Wes Anderson and what we desire from art.

Art is not meant to be comfortable.

I had a conversation with a friend of a friend about movies. I was visiting my friends in New York and the question of “what do you study?” or in my case “what did you study?” (all of us having graduated so soon, we never know what else to talk about) came up as it always does.

After answering that I studied film and writing, I often get two responses: the wistful regret of someone saying “I used to be an artist but I gave it up to pursue… (anything that they thought would make them money but makes them unhappy)” followed by curiosity of my work or excited questions, OR I get the response (often from the famous “film bros”) of them saying “I love movies too!” and they begin to pick my brain about my opinion on every film they’ve ever seen.

They always seem excited to have their love for their favorite films reinforced by someone who actually studied movies. Which is sweet, I love talking about movies with people who love movies, but often they’re confused or disappointed by my opinions.

Inevitably, every single time I discuss art films with someone outside of the film department, we end up discussing Wes Anderson. My answer is usually that I don’t hate Wes, but that I’m not a fan of the people who are a fan of him. And that sounds mean but I have a reason. A reason that was confirmed by my discussion this past weekend with a “film bro.”

I think Wes Anderson is not a bad director, I think he has a unique film style that I think is interesting. I find it a bit repetitive after a while, but I can recognize the appeal. His works is visually stunning, and I’m sure takes so much effort. My brother is red-green color blind so I also love any media that makes the yellows and blues more vivid so my brother can have a more colorful viewing experience. I’m not bashing this guy at all.

But during my discussion, I mentioned my opinion, and after hearing my indifference (which wasn’t what he was expecting) the film bro began trying to defend his love for this director.

I’ve never understood that kind of reaction, everyone has a favorite a director, that doesn’t mean it has to be everybody’s favorite director. I love Sam Raimi, I think the Evil Dead movies are super fun, and I think he made the best Marvel movie ever (despite everyone hating it). Most people, unless they’re nerds, don’t have that intense love for Sam as I do. And that is totally cool and ok! Who cares! It’s YOUR favorite director for a reason.

Anyways, this guy started defending Wes Anderson, to the point where seemed personally upset by my distaste. The thing is, my distaste wasn’t for Wes, it was for other people’s classification of him as an “indie” or “art” director, when he is very clearly a mainstream director (not a bad thing!).

I love Sam Raimi, but I also would never call him an art film director. What I classify as an artist is more about evolution, or creativity and intelligence rather than a distinct personal style. I say that as someone who has a distinct personal style in filmmaking. It isn’t a bad thing, but it also isn’t art, because it isn’t challenging norms and taking risks to push the genre.

I know this isn’t a film example, but during our conversation I brought up Vivienne Westwood. I’m a big fashion fan and an even bigger fan of Vivienne (I even named my dog after her). Vivienne Westwood began her career by doing unexpected and interesting things in fashion. She was the first person to ever put sneakers on a runway. Then, just as people became accustomed to her style of streetwear meets runway, she switched it up again by starting to incorporate french underwear like corsets. And although there are recognizable attributes to her work, like the use of plaid, she was constantly changing and evolving. That, to me, is what makes her work true art, not just fashion.

Another example I can think of is Godard. Although I’m not a huge fan of all of his work, he was a true artist among filmmakers. His work was universally recognized as the most representative of the French New Wave movement. He began his career by making films that completely went against what was conventional in filmmaking. He used jump cuts, held poses in closeup, frequently incorporated nudity in his films, and his plots focused on unconventional subjects like criminals or prostitutes (Breathless, and Vivre Sa Vie). As he progressed as an artist, he disregarded plot altogether and focused more on activism and artistic cinematography. He may not be my favorite director but I consider his work great art.

I talk about Godard more in depth, if you’re interested, in this essay:

An analysis of Godard's filmmaking.

That’s the reason I don’t tend to lump Wes Anderson in with “art film” directors.

If you’ve read any of my other film reflections, you’ll know that I often discuss the topic of genre and how to characterize films into those genres. I think it can be limiting at times, but I think it is incredibly nuanced and based more on opinion. My opinion on Wes, is that he doesn’t make art films. He may make good ones, but they aren’t “art.”

One of the film bro’s arguments was that he personally had OCD and that the symmetry was just so comforting to him. And that’s where I REALLY disagree.

Art isn’t meant to be comfortable.

Art is meant to be thought provoking, and creative, and innovative, and challenging. The point of art is not to comfort you, it’s supposed to mean something to you. Comfort is mainstream. You shouldn’t look to an art film for a good feeling.

I think the only moment comfort can be art, is when it’s pushing a boundary in some way. In a genre of dark, cynical media, maybe something comforting and lighthearted can be considered more thought provoking and interesting. Mon Oncle is an example of this. It’s a film that was made at a time where art film was more despairing, but Mon Oncle was silly and sweet and almost slapstick while maintaining its position as an art film. So there really is nuance and exceptions for every rule, but also I don’t care and my opinion about Wes Anderson still stands.

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