Red Stewart chats with filmmaker Max Winkler…
Max Winkler is an American filmmaker and writer who has been working in the film and television industry since the mid-2000s. He is best known for his comedy-dramas Ceremony and Flower, the latter of which is available now on DVD and Digital.
Flickering Myth had the opportunity to speak with him and I conducted the interview:
Mr. Winkler, it’s nice to be speaking with you sir. I always love talking to people involved in the indie film industry because I feel it’s where creativity and risks are taken. So thank you for your time.
My pleasure dude, thank you.
Now I’m curious, you come from a family of performers, but for your career you’ve chosen to pursue filmmaking and writing. What is it about these two fields that makes them, for you personally, more enticing to be a part of?
I would be an actor if I could, but I’m genuinely bad at it so it’s a whatever option for me. I knew very early on that that was not going to be the way I was going to be making a living.
That’s great that you figured out who you wanted to be so quickly. Going off of that, you’ve directed a lot of projects over the years, from television to shorts to films. And for some of them you’ve written the script, but for others you’ve just been the director. What’s the biggest difference for you as a filmmaker between helming a screenplay you’ve conceived versus adapting someone else’s work?
It’s a totally different experience. Both are completely collaborative, but for the movies I’ve made I’ve either been the writer or co-writer. So it starts a little earlier and I really try to be as selective as possible with the movies I make just because it takes at least a year of your life. So I try to do things that I have a very personal connection to.
And it shows because you can tell when a filmmaker is into the subject matter versus them just doing it for a paycheck. Having seen Flower, it is definitely the former with you.
Thank you!
So let’s talk about Flower. Now, I’ll be honest with you, though I follow the indie market, this film might have escaped my eye were it not for the attention it received from critics. It literally polarized people, with it having a 51 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. I’m wondering, for you philosophically as a storyteller, is it worth tackling more sensitive subjects like teenage sexuality and sexual abuse if it means having to deal with a more antagonistic response from people?
I don’t think you should ever take on a project because you think it’ll be a slam dunk with critics or a slam dunk at the box office, or you think it’s the easiest way to score. All you can do is react to what you are feeling creatively and try to tackle each subject as honestly and emotionally-truthfully as possible.
Right, I remember reading an interview you did with Collider where they posed you with the question of whether this film was exploitative and you said no, that was never your intentions from the beginning. But I do think one of the reasons that it received a mixed response is because you enclosed a lot of humor into the story. And it’s actual “laugh-out-loud” comedy, not background humor: it’s direct in the dialogue. I feel there is this idea that you should be serious and dramatic when depicting these issues because they are serious and dramatic in real life. So why did you want to add humor to Flower?
I think that life has both comedy and tragedy in it, and even in some of the darkest stuff we’re faced with we end up laughing.
Yeah, for sure. That goes back to Shakespeare. His comedies weren’t really comedies, they were more dramatic stories with happy endings.
Right.
Now Flower has definitely brought you a lot of attention, so I’m wondering what’s been the response from audiences? We know what critics think, but when regular people talk to you what has been their opinion?
Everyone seems to have a really emotional reaction to it.
Is that good or bad? [Laughs]
I don’t know, I think it’s pretty good overall! [laughs]
Well, at the end of the day, that’s what a good film does: elicit a reaction from you.
Totally, totally.
So just a couple of quick questions. What are some projects you wish to do in the future? Do you think you’ll stick with these deconstructions of the romantic genre [with Ceremony and Flower]? Or will you branch out.
No, I definitely want to keep trying new things.
Yeah, as a filmmaker you want to spread your wings. My last question then, is, do you ever think you’ll leave the indie market? Like I said in the beginning, I feel indie films are more free than contemporary blockbusters, but is that ever something you would consider doing?
Oh absolutely, yeah, I don’t ever want to limit myself. I hope that, if I can find an in to something, I’ll always try to do stuff that feels different.
I wish you the best of luck in your future career!
I really appreciate it dude, thank you so much. Have a great day!
Flickering Myth would like to thank Mr. Winkler for sitting down with us.
Red Stewart
