The word “canceled” means so much to different people in today’s society. For some, it’s a possible end-result of a celebrity’s terrible actions that were made public. A way for people to exercise their power when the law and/or the larger society doesn’t do anything. For others, the idea of being “canceled” is some PC nonsense that is all part of some political ideology. Needless to say, if you want to spark up some potentially uncomfortable conversation, ask your crazy Uncle about “cancel culture” at your next family gathering. But there is nuance in the discussion, according to filmmaker Abel Ferrara.
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According to an interview with THR, Ferrara has mixed feelings about the idea of being “canceled.” This comes after the filmmaker was asked about Woody Allen and the fact that the director has been effectively blacklisted in Hollywood, forced to make films in Europe without US distribution. Ferrara, for context, has also been residing in Europe, but mainly because of his wife being from overseas. And so it shouldn’t be all that surprising that Ferrara has mixed feelings about the idea of someone being “canceled.”
“It’s a complicated issue. Because I grew up with the Women’s Movement. So in the early ’70s, when I was a university student, this was an all-powerful thing, like #MeToo in certain ways,” said Ferrara. “I have three daughters. I know what their life is like out there in the world. It’s very tough. And two of my daughters are Black, so, that’s even tougher, and it breaks my heart. I kept saying to myself, where is this woman’s movement? And then in the last four or five years, it [has emerged] in a big way. It’s like what’s happened in the last month — the recognition of what it’s like to really be Black in the United States.”
He continued, “So, I don’t know about being canceled. It’s a scary word. It’s like being deleted, eliminated…Your actions are going to define who and what you are, and you’ve got to answer to it. But you could overcome it. You could rise. It’s not an execution. I mean every one of us, everybody who’s in jail, they’re not dead. So, they have to try to make amends for what they have done and who they hurt. And that’s it. Right now, things are happening fast…I hope what went down in the last month is really going to inspire some real change.”
No matter what side of the discussion about “cancel culture” you might find yourself on, you can likely agree with parts of what Ferrara said. In effect, he just thinks that actions have consequences, but even for those people being “canceled,” such as Woody Allen, who has written a book and continues to make films, just because you’re blacklisted doesn’t mean you are being sentenced to death. And as we’ve seen with people like Aziz Ansari, Dave Chappelle, and a number of other comedians who have found themselves in hot water over the years, the public will embrace you again, given enough time and reflection.
Ferrara’s latest film, “Tommaso,” is available now on various digital platforms.
