Standing tall as one of the most well-decorated filmmakers of recent times and the director of the highest-grossing movie ever by a female director, Greta Gerwig put her best foot forward with Barbie. The mega-movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, as its leads, rode on the creative vision of the 40-year-old as it brought to life Mattel’s doll in a story that revolved around breaking stereotypes and the boundaries between fictional and real universes.
On her own, the Lady Bird mastermind finds inspiration from a wide base of creatives and finds inspiration from their works of art. However, one particularly poignant piece of work from the late ‘80s has her heart, and she believes will steal anyone else’s as well if given enough attention. The emotional aspect of that flick, coupled with directorial genius, makes it an attaching watch and once evoked pure comments from the Little Women visionary.
Greta Gerwig once heaped praise on this 1987 film
A movie strong enough to shake the leading female director to tears should indeed be powerful enough to resonate with cinephiles and the general audience. In talks with the Criterion Channel (via James WHale Bake Sale on YouTube), Greta Gerwig revealed the late Iranian director, Abbas Kiarostami’s 1987 directorial, Where Is the Friend’s House? as the movie she would recommend to any and everyone. Additionally, she doubled down on the deep and touching storyline with:
Abbas Kiarostami’s ‘Where Is the Friend’s House?’ is the movie I recommend to absolutely everyone because you don’t need to know anything about movies. You will understand this and it will touch you.
In a brief overview, it centers around a boy’s search for his classmate’s home to return a mistakenly taken notebook. Envisioned through the child’s eye, the film beautifully captured a range of emotions, from beauty to joy and from tension to grief, while painting a portrait of the rural Iranian landscape.
From the viewpoint of an artist or a cinema enthusiast such as Gerwig, the film had a remarkable influence and still stands as one of the most sensitive, delicately balanced, and humanely approached works of art. Additionally, the creative direction of the film also stands as a lesson on how to make characters more grounded, relatable, and connected with the audience, a trait largely found in Barbie.
Barbie director moves over to Netflix as sequel talks appear unlikely
After raking in more than $1.4 billion at the box office with Barbie, Greta Gerwig stands set for her next major directorial challenge. Taking a seat at Netflix, she will adapt CS Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia books. Furthermore, her take on the iconic fantasy will be different from the earlier trilogy attempted by Disney. While still under wraps, her movie will probably borrow from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe storyline of the books, all the while trying to divert away from what has already appeared on screen before.
On the other side of the coin, plans for a Barbie sequel appear limited. Margot Robbie has already opened up on her intentions of not wanting to stretch the legacy of the Oscar-nominated movie, and insisting that the story is better left as is. Meanwhile, Gerwig, though initially reluctant, has showcased some hopes for a part two but has made it clear that she would not without the lead actress’ affirmation.
Where Is the Friend’s House? is available to stream on The Criterion Channel.
