Sean Baker is a fearless filmmaker. It’s hard to disagree with that statement when you consider the risks he’s taken over the course of his career, especially with his most recent features. With “Tangerine,” the filmmaker told a story about trans people back in 2015 using only an iPhone to film the feature. He would go on to earn near-universal acclaim. Then, in 2017, he followed that film up with “The Florida Project,” which featured a cast of unknowns (outside of Oscar-nominated Willam Dafoe) and once again, earned acclaim because of his choices. (Though the ending is contentious for its ambiguity.) Now, it appears he’s flirted with danger yet again with his new drama, “Red Rocket.” But the director welcomes it.
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Speaking to Deadline, Baker talked about his new film, “Red Rocket,” and how it will probably become yet another divisive film in his filmography. The feature, which just debuted at Cannes, stars Simon Rex (of ‘90s MTV fame) as a washed-up porn star in 2016 that finds himself drawn to a teenage girl (Suzanna Son), with the hopes she might help him reclaim his stardom. Not only that, but you might have noticed the setting is 2016, which is smack-dab in the middle of the Donald Trump/Hillary Clinton election cycle, which should only add to the discussion surrounding the film.
But again, Sean Baker knows his film might cause quite a stir, but he’s happy that he has A24 backing him up. Plus, hate mail is nothing new to him.
“A24 is taking it domestically in the United States, and you know they’re a fearless company, and I think they’re going to take anything that comes our way head on,” Baker said. “But I don’t want to be negative about it. I know we’re tackling tough subjects here, and I know there are themes and images that are triggering in this film, I get it. But again, it’s part of the discussion… we’re just going to see how audiences take it. I understand it’s going to be divisive, and I understand I’m going to get some hate mail, it’s OK.”
As for the Trump-ness of the film, Baker explained why 2016 seemed like a great setting for his new film.
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“No matter what side of the aisle you’re on in the U.S., we did not see the Trump win coming… It was a major twist, almost like a movie twist,” he said. “So, looking back at that time, it was almost like looking back at an innocence, looking back at a naivete. So I found that a fascinating structure of where to place my film.”
As mentioned above, Baker’s previous film, “The Florida Project,” featured an ending that left a lot of people upset. Without spoiling what happens, the film takes a sharp turn in the final moments and, as he explained in the interview, “50 percent of people hated the ending.” But that didn’t stop him from having what he thinks will be another controversial ending for “Red Rocket.”
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“We tried it again with this film in a slightly different way,” Baker said. “Ultimately, it might be frustrating at first but ultimately more rewarding.”
“Red Rocket” recently premiered at Cannes and is set for distribution in theaters via A24, though an exact date has yet to be announced.
Follow along with our full coverage from the 2021 Cannes Film Festival here.