Recently, we were happy to share a clip of legendary filmmaker William Friedkin talking to director Nicolas Winding Refn. In the clip, it’s obvious that Friedkin suffers no fools and is not interested in wasting his time with idle chatter. So, when you see that he was brutally honest and open in a recent interview with the Guardian, it makes complete sense.
The interview came about because Friedkin is promoting his most recent film, a documentary called “The Devil and Father Amorth.” The doc has come under fire since its premiere, due to people claiming that the film might actually be a hoax. You see, the film covers the controversial subject of real-life exorcisms, and has an ending that we called “highly dubious” in our review. Feel free to read our review for specific spoilers, if you’re so inclined.
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Regardless of the validity of the film, when the Guardian brings up this issue, Friedkin is quick to rebut. “You’re not suggesting that I made this up, are you?” Friedkin says. He goes on to explain why he hates skepticism and why he’s not a skeptic himself. “You don’t know a damn thing, and neither do I. Nobody knows if there is an afterlife, a heaven or hell,” he continues.
“I’m not interested in convincing you, or anyone else,” Friedkin explains. “This is what I saw, and the only way to deal with that conclusion was in this way, getting closure through this film. You’ll have to work that out for yourself.”
But the honesty from Friedkin doesn’t end there. When the subject of film critics are mentioned, the filmmaker makes sure to share his thoughts on the new crop of critics that seems to be popping up nowadays. “Any schmuck with an iPhone is a film critic today. What qualifies someone to be a film critic? Why should I believe one person’s review over another’s? What would prompt me to accept criticism?” asks Friedkin.
Oh and don’t bother mentioning Harvey Weinstein. When prompted for a response about Weinstein, the director doesn’t mince words and refuses to give the reporter what they want.
Friedkin says, “I don’t want to discuss that. That’s not what this is about. Are you asking me if I’m refreshed to hear about Harvey Weinstein or any of these people? That’s not the point of this interview at all. He’s had his criticism, and continues to have it. That’s not why I agreed to do this interview, and I hope that if you use this quote, it reflects that. I’m not here to talk about the Me Too movement, as much as I’m sure you’d like me to.”
The 82-year-old filmmaker is clearly way past the point of giving a shit, and we don’t mind, as long as he keeps producing interview gold like this.
“The Devil and Father Amorth” is in theaters now.