If you’ve been following The Playlist recently, you know that we’re incredibly excited that Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here” is finally hitting theaters. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as a veteran and ex-FBI agent who is contracted to locate missing girls suspected of being victims of trafficking. It’s brutal, beautiful, and raw. And if you’re familiar with Ramsay’s style of directing, then none of that should be surprising.
However, what might be surprising is that this is Ramsay’s first film in seven years, since “We Need to Talk about Kevin” was released in 2011. But don’t mistake that 7-year absence as a planned hiatus. The filmmaker was steadily busy, prepping films and having them fall through. Let’s just say, Ramsay is no stranger to the ups and downs of the film industry. And people are definitely noticing. One such person is actor Ezra Miller, who played the titular character in ‘Kevin.’ In an interview with The New York Times, he had some things to say about Ramsay and Hollywood.
“She’s had a rough go of it as a director because she is so true to her vision,” said Miller. “She’s unyielding. She’s the punk-rock, Iggy Pop of this game. And, hmm, surprisingly, she’s had trouble with some controlling, generally male producers. And she’s overcome that to make some incredible films.”
Lynne Ramsay definitely is someone that is true to her vision. Ramsay had been working during the last 7-year break, prepping the film “Jane Got a Gun.” However, after creative differences, Ramsay left the project. She was also attached to a modern adaptation of “Moby Dick,” but that also fell through. And even before ‘Kevin,’ Ramsay had projects fall through. Most notably, the filmmaker was attached to write and direct an adaptation of “The Lovely Bones,” but after the novel became a bestseller, dreaded creative differences struck again.
It seems as if the filmmaker has a clear vision, studios line up to give her a chance to fulfill that vision, but somewhere along the way, Ramsay is told to make compromises and she doesn’t. And in today’s Hollywood, you’re damn right that’s punk rock.
He continues, “Let’s please do everything we can, collectively as an industry, to make sure Lynne Ramsay’s next film is not in as many years as the distance from the last film, and the distance prior to that.”
As fans of Ramsay, we wholeheartedly agree. And one way to do “everything we can” is to make sure to seek out her latest film, “You Were Never Really There.” We definitely don’t want to wait another 7 years for a new Lynne Ramsay project.