Andrew Dominik is a smart filmmaker. He knows the industry, and he’s well aware of what might happen to his career after the release of his latest film, “Blonde.” The audacious not-so-true biopic about Marilyn Monroe has been getting polarized reviews since its debut at film festivals earlier this year. And now, while he continues to promote the film, Dominik knows that he might have just put himself in “director jail”… again.
Speaking at the Red Sea Film Festival (via Variety), Andrew Dominik talked about the critical reception of “Blonde,” once again. And though he knows that critics and some film fans weren’t excited by his new film, he’s very thankful that Brad Pitt, the man behind Plan B films, was there to break him out of “director jail” and let him make the film.
“I spend a lot of time in director jail, then my friend Brad Pitt comes down and talks to the parole board and convinces them to let me out,” said Dominik. “Then I just go out and re-offend again, I’m incorrigible.”
The term “director jail” is used quite a bit and typically is reserved for filmmakers who take a big swing on a project and fail miserably. For years, there have been a lot of people who were put in “director jail” (or at least assumed to be there), but eventually do get a chance to come out. Dominik has been known as a filmmaker who loves to take big swings with films. Some don’t quite land, such as with “Killing Them Softly,” while others leave people confounded, such as “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.” That said, in both of those previous cases, the films get a second look by many and are eventually beloved or, at least, respected. The jury is still out about what will happen to Dominik’s career after “Blonde.”
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Even though he’s well aware that people were upset by “Blonde,” the viewership shocked him. He didn’t share the exact number but said “tens of millions” watched the film.
“I was expecting critical success and that no one would see the film,” he said. “That’s what I’m kind of used to, films having a positive critical reaction and people not seeing them. ‘Blonde’ was the opposite, at least in America. They hated the movie, they were angry about it. But a lot of people saw the film, I was kind of surprised by it.”
If you have yet to see “Blonde” and want to make your own judgment about Dominik’s latest, you can do so now on Netflix.