Paul Schrader Talks His New Film The Canyons

A few weeks back, the NY Times Magazine released a rather scathing look at the new film from Paul Schrader, The Canyons, and more so the film’s star Lindsay Lohan. Well, until today the rather outspoken filmmaker has stayed mum about the controversy and the film itself, but that’s not the case.

The director recently spoke to IndieWire, and revealed a few details about the film.

First off, a little back story. The picture is helmed by Schrader and is written by Bret Easton Ellis, with Lohan starring opposite porn star James Deen and is described by Schrader as film for “the post theatrical era.”

What does he mean by that? Well, apparently the director has garnered a lot of inspiration from the work of directors like Ed Burns, a filmmaker whose career has been resurrected, or many would say its been made in the first place, by focusing on digital platforms, entirely theaters. Even his set was lo-fi, getting free labor from interns and assistants looking for a hands on production to learn on in exchange for their work. Toss in actors working for a $100 a day, and you’ve got as cheap a production as you could fine.

Now, it remains to be seen as to when we will be seeing the film. Both SXSW and Sundance have passed on the picture, making this film an interesting monster. Supposedly all of the films both festivals have programmed are better, and having been to two SXSW now, I can safely say if that’s the case, this thing is a mess. However, those who have seen it – everybody from Steven Soderbergh to Scott Foundas – has seemingly fallen for it, particularly its two leads.

Overall, this lengthy piece is a really engaging read and it’s an insightful look into one of this year’s most intriguing features.

Source IndieWire