You have to imagine that there’s nothing more daunting in the film industry than having your first film be so critically-acclaimed, that now everyone is anxiously awaiting your follow-up film, which they expect to be just as good, if not better. That’s exactly what director Sandi Tan has to deal with, as her 2018 doc “Shirkers” found itself with no shortage of positive reviews and awards. Now, with all that added pressure, apparently Tan has decided to tackle a narrative feature, titled “The Idiot.” And speaking to The Cut, Tan revealed how her next project is shaping up.
Based on the autobiographical novel by Elif Batuman, “The Idiot” tells the story of a young girl that falls in love with a classmate and begins to make a series of decisions that earns her the title namesake. But many view the novel, even with its fairly clear premise as a difficult story to adapt to the big screen. One of those folks is actually Tan, herself.
“I read it and I was like, ‘I love it so much, but I don’t know how to do it,’” she said.
Of course, that all changed, with the “Shirkers” filmmaker cracking the code, so to speak. And the author of “The Idiot” seems to be very pleased with the idea of Tan tackling her novel. In fact, “Shirkers” proved to be the perfect calling card for Batuman, who said the film “blew me away.”
Tan further talks about her take on “The Idiot,” and it appears that the director is pulling from two seemingly disparate sources for inspiration.
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“So the book’s basically the intelligent, creative young woman’s ‘Twilight,’ right?” she explained. “It’s about this woman who is head smart and heart stupid — that’s why she’s the idiot. And she’s being sucked into this vortex of obsession by this guy, and by the end of it she gets destroyed. But instead of turning into a vampire, she turns into an artist. And to watch that transformation is a wonderful thing.”
For fans of the novel, hearing Tan describe the story as “Twilight”-esque might be a bit…disappointing. But don’t worry, the filmmaker also has more inspiration, this time from more well-regarded films.
Tan says “The Idiot” is basically “the teenage version” of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Phantom Thread.” She also name-drops a few other films that she sees as similar, including “Vertigo,” “Call Me By Your Name,” and yet another award-winning film, “Lady Bird.”
The filmmaker explained, “It will be a new thing, and it will be her thing — kind of like ‘Lady Bird’ goes to college.”
So, as if the follow-up film from the director of one of the best documentaries of 2018 wasn’t enough to get you hyped, then how about the chance to see a film that has shades of “Twilight,” “Vertigo,” “Phantom Thread,” “Call Me By Your Name,” and “Lady Bird?” I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see this Frankenstein’s monster come to life.