The 28-year-old American director David Gordon Green follows up his acclaimed debut "George Washington" (2000) with "All the Real Girls" - another tender small town tale based in America's south. It further reinforces comparisons with Terrence Malick...
In films, America's south is normally represented in a very clichΓ©d way. Was it one of your missions to show a true representation of the area?
Yes. I would only make movies about places I love and try to show them authentically, because I'm not cynical enough to attack the place. But that doesn't mean it's always gorgeous, or it's a perfect place to live. The south has so much character, colour, rhythm and atmosphere, so why not shoot it how it is?
You wrote the film before you made "George Washington". Why was it on the back burner
"George Washington" was the perfect movie to make for zero dollars, and "All the Real Girls" was a project that I knew I had to be more prepared and have a stronger financial foundation for - we had less room for error. In "George Washington", if a scene didn't work out, or a location fell through, it wasn't going to be in detriment to the plot, as the film was more organic.
How did you come across Zooey Deschanel ("The Good Girl"), who's touted to be the next big thing?
Our casting director noticed her as an actress who was really smart and had a lot of insight into characters. She hadn't had a big studio break and was a relatively fresh face. That was something we were looking for; somebody who could bring a lot of herself to the role but not bring a lot of baggage or audience expectation.
You also have Patricia Clarkson who is enjoying a good time in her career...
We had to share her with "Far From Heaven"! I've always been a big fan of hers since "The Untouchables" and "High Art". She's always taken eccentric little character parts, in different size movies. This year has obviously been a big year for her with "Far from Heaven", and she was in three films at Sundance. It's great to see someone like her at this point in her career get noticed for what she's been doing consistently well for years.
What do you think of this tag you've picked up - "the spiritual heir to Terrence Malick"?
That's funny. He's producing my next movie ["Undertow"], so that will interesting.
So, you're making every effect to avoid the tag!
You know what, if that's the worst thing that happens in my life, that will be a blessing. It's always a compliment. I've seen his films a lot, so maybe they've worked themselves into my subconscious.
