"THE Batman" Matt Reeves x Keishi Otomo "same age" director special conversation complete version [Director's Interview Vol.194]

Actions must be driven by emotion

Otomo: I mentioned earlier that I am the same age as Director Matt, and in fact, from 1997, I also attended the University of Southern California (USC) as Director Matt for two years as an intern.

Reeves: That's amazing! I graduated in '92, so you both went to USC in the '90s.

Otomo: That's right (laughs). Something I felt during my time at USC was that Hollywood filmmakers, ever since the days of Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Frank Lloyd, have always placed great importance on action as a form of communication.

I myself am always thinking about how to express the emotions of the characters through action, and after watching "THE Batman," I felt that Director Matt also has a strong commitment to action. Batman is defeated by a much inferior enemy, and his immaturity is highlighted in the action. Please tell us what Director Matt thinks about the relationship between action and characters.

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Reeves: I think the key to action in movies is whether it's connected to emotion. I told stunt coordinator Rob Alonzo, "There has to be an emotional connection."

For example, at the end of the scene where Batman emerges from the darkness, I wanted to express his liberation through his actions. I wanted the audience to understand that Batman's actions were motivated by a personal desire for revenge. So, like the whole film, the action had to be personal. Because Batman thinks he's trying to make things right, but in reality he's seeking revenge for the murder of his mother and father.

But because the past cannot be changed, that revenge will never be fulfilled, and Batman is driven by the idea that by intimidating, attacking and exacting revenge on criminals, he may be able to achieve something his younger self could not.

Batman's strength lies in his failures.