"Sweet East: Lillian in Wonderland" Director Sean Price Williams: The ideal set is one where everyone is happy [Director's Interview Vol. 479]

To have multifaceted

Q: In modern society, things change very quickly, but in reality, people's inner selves don't change very much. That's what I felt after watching the film.

Williams: Yes. I wrote the script over nine years ago, and it's frustrating that it's still relevant today. The film is critical and questions morals and values, but the criticism is still as relevant today as it was nine years ago. That means the underlying problems haven't changed. In fact, they've gotten worse. A new administration has been formed, and it's depressing.

If you had asked me the same question a year ago, I think I would have been able to answer with ease, "I'm sure it will get better," but unfortunately, what this film presents is relevant to the world today. The movies being made in America today, whether they're superhero movies or action movies, don't really touch on the important stuff. That's why we wanted to make a statement with this film and present some kind of Arrival to the current situation.

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Q: The film deals with a variety of ideologies, and while it is ironic, there are also charming parts. Was that your intention?

Williams: What Nick wanted to avoid was making the characters stereotypical and easy to understand. While depicting seemingly eccentric people, he tried to make them realistic but not realistic. For example, the punk activists heading to Charlottesville in the film were made very cartoon-like and looked quite different from the real people. Also, the Muslims who appear in the second half of the film were given a dance-loving side to soften the scary atmosphere. As you pointed out, the neo-Nazi Professor Lawrence was portrayed as a charming character, but in fact he was modeled after an acquaintance of the screenwriter Nick. In this way, we tried to avoid depicting them realistically while still giving them multiple facets.

The ideal workplace is one where everyone is happy