doing it. I hate life rules. To me, the concept of being an adult is the most stupid thing ever because as a kid youre discovering stuff, youre excited every day because everything looks new and youre creative. Youre able to meet people and you can be friends with someone who is very different from you. Everything is possible when youre a kid and suddenly theyre trying to explain to you, No, no, no, now you have to be what we call an adult. And this makes no sense to me because I see so many sad people being an adult. Its not only about work. This stupid thing about now Im 40 so life is like a square. I can do this but this is forbidden. As a kid, you are learning stuff every day. You discover life by yourself and when you grow up, you have to follow the rules, societys rules. I think this is the stupidest concept ever, being an adult.
SG: Even to the point where were always explaining ourselves, like if were not conforming we have to give someone a reason why. We dont owe them an explanation.
QD: Obviously, you cant kill someone in the street. You cant rape a girl. We know that.
SG: Right, Im assuming youre a good person, but we buy into some unhealthy social contracts.
QD: Yeah, you know what I mean. Apart from these obvious rules, everything is possible. I hate the way this world works. Its terrible, so Im just trying to be connected to my childhood, but its more the spirit. The way your brain works when youre a kid, like everythings possible. Thats how we made this movie because if youre thinking too much, if I was trying to be like an adult, like a reasonable adult, I would not shoot this movie because it makes no sense from the adult point of view.
SG: Except it sort of makes perfect sense.
QD: I know, but your brain is open wide. A lot of people are just like this and a lot of people live in a square. Thats why screening the movie here and last night in Salt Lake City, thats really, really interesting. Thats quite a good sign. People watch the opening credits quietly, but then when the clock switches to 7:60, they got it. Suddenly oh, okay. Then they buy it and they laugh. I think thats a good switch.
SG: One rule is you never kill the dog in a movie. Is that one rule you follow?
QD: No. Theres another one. I will never film a couple fucking. Theres no point to me. I honestly think its like filming the main character, the hero, going to the toilet. A kiss is okay but I think people who do this [film sex scenes] have serious issues. Thats one rule. After that, I think killing a dog, let me think about it. I mean, I cant do it because I love animals too much, so its not like a rule. Its more like I cant do it. My obsession when I was young was like, I want to make horror movies. I want to make horror movies. The problem is, if you do make horror movies for real, lets say for two months you have to be in this horror world. For example, if you have a scene where a guy gets killed by a strange creature, you have to do it. You have to think about, Okay, blood is going to... You have to be in this world. That was confusing. What Im trying to tell you is, for example Rubber is not a horror movie obviously. Im just making fun of movies because I dont want to shoot horrible stuff, so the exploding heads were funny. Theyre not horrible.
Wrong is now playing and available on VOD.