"Now I Feel Better": Gondry Has a Moment With NY Magazine

As noted last month (and two months before that) on The Reeler, director Michel Gondry recently rescued Passaic, N.J., from ashy-skinned mullet-culture ignominy when he chose the city as the location of his next film, Be Kind Rewind. The gang over at New York Magazine's Daily Intelligencer also picked this heart-swelling bit of information up at the time, commiserating with Gondry's concession that "I'm not going to fix their life. And that's something that makes me a little sad." And wouldn't you know it: While I have yet to receive so much as a postcard from Passaic, the Intelligencer gets a whole big long letter of consolation from the little Frech twerp:

I am really sorry I've made you sad. To cheer you up, I decided to share with you some of the exciting things I did for my movie BE KIND, REWIND in the lovely city of Passaic, N.J., and how, in the process, I encountered a lot of unique and interesting people. I can imagine you wagging your tail in anticipation to read all the significant details of my story. ...

To find realistic people from the neighborhood, we had the idea to turn to the real Passaic inhabitants. Nice people, going with their life that has not much to do with the film industry which makes them special in my eyes. That seems an obvious and easy idea. Well, it's not. Let me explain why: the film industry is extremely protected by numerous circles and organizations whose only goal is make sure you won't employ anyone out of those circles. In short, this makes it next to impossible to put a fresh face/voice in front of the camera and without a pre-conceived idea how to act. This pre-conceived idea ruins what I am trying to capture on film. ...

After two months, this frantic activity had to come to an end. I was struck by sudden nostalgia, but you shared my sadness and now I feel better. Thanks for your support, Mr. Intelligencer and I hope you feel better too.

There's lots more to check out at NYM, but now I'm sad wondering how many letters Gondry is going to have to write to "Mr. Screen Actors Guild" and the like to assuage their own broken, behollowed hearts. At least Teamsters can't read; that should save him at least a few minutes and the cost of a box of crayons.

Posted at November 16, 2006 4:22 PM