Film is a crash course on life

Film is a crash course on life. If the mirror is clean, and intent pure, film can be a successful reflection of our lived experiences. They are also the best medium to conduct dialogue or drive conversations. We don’t need to muddy ourselves listening to filmmakers talk or analyse their works as the ultimate expression of themselves is in the film.

Art exposes the artist. You can hide in your words, in that clever twist of the phrase, but you cannot hide in your film, in your story. You are brought forth in broad daylight. Art shines a light on you. It is a medium to see and connect.

Honesty is important. Truth is important. If you didn’t know something, film can bring that close to you. By film, I mean filmmaking, not film watching. They are two different activities with two different outcomes.

How does one improve their taste for cinema? By growing up with films and rewatching them as you grow old. It is better to watch a film early on in life without making any sense out of it, and then coming back to it later when you do make sense out of it. It is better to get bored in a slow moving picture, than get entertained in a fast moving picture because the slow moving picture is actually trying to hold a conversation with you. A fast moving picture is a public lecture or a politician’s speech - it is not really interested in any dialogue.

A film without the capacity to drive any dialogue with the viewer is dead.