David Fincher and Boots Riley are both very good filmmakers. In terms of Fincher, some put him up there as one of the best working today. But make no mistake, these are two very different storytellers, in nearly every way. And it’s clear, based on Riley’s social media posts this weekend, there are some philosophical differences between the two, especially when it comes to the ongoing WGA and SAG strikes.
To add context to everything, it’s important to know that David Fincher recently premiered his newest film, “The Killer,” at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The film follows a meticulous assassin as he does… well, assassin things. And discussing the film at Venice (via Variety), Fincher not only talked about “The Killer,” but he also talked about the dual strikes. It’s his comments during this discussion that struck a nerve with Riley. But first, Fincher talked about his intentions with “The Killer.”
“Sympathy was the last thing on my mind as it relates to this character,” Fincher said. “He didn’t need to be frightening. You know, the banality of evil. My hope is that someone will see this film and get very nervous about the person behind them in line at Home Depot.”
This comment is the first that drew the concern of Riley, the filmmaker behind the recently released “I Am a Virgo” and the acclaimed film, “Sorry to Bother You.”
“This is who he hopes his films will convince ppl to see as their enemy,” tweeted Riley. “This distorted worldview is propagated in many of his films & his confused take on the strike.”
So, it would appear that Riley isn’t necessarily a fan of Fincher’s storytelling, in terms of the characters he presents and the situations in the films, but it’s that strike comment that needs a bit more explaining. Further down in the discussion at Venice, Fincher also talked about the strikes, and while he doesn’t necessarily defend the studios, the filmmaker does seem to take a “both sides” sort of stance between the unions and the studios.
“I don’t know what it says about the industry. I’m very sad, obviously I sit in the middle of both parties,” Fincher explained. “This movie was made during the pandemic and I never want to make a movie with a visor again, but having said that, [we] just got done with three years of having to set our brushes down and walk away — the idea of that continuing on, especially now, is very sad to me. I can understand both sides, and I think all we can do is encourage them to talk.”
Riley said that Fincher’s request for both sides to come to the table and talk “makes no sense.” He went on to explain that the WGA waited for the studios to meet for more than 100 days before they finally started renegotiations. And even still, the WGA is still currently waiting on more discussions.
It’s obvious that Fincher and Riley will likely always have a difference of opinion when it comes to a number of things, but Riley is also here to make sure people don’t spin it into some sort of battle between the two.
“But yes, Fincher has made some great films. I can disagree with someone, and even disagree with a common theme in their art, and still recognize and appreciate things that are great about their art,” he said. “I shouldn’t need to say this, but apparently I need to make this clear.
You can see Riley’s tweets below:
