Chat with... Jennifer Reeder (Director).

​By Adam Ray Palmer
 
Following on from my review of Jennifer Reeder’s Knives and Skin from earlier this week, I got a chance to sit down with the writer and director herself to talk all things film.
 
We talk the Berlinale, her inspirations, her next projects and what are Jennifer’s favourite three films…

ARP:
How is the Berlinale treating you? Been here before?
REEDER:
This is my fourth Berlinale. I have been twice with short films and once as a jury member for Generation. I am returning this year with KNIVES AND SKIN. I am deeply honoured by this invitation for the World Premiere. Berlinale and I are dear friends.
 
ARP:
Let’s get straight into the movie… There’s an instant unease throughout, a mystery tension. The use of lingering shots on peoples’ faces, just leering at each other for a tad too long. I know in your press notes it states a Teen Noir? But do you think it crosses genres? Horror, thriller, drama etc. – Were you aware of this when writing/directing?
REEDER:
I very much agree that this film has a relationship to the thriller/horror genre and perhaps even musicals. This is exactly the film I set out to make. I wanted to make a film about young people that offered lots of dimension… lots of options for interpretation.
 
ARP:
I noticed with the students and families, there’s lots of diversity, was this a reference to society and celebrating being different? Or were you highlighting how many different cultures, passions, sexuality etc. sometimes clash?
REEDER:
I simply wanted to present an authentic representation of an average high school in the Midwest. I live in Chicago which itself is a very diverse city. For me, its deeply important to put many kinds of faces on the screen. This film is about visibility and validation. It is an inclusive film with lots of perspectives yet entirely authentic.
 
ARP:
In addition to the previous question, the movie is certainly anchored by strong female characters, of all ages. The female characters to me are certainly the dominant ones, all the males seem lost. Doug, the policeman, has an authoritative role, but his wife is being unfaithful… Dan, the ‘clown’ father, has lost his job but is cheating on his wife, yet still in scenes he states, “he often thinks of the husband”. And thirdly, Andy is manipulated in his car by Carolyn’s mother, Lisa. What’s your take on the female roles?
REEDER:
It’s true that the arcs of this film are anchored by the experiences of girls and women. There are many films about men in which the women are peripheral and flat. I wanted to create female characters who are complicated, difficult even but by the end your feel sympathy and understand that they are heroic.
 
ARP:
Also, may I add about the trifecta of performances by Marika Engelhardt, Kate Arrington and Ireon Roach… I thought all three were brilliant. What was it like working with the cast?
REEDER:
We cast this film out of Chicago which has a very robust theatre community. I am in awe of the performances in this film. I spent a good amount of time with all the actors, talking them through their characters. I would say that all of these characters have a few if not
many nuanced moments in the scenes that require great skill. These actors were very enthusiastic about the material and they committed to their characters. This film would be nothing without these particular actors.

ARP:
On a couple of scenes in particular with Lisa (Marika), when she is orchestrating the choir performances, it’s incredibly haunting. I feel like this is a shift each time for the film, like a Shakespeare play of drama. How did you see these fitting and/or working out?
REEDER:
The musical scenes are meant to be both transcendent and transgression. In thoses scenes there is great beauty but also great sorrow which is hard to do with only spoken dialogue. I have used singing scenes in other films so I understand how powerful they can be. Even on set while we were shooting those scenes, we all felt quite moved.
 
ARP:
The local town feels like it has secrets (and we know some), it made me think of many shows/films from Desperate Housewives to Edward Scissorhands. I think what those shows, and your film has in common is the juxtaposition of lots is going on, but in fact everything is quite minimal (and all have very crisp, colourful imagery). For instance, there is lots of emotional sequences with the characters, but their persona is often lifeless, especially with the younger generation. Was this in your mind when you were filming/writing it? Or is this left for the audience, like me, to come up with their own conclusions?
REEDER:
Everything you mention here is entirely intention on my end. I wanted to contrast the vibrant art direction in the film with a sort of deadpan quality of performance (as opposed to constant melodrama). This unexpected combination creates a kind of unspoken tension that the audience certainly can perceive.
 
ARP:
There’s lots of close up camera work, vibrant colours, merging imagery with the change of scenery. And the music has an electronica feel, it links well with the vibrancy – reminds me of a European techno nightclub in 90s films – how would you explain it? Was there a key style in mind?
REEDER:
I wanted to create a very specific world for this film - one that hovers just above reality. We created this very intentionally with the lighting and framing and costumes and make up and music and set design. Every detail is intentional. Film is art and so for me it must be treated with attention to the experience.
 
ARP:
When creating the colourful vibrancy theme, and the uneasy suspense, did you have any films of reference to help you write and direct Knives and Skin? Any directors you admire?
REEDER:
I love Kelly Reichardt and Lynn Ramsey and Andrea Arnold for how they portray women. I am also a fan of Todd Haynes and both David’s (Lynch and Cronenberg). We looked at painting and photography for influence like Gregory Crewdsen and Todd Hido and Jenny Saville. We also looked at the DP work of Robby Mueller. These image makers all pay great attention to light and colour and creating mystery and atmosphere within the frame.
 
ARP:
What’s next for you? Anything in particular you would like to write about next?
REEDER:
I have three projects I could make next……a sports film about boyhood and the development of masculinity, a teen girls werewolf film and a post-apocalyptic take on Hansel and Gretel.
 
ARP:
And finally, Jennifer, do you have a favourite film? Or a top three if that’s too difficult?
REEDER:
Safe by Todd Haynes
Hunger by Steve McQueen
Jeanne Dielman by Chantal Ackerman
 
Thank you for your time, and I wish you all the success with Knives and Skin.