Not long ago, Nicolás Pereda was invited to the Netherlands Film Academy to introduce his work process. One of his projects involved making fiction with several housemaids performing in an unreal setting: an academy for current and aspiring housemaids. During the Q&A he was accused of unethically using his directorial power. And Trump got elected.
Two weeks ago, David Wasch and I presented a teaser from a short we had filmed and cut the day before. The screening went fine but the unveiling of our method raised some eyebrows among our peers. The heated discussion went on for a while until Lino cut it off. Questions and declarations, frequently softened as jokes, are still jumping in.
The funny thing is that David and I had thoroughly discussed the technical part of our project. Over the weekend we were dealing with production, direction, our communication while shooting, focal distance, sound recording, acting. We were wondering about possible outcomes, planning back-up exercises in case the original had to be cancelled. The execution could easily be compromised and we wanted to try out. The ethical part, the one that caused controversy, was simply out of the collaborative discussion.
“This is not my president”, they yell. Pretending to impeach a man who has not even worn the crown. How is this excusable. Stating that Hillary was not chosen by the American people ‘because she is a woman’ is a lame victimization that overlooks the antidemocratic support she received from the Democratic establishment during the primaries; the inconstancy of her positions; her underperformance while debating Sen. Sanders; some of the controversial decisions she took as Secretary of State; her evident alliances with the American corporate liberal media; the fact that her last name was in the White House not long ago. To name a few reasons that do not reduce her to being a woman.
Now that the American people, under their electoral rules, have chosen The Donald as their Commander-in-chief, we shall not repeat the saddest mistake we have committed with other controversial figures in the past: not learning about ourselves through them. Instead of egotistically reducing all of their supporters to dumb scumbags, we should wonder about their multiple discourses and points of view; not to embrace them, or to soften ours, but to better understand what is surrounding us. Our times and jungle. Maybe we do want to connect with them, for our own well-being.
Art-making should be about exceeding the obvious. The cultures, subcultures and countercultures we have subscribed to. The ones who know better. Even the part of you that would never do that. Why not. Coward makers are filled with ethical, technical and financial excuses for themselves and for others. They lack boldness. They may know better, but they do not get great things done.
The Democratic Party knew better what their electoral base wanted, so they themselves set the table, and there you go.
It did not take us long to realize where the intense reactions against our film’s method came from. It did take me a while to understand that I could have driven the discussion to richer directions. Next time I should remember that the triggered spectators did not really want to ask, but to say, just like me. We all should become better listeners.
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