Clarie Denis, like just about every other filmmaker on the planet dealing with COVID-19, finds herself at home right now, not able to continue the work she wanted to do for her next feature. But that doesn’t mean she’s just sitting around not doing much of anything. As seen in a new essay the filmmaker wrote for Vulture, Denis is keeping busy with a new film project, tons of movies, and hummus. Lots of hummus.
As the “High Life” filmmaker details in the essay, cooking has become a passion for Denis during the days stuck at home, with hummus being a daily treat. But in addition to that edible endeavor, the writer-director is also using this lockdown to work on a brand-new script for a film. This is because she’s unable to work on the previously-announced A24 film she’s about to begin production on, starring Robert Pattinson and Margaret Qualley.
READ MORE: Robert Pattinson & Margaret Qualley To Star In Claire Denis’ New Film For A24
“I’m working in the mornings on a new script because I am also preparing a feature film for the end of fall in Central America with Robert Pattinson and Margaret Qualley,” wrote Denis. “This, of course, is already postponed. But in the meantime, I’m writing.”
But like many of us, those who are missing cinemas and the joy of watching films on the big screen, Denis is also using this time to watch movies at home. And she does provide some examples from her quarantine watchlist.
“I’m watching films at night sometimes, too,” she said. “Last night, I watched a Michael Mann movie, ‘Thief’…I thought I was going to watch a lot of [Yasujirō] Ozu movies, and I watched a few, but then I realized that, given my situation, it would be hard if I only went back to the films I have a very strong relation to.”
Denis continued, “I’ve also tried to catch up with some films through Apple TV. Sometimes old films, sometimes new; I don’t want to watch one type of movie. I did watch Michael Powell’s ‘The Edge of the World,’ a very important film for me. I saw ‘Shaft,’ the original, by Gordon Parks. I saw two films by Marguerite Duras. I watched the films of Oshima Nagisa and a few films by [Shōhei] Imamura like ‘Vengeance Is Mine.’ I think I saw six or seven films by Imamura last week — an orgy of Imamura!”
Obviously, it’s unclear when production on her new A24 film will begin. We have yet to see how the studios plan on rolling out filming in the months to come. But hopefully, it’s relatively soon because we are dying to see what Denis has in store for us next. Especially since we aren’t able to eat some of that hummus.