haneke_aronofsky

While the major attraction of film festivals is, well, the films themselves, they can also provide opportunities unavailable elsewhere. Such was the case back in 2009, at the 47th New York Film Festival, when Darren Aronofsky moderated an extensive discussion with Michael Haneke, who was there for his Palme d’Or winner The White Ribbon. Six years later, the Film Society of Lincoln Center have now posted the full talk through their podcast, The Close-Up.

When asked about his use of suspense and how Aronofsky gets the same tense feeling when watching American films, Haneke responds, “No, I don’t think that suspense is only derivative of a certain kind of genre. In my films, I use suspense in different ways. Of course, suspense is an element of thrillers, but, to me, I draw in very different genres in my films. It is true that I use suspense as a glue to keep the audience glued to the screen. I don’t mind if all of my films are categorized as genre films. I have nothing against genres. You can use a genre to tell a story or you can use the genre to strictly remain a prisoner to the codes and make a genre film. It depends on how you apply them.” He adds, “I learned a great deal from Hitchcock, I hope,” hinting at one of his top 10 films of all-time, Psycho.

Speaking to a tendency to not over-explain themes in his films, Haneke says, “It’s a sign of bad films that the audience is always supposed to know when someone’s lying.” Aronofsky responds, “Absolutely. I think in any one scene you have more complexity and characters than an entire Hollywood film.” With discussions of post-production, casting, sound design, and much more, check out video highlights from the conversation, as well as the full talk below.

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