BÉLA TARR IN SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE CHAPTER004

DEREK THOMSON / YOU SAY YOUR FILMS ARE NOT ABOUT A 'CONCRETE' HUNGARY. BUT ARE THEY ABOUT SOMETHING YOU FIND IN THE PEOPLE OF YOUR COUNTRY? IS THERE A PART OF YOUR FILMS THAT IS POLITICAL?

BÉLA TARR / I REALLY DO NOT LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT POLITICS, BECAUSE I DON'T FIND IT SO INTERESTING. I RESPECT FILMMAKING BUT I DON'T RESPECT POLITICIANS. FOR ME, POLITICS IS JUST A DIRTY BUSINESS & I REALLY DO NOT LIKE TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS. ESPECIALLY NOW IN HUNGARY. WE'RE HAVING A REALLY HARD TIME HERE. IT'S A NIGHTMARE, IT'S A REAL NIGHTMARE.
LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE 'CONCRETE' HUNGARY. FILMMAKING IS A VERY 'CONCRETE' JOB, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A CAMERA, & THE CAMERA HAS AN OBJECTIVE [LENS]. THE OBJECTIVE IS, OF COURSE, OBJECTIVE. IT RECORDS REALITY— ALWAYS. THE REAL JOB OF THE FILMMAKER, IT'S VERY SIMPLE; YOU HAVE A REALITY & EVERYTHING IS VERY CONCRETE. THE TABLE IS A TABLE, THE ASHTRAY IS AN ASHTRAY, THE WINDOW IS A WINDOW. IT'S ABOUT HOW YOU COMBINE THESE REALITIES; THIS IS THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN ELEVATE THE MOVIE ABOVE A CONCRETE REALITY. DO YOU UNDERSTAND? FILMMAKING IS A VERY PRIMITIVE, VERY PHYSICAL JOB.

[..]

DT / I’D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT TIME, & TIME IN OUR MODERN AGE. HAVE YOU HEARD OF REMODERNISM? THIS IS A CONCEPT SET FORTH BY AN AMERICAN FILMMAKER CALLED JESSE RICHARDS. THE REMODERNIST FILM MANIFESTO IS A REJECTION OF POSTMODERNISM & DECONSTRUCTION. IT’S AN EMBRACING OF QUIETER, LONGER FILMS, THAT ARE CAREFULLY CRAFTED, HANDMADE AS IT WERE…

BT / NO, I REALLY DON'T WANT TO SPEAK ABOUT MODERNISM OR ANYTHING THAT TALKS ABOUT A PARTICULAR STYLE. THAT’S NOT MY JOB— IT’S THE CRITICS’ JOB. WHAT I DO IS THINK ABOUT TIME IN A VERY SIMPLE WAY. FILMMAKERS ARE NEVER INTERESTED IN TIME, WHICH DISTURBS ME BECAUSE TIME IS TERRIBLY IMPORTANT— IT'S A DIMENSION. OUR LIFE HAPPENS OVER TIME, & TIME IS ALWAYS SHORT, & GETTING SHORTER & SHORTER. THAT'S WHY I WANT TO SHOW YOU IN MY FILMS THAT TIME IS PASSING & WHEN SOMETHING IS HAPPENING IT'S HAPPENING IN TIME. I WANT TO SHOW THE VIEWER THAT TIME IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE SET, AS THE MUSIC, AS THE ACTORS & THE ACTION.

[..]

DT / I'VE READ THAT THE TURIN HORSE WILL BE YOUR LAST FILM. IS THAT CORRECT?

BT / YES, IT IS. YOU ARE TALKING RIGHT NOW TO A FORMER FILMMAKER. IT’S FINISHED. IT’S STOPPED.

DT / DO YOU FEEL THAT YOUR BODY OF WORK IS COMPLETE, THAT YOU HAVE NOTHING MORE TO DO IN FILM?

BT / YES. IF YOU SEE THE TURIN HORSE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHY.


/ EXCERPT FROM A CONVERSATION BETWEEN DEREK THOMSON & BÉLA TARR. ENTIRE ARTICLE ONLY IN THE PRINTED EDITION OF SOME/THINGS MAGAZINE CHAPTER004 / THE WINGS OF A LOCUST