How does a movie get into Netflix’s Top 10, seemingly out of nowhere — especially an indie production? On this episode writer/director Anna Elizabeth James and editor F. Brian Scofield talk their film Deadly Illusions, which recently spent almost a week as the #1 film on Netflix both domestically and internationally. (As of this writing, it’s still #5 worldwide.) We discuss:
how the strong reactions of Film Twitter betray that viewers compulsively kept watching;
James’s realization of needing to go “rogue” to make movies this distinct, hate-watching;
how much of the institutional and interpersonal film criticism “isn’t helpful” to new voices;
and Scofield’s work tying to balance a tone of real/unreal or straight/camp.
Also:
how normal story structure of rising tension/climax/denouement models a male orgasm;
how Illusions’ structure models a female’s;
the beatifically committed performance of star Greer Grammar;
the therapeutic value of other voices in film culture;
why the Internet reacted so strongly to the film’s ending;
and exclusive (BOOM!) news about the potential Deadly Illusions sequel.
Along with this recent Netflix hit Anna Elizabeth James has written and directed Emma’s Chance, also starring Grammar. A graduate of the University of Southern California, you can find out more about her work at her website or the website for her production company, Kiss & Tale Productions.
F. Brian Scofield, also a graduate of USC, is an editor and filmmaker who’s edited films for Terrence Malick, Warren Beatty, and other independent filmmakers. Along with other editing projects, he’s currently working on his first feature, Be Not Afraid.
Deadly Illusions is exclusively streaming on Netflix.