‘Pariah’ Director Dee Rees to Tackle ‘Experimental’ Dark Comedy: ‘Film Should Be a Gamble’

variety.com:

Ben Croll Fresh off the strike and newly back to work, American writer-director Dee Rees has set her sights on her next feature – a stylized dark comedy meant to visualize a central character’s frantic stream of consciousness. “It’s a weird, experimental thing,” says Rees, who’s currently serving on the jury of this year’s Marrakech Film Festival. “[I’ve explored] comedic elements in my films, but this is the first time where it’s a kind of a dark, sad satire.” While the “Pariah” and “Mudbound” filmmaker had toyed with this latest project for years, she picked up her pen anew once the writers strike concluded and then committed full-on following an opportune encounter in Marrakech. “People will come to you with what they think you should do, or what they think you’d be good at,” she tells Variety. “So I try to still listen to that kind of voice.

I was talking to Tilda Swinton the other night, telling her I’d written some weird experimental thing, and she’s like, do that, do that thing!” “[That came as a] reminder to follow that heartstring,” Rees continues, “to follow your passions, because filmmaking is such an arduous and never-ending journey.

You have to really love what you’re doing without connection or anticipation of what the outcome will be. You have to do it because you love it.