This may ruffle some feathers: speaking to Le Monde about his latest film “The Killer,” David Fincher made some semi-controversial remarks regarding the state of the filmmaking industry. His take? Netflix, the streamer that’s produced his last two films, is the best place in Hollywood to make movies right now. What’s more, cinematic culture needs to accept that the home distribution service offers “optimal representation” for films over the movie theater experience. And in Fincher’s mind, it’s not even a close comparison.
When asked about his relationship with Netflix, which goes back to the 2013 series “House Of Cards,” Fincher compared the streamer’s readiness to foot the bill for him against his earlier studio projects. “Let’s be honest. I have worked for most of the major film studios. When you tell them, ‘I have to do these special effects in 4K,’ their first response is, ‘Oh, gee, why do it so expensive?’ They balk at the slightest expense,” said the director. That’s not the case with streaming giant for Fincher. “Netflix has never quibbled with this type of choice,” he continued. “They adopted an industry standard that made sense to filmmakers. Netflix has by far the best “quality control” in all of Hollywood.”
And Fincher thinks Netflix’s format will be the future of cinema, whether traditional moviegoers like that or not. “You know, we will not save cinema as a culture by restricting home distribution systems,” he continued. “For this to happen, the cinema would have to become a cutting-edge place, and not this damp, smelly, and greasy place that it still is with too few exceptions, skimping on all necessary expenses. I loved certain theaters, like Grauman’s Chinese Theater or the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles, but the technical conditions there were deplorable. We must move past all this nostalgia to finally ask ourselves the right question: who offers optimal representation today?”
To Fincher, Netflix, and streaming culture in general, offer said optimal representation for filmmakers. But does watching movies at home offer the same tantalizing, event-like experience that going to the theater does for audiences? The culture of cinema isn’t just filmmaking, but also film viewing, with critical response and audience reception just as integral to a movie’s cultural cache as how it’s made and who produces it. Fincher and Netflix may have a fine business relationship which allows him to tinker with any VFX and editing he wants, but it’s the spectators in the audiences that ultimately decide a movie’s fate. No amount of technical expertise or swollen budget will overshadow the shrewd acumen of a public that views a piece of cinema critically. And seeing a film in the theater may be arguably be the best place to engage with it.
“The Killer” hits Netflix today after a limited theatrical run that began on October 27. It’s fared well with critics so far, but will Fincher’s film quickly get lost amid the glut of Netflix’s content library? Or is Fincher generally unconcerned with how audiences receive his movie, only interested in who will allow him the most creative freedom for his future work? Whatever the case, Fincher dismissing the movie theater experience as a bygone pastime will stoke ire in some cinephiles. Is the director right about Netflix being Hollywood’s best place for “quality control”? Or is he glossing over an essential part of cinematic culture?