Nicolas Winding Refn is a polarizing figure in the film industry today. There are many film fans that look at his work, including “Drive,” “Only God Forgives,” and “The Neon Demon,” as classics. However, there seems to be an equal number of cinephiles that just don’t enjoy his films. And this division is compounded by the fact that Refn is known for spouting some hot takes, often making people wonder if he enjoys trolling or just is slightly out of touch with the rest of the world.
So, it should be no surprise that recent essay penned by the filmmaker for The Guardian is just chock full of quote-worthy statements, especially considering the topic of conversation – Donald Trump. Refn begins by saying that it is a “frightening time to be alive.” He continues:
“For the past six months, I’ve been shooting in America, and it seems increasingly clear we’re now living in a dystopian reality TV show. America has always had a tendency towards the operatic but, fueled by the hand grenade of insanity that is Donald Trump, it’s reached new heights of hysteria. This means even the smallest developments are heralded as either the end of the world or the second coming.”
However, Refn quickly changes course by saying that even though it’s frightening, living in today’s world is also very exciting. He says, “It’s terrifying. It is also thrilling. We are appalled by what we witness unfolding each day – essentially, the destruction of the American way of life by its own administration – but we’re also inescapably gripped by it. This is a very exciting time in our history.”
The filmmaker goes on to explain why something so terrifying and horrible could also be exciting. The basic premise is simple – Trump’s changes to America, though dystopian and scary on the surface, will ultimately be for the best.
“Even Trump’s fierce arrogance and distaste for his fellow man is good. It’s revealed how many people and politicians share such a view, and our exposure to such hypocrisy is healthy,” says Refn.
Though the director says there’s a lot of issues going on today, there is a cure for all our ills – cinema. While a filmmaker saying that film will save us isn’t the hottest of takes, Refn does explain that there needs to be a certain freedom in film that we just don’t see with much of today’s cinema:
“Cinema has become like Chinese food: it gives you cheap, instant pleasure, like an orgasm, but it’s not very healthy or interesting.”
He continues, “The future must be different. I want it to be an uncontrolled place of beautiful chaos, where everyone can create their own universe and is free to speak their own mind, without being overseen by big business. A place of free speech and free access.”
Refn is currently working on his Amazon series “Too Old to Die Young,” starring Miles Teller. The series should premiere later this year.