"Soft/Quiet" Director Beth de Araujo What are the problems caused by the decline of education? [Director's Interview Vol.314]

Being a Blumhouse production, I was able to see this film as a kind of horror/entertainment, probably because I saw the female protagonists as "Monster." However, they are not "Monster" but normal people. And the unmistakable reality is that there are many people who think the same way as them. In fact, this fact makes me feel scared. Director Beth de Araujo uses the powerful method of creating a single cut to convey a powerful Arrival. What kind of thoughts did she have in creating this work? I spoke to him.

“Soft/Quiet” synopsis

Emily, a teacher at a suburban kindergarten, forms a white supremacist group called ``Daughters of Aryan Unity.'' Six women, including the organizer Emily, gathered for the first meeting, which was held in a church common room. The six people, who are against the modern trend of valuing multiculturalism and diversity and hate people of color and immigrants, have a great time sharing their daily grievances and radical ideas. Eventually, the girls decide to have an after-party at Emily's home, but a heated argument breaks out with an Asian sister at a grocery store they stop at. Emily and her friends, who can't get over their stomach bugs, plan to vandalize the sisters' house as a prank. However, this was the beginning of an unreasonable and horrifying crime that cannot be undone.

Index

• Unhealthy power relationships created by auditions
• America lacks proper education

Unhealthy power relationships created by auditions

Q: What kind of discussions did you have with Jason Blum during production?

Araujo: Blumhouse bought the finished product, so Jason wasn't involved in the actual production. However, what was interesting to hear from Jason was his comment, ``If it wasn't for that ending, I wouldn't have bought this movie.''

Q: The women who gathered at the meeting had an unusual atmosphere, coupled with the content of their conversations. How did the casting process proceed?

Araujo: We didn't hold any auditions, and all the main characters were offered to us. Auditions can create an unhealthy power relationship, so I don't really like them. Especially considering the subject matter of this work, I thought that such a casting method would be different. So I watched a lot of films, wrote a long email to the actors I was interested in, and sent them the script. When I had a meeting with the actors who decided to appear in the film, I was asked a lot of questions. I knew that they had acting skills, so I told them that they had to trust me and follow me, and that I would support them as much as I could by getting them to commit to the characters they were appearing in. Ta.

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Q: What kind of questions did the actors ask?

Araujo: There were a lot of questions like, ``Why did you want to make this movie?'' ``Why did you think I could play this crazy role?'' ``Why do the characters do such terrible things?'' Some of them even cried while talking. That's how much it resonated with me mentally.

Q: Please tell us why you included the element of ``a woman struggling with infertility'' in the character design of Emily.

Araujo: What defines her is the traditional wife shape. They believe that the husband is the one who works outside the home, and the wife is the one who stays at home to raise the children, and that is the only option. The worst case scenario for her is that she can't wait for her child. That means they can't fulfill their gender roles. That's why they build up anger and frustration towards themselves, which leads to this violent behavior.

Q: Why did you shoot the entire film in one shot?

Araujo: I wanted it to be a breathless work that keeps the tension rising. If you relax even for a moment, your tension will melt away. For example, when you show something new on a screen, the human brain tries to understand it and resets its previous emotions. I didn't want to create that kind of moment this time. I wanted it to be a work that overflows with all kinds of emotions, and as a result, the tension builds up more and more.

America lacks proper education