Josh Beirne-Golden
The first movie you ever saw
It was “The Wizard of Oz” on television, which I’m grateful for because I still think it might be the greatest film I’ve ever seen. There’s really nothing that compares to it as a perfect meeting of big cinematic moments, good vs. evil and the places where the real things in our lives collide with our dreams. I started strong.
The first moviegoing film experience you can remember
“E.T.” had been rereleased and I was really young. My dad took me because my brother was too young. The reason I remember it so clearly is that it was this big plan, or at least it felt that way. The whole ‘we’re going to the movies’ plan and ritual of it —having to rush to get there on time, getting your tickets and snacks and then the lights going down— is what made it memorable. It’s one of the reasons that “Kicks” receiving theatrical distribution meant so much to me. The moviegoing experience has been with me for what feels like my whole life.
The best moviegoing film experience you ever had
I saw a test screening of Kenneth Lonergan’s three plus hour cut of “Margaret” on the Upper West Side in 2006. I remember being stunned by it —it cracked the world open for me. The idea of a recognizable human experience being as epic as any tentpole film didn’t click for me until then. At the same time, so many people walked out during the film, and maybe another quarter of the theater left as soon as it ended, before even filling out their response cards. You could sense the fear coming from the filmmakers in the back of the room, but I’ll never forget that this one older woman in front of me turned around while the theater was emptying and said to me “Now that was a movie.” It was a huge lesson that you are making movies to connect with people, not make everybody happy. That movie means a lot to me.
The first film you saw after which you realized that you too could be a filmmaker
I think it was “The Royal Tenenbaums.” It came along at a moment in my thinking about movies when I was ready to be able to look at all the tools that you can use in the medium to tell a story. It was probably the first movie I saw when I thought about the voiceover, the plot lines, the visual story and how they were all working together to accomplish this one specific tone. I imitated that movie (badly) in my writing for a long time after seeing it.
The first movie you became obsessed with
I know I saw “Jurassic Park” in theaters, but I specifically remember the day it came out on VHS and watching it on a loop in my parent’s living room with my brother and having to rewind it every time we got to the end. I read the book afterwards and learned how to play the theme on the piano. It was the first movie that, no matter how many times I saw it, I wanted there to be more of it.
The movie that always makes you cry
“Beasts of The Southern Wild.” There’s this moment when Hushpuppy’s dancing, and she has a line like “I can count all the times I’ve been lifted” —I cry every single time and it’s pretty much tears for the rest of the third act. When she returns to her dying father’s side, feeds him gator and he tells her “No crying,” and through tears she says “No crying”… of course I start crying! It’s almost too obvious, but that’s what makes it so great.
The movie that always freaks you out/makes you scared
“Silence of The Lambs.” The sequence in Buffalo Bill’s basement that turns into night vision is terrifying. I saw it way too young, and like all kids, I was afraid of basements. I also remember that someone in my class had survived a failed kidnapping attempt, so I was especially afraid of being kidnapped and that movie just sent me over the edge. There’s a well in the basement with a yappy little dog and butterflies everywhere and Jonathan Demme uses the perfect scary song in Q Lazzarus‘ “Goodbye Horses.” It still gives me the creeps just thinking about it. With that said, I also think it was a huge influence on me. Being alone in the dark is terrifying in any movie. It will always work.
The movie you love that no one would expect you to love
“Mean Girls,” although everyone who knows me knows I love it. It’s funny, smart and I can quote the entire film. ‘I want my pink shirt back!’
The movie that defined your childhood (and why)
“The Rescuers,” “The Black Cauldron,” “An American Tail” and “Beauty and The Beast.” I wanted to be an animator as a kid. I think I really just wanted to make movies in general, but animators were the only people I understood to be directly responsible for what I saw onscreen. So it was decided I would be an animator. I was kind of a weird, nervous, internalized kid and drawing was something I could do on my own. I was never very good at it, but it didn’t matter. I think all of these movies are still a huge part of how I think about story now in a fable-y way, with a sense of adventure.
The film that made you fall in love with cinema
“Minnie and Moskowitz.” I watched a lot of Cassavetes in my late teens when I was trying to see all the “important movies,” but hadn’t seen this until it was shown in a class. The scenes play out long and strange sometimes, and you just have a feeling that anything can happen between Seymour Cassel and Gena Rowlands. It’s still one of my favorites.
“Kicks” is currently in 65 theaters across the country and continues to expand.
