In “The Christophers” 62 years old Soderbergh comes across as a sharp self-mockery. His movie looks like made according to modern Netflix algorithms. This story written about two characters – a forgotten painter and a young adept of visual arts – sparkles with all the colors of political correctness.
Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen) he holds a rainbow flag in the corridor just outside the door, and he declares himself bisexual. Lori Butler (Michaela Coel) his mouth is full of platitudes about what an employer can and cannot do. The scenes in which Butler comes to Sklar’s house for a job interview are great. Instead of a dispute about competences and experience, a straight-laced man he asks questions about his private life, relationship, and place of residence.
“You’re not allowed to ask that,” says Butler. “We are in a power relationshipand by asking this question, you are taking advantage of your dominant position,” he continues.
Soderbergh great plays with the clash between the world of art and the form of censorship that political correctness has become. At the same time, his reflection is not limited to poster criticism. Oscar winner for directing “Traffic” rather, it reminds us that art has always entered places where there are strict rules in order to break them. And today it is the artists who demand order and not crossing certain boundaries.
Soderbergh’s self-irony lies in the fact that although his the film ticks all the correctness standards (the two main actors are a black woman and an openly gay activist for LGBT+ people), at the same time the characters are modeled after the characters from his most famous productions, such as the series “Ocean’s Eleven”. Butler becomes friends with Sklar’s children. They persuade her to paint another painting from the “Christophers” series, for which their father became famous years ago, for a lot of money.
But Sklar is not beaten in the shadows, so a series of duels quickly begins between the two of them to see who will outsmart whom. The effect is not only funny, but also reflective, because Soderbergh saturates the film with questions – such as: Is it better to cut off your legend or cut yourself off from the past and build yourself anew?.
It is clear that this is a question that bothers Soderbergh himself, on the one hand he is constantly experimenting with new forms of storytelling (to mention only “The Knicks” or “Mozaika”), and on the other – it is still faithful to the beloved patterns (even the heist movie genre).
– Cinema is a popular art form – you make films for people to watch them. We talked to Michaela (Coel, known from “I May Destroy You” – editor’s note) about where the intersection is between the stories we want to tell and those that might work in the market. If you keep making films that no one watches, no one will pay for the next ones, says Steven Soderbergh, when we talk to a group of journalists at the Doha Film Festival. – It is the artist’s responsibility to adapt. I want to tell stories that I am emotionally connected to, but also those that have a chance to reach a wide audience. I think about it very often, he adds.
In Doha “The Christophers” had its second public screening after its international premiere at the Toronto Film Festivalwhich was quite a surprise. Qatar is considered a conservative Gulf country, so a film with a non-heteronormative protagonist is not something I would expect to see here.
– I am glad to be part of the first official edition of the festival in Doha. I hope it continues because cinema is an important form of storytelling. Every time people meet in one room to watch the same thing, something special happens, says Soderbegrh about his presence in Qatar.
– I think so as a species, we are programmed to tell stories – that’s how we learn. That’s why cinema, when it emerged over 100 years ago, quickly became the dominant art form. Cinema engages people in a unique way. Today, filmmakers have to face the fact that there are tons of other storytelling formats. Cinema must fight for its position. Film festivals are one of the ways to reach people, he adds.
And he reminds that his career began at a film festival. In 1989, the director’s debut “Sex, Lies and Videotapes” won the Palme d’Or in Canneswhich began his triumphant march through cinema screens around the world. – I hope my career won’t end at the festival! – the creator laughs.
He is also important in “The Christophers”. memory thread. What we will leave behind to the next generations.
– What stories do we want to leave behind as people and artists? This question was in my mind while working on the film. When we started this project, we talked a lot about the fact that when we are gone, it will live on in the memory of the people we worked with, friends and family. We also need to remember this when we think about the importance of the stories we bring to the screen, argues Soderbergh.
A reflection of these reflections in the film is the thread of Sklar’s altering his old canvases – not for the audience, not for the expectations of critics, not for auction houses, but only for himself. Viewers in Doha eagerly saw in this thread a commentary on the actions of the director himself, who convinced us in Qatar that he never took on the task of directing a film solely for the money.
– Everything I did, I did out of pure need. Sometimes literally for free. I have to be in love with something, otherwise I can’t solve the problems that come with making a film – says Soderbergh, known for playing various roles on the sets of his films – cameraman, editor, producer. He often uses a pseudonym Peter Andrews (director of photography) and Mary Ann Bernard (editor) even on those projects that he directs himself.
– I’ve only ever been a cinematographer and editor on a project that I didn’t direct – and I liked it very much. It was a pleasure: being responsible for only these two things and leaving the rest to someone else – he recalls working on it fondly “Unscripted” (2005), HBO seriesin which Bryan Greenberg, Krista Allen and Jennifer Hall played fictional versions of themselves – actors trying to break into Hollywood.
That show was a Valentine, but a critical one for Hollywood. He showed how addictive the work of artists is, and at the same time how much it burns them. These are threads that are constantly present in Soderbergh’s filmography and also emerge from underneath “The Christophers”, which in turn looks like an homage to Orson Welles’ classic “F is for Forgery”.
– It’s a great movie. I think it’s one of Welles’ best. It talks about history itself – as a universal form – and how credible or unbelievable it can be. And about how an artist’s tools can be used to manipulate what seems real, comments Soderbergh.
For years, the creator has wanted to pay tribute to another great artist – John Lennonbut implementation still encounters obstacles. – The project still exists – we are at the stage of strategic talks. It hasn’t disappeared yet – assures the director.
In the near future, however, the artist will probably be busy with other commitments. Festival in Toronto, where “The Christophers” was very well receivedis treated as an Oscar prognosticator. It is often the case that if a film qualified for Toronto, it then gets nominated for an Academy Award.
– I have been cut off from the world of Oscars for a long time – says Soderbergh, who made history as a director nominated twice for an Oscar in one category – for directing “Traffic” and “Erin Brockovich”. – 25 years have passed. I still watch the gala, but when I see what the nominees and those running the campaigns have to go through, I don’t envy them at all because it doesn’t look pleasant – he sums up.