Across the two highly acclaimed, companion piece documentaries "The Act Of Killing" and "The Look Of Silence," Joshua Oppenheimer has established himself as a filmmaker with a distinct, powerful voice. The subject matter he’s tacked so far is deadly serious, which is why this next bit of news is so intriguing.
Screen Daily reports that among the handful of new movies Oppenheimer is working on is a musical that will be loosely based on Samuel Beckett‘s "Happy Days." The original play pivots around a woman who is buried up to her waist and follows her through the day with her husband. It’s not exactly the most obvious touchstone for a movie, but the project will apparently also draw some influence from the classic "Umbrellas Of Cherbourg," because, as Oppenheimer told the website, “there are no good or bad characters and the tragedy emerges from the interactions of people."
Beforehand, Oppenheimer will get another documentary, or as he calls it a "non-fiction" film, out of the way, but he is spilling zero details on it at the moment. “When I made my first two films, my participants could find out nothing about me if they were to Google me. Now, the people I’m working with can find things out about me, but I don’t want them to hear me misquoted or quoted out of context describing the journey we’re taking together," he said. "I have to keep that communication as pure as I can now that I’m not totally unknown. I take these long intimate journeys with the characters that change not just them but me."
That project is currently seeking financing, but should it all come through, production will begin this year. So we’ll be waiting a while yet for a musical from Oppenheimer.