CINEMATIC POETRY: An Ode to Denis Villeneuve

It’s difficult to name a filmmaker who hasn’t in some way, shape or form inspired and affected me; I am constantly going to the well of existing filmmakers and taking my fill of inspiration. Whether it’s Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction,” which was my introduction to more mature film, or Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws,” which I watched far too young, or Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas,” which I watched on repeat with my brothers; the list goes on and on. All of these filmmakers are inarguably titans and I continue to love and study their work. But, it was Denis Villeneuve, a relatively new inductee to the pantheon of legendary filmmakers, who first crossed my path with his 2013 film, “Prisoners,” that I have truly come to consider myself a proud student of. I have a distinct memory of thinking that “Prisoners” was the best David Fincher movie that Fincher never made; there was such a potent, distinct and captivating visual style that had me entranced, and when it was over, I was oblivious to the fact that it was more than two-and-a-half hours. Since then, I have become enamored with his filmography, not just as a member of the audience excited to see what he does next, but also as an aspiring filmmaker who is an eager student of his style, approach and philosophy. But beyond the stunning visual style that he has become known for, his grasp of pacing and exposition stood as monuments to his fluency in cinema and respect for the audience. His films have a rhythmic, almost fluid-like flow to them that feels like poetry, and his exposition always feels organic and character-motivated. Since discovering Villenueve and his films, watching interviews and studying his filmmaking process, it is my opinion that he is easily one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation.

Behind the Scenes

Denis Villeneuve was born and raised in the village of Gentilly in Bécancour, Quebec. His early education in film was a self-guided one, as his parents were not particularly interested in film. On his own, he discovered epics like “Star Wars” and the influences of Steven Spielberg, François Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman and Stanley Kubrick; four filmmakers whose influences are so prevalent throughout Villeneuve’s work. In high school, he made short films with friends, earning the nickname “Spielberg,” and at the age of around 13, Villeneuve stated that he began to feel the call of cinema, in particular upon reading Frank Hubert’s “Dune”. He went on to say that he found the story telling power of a director deeply appealing to him. After school, Villeneuve studied science at Cégep de Trois-Rivières in Quebec, and later studied film at Université du Québec à Montréal. His first feature film, “Un 32 août sur terre” (also known as August 32nd on Earth), was released in 1998 and won the Prix Jutra for Best Actor and was entered into the 71st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. In 2000, he released his second feature film “Maelström”, which was well received and won numerous awards, including the FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. Nine years passed before he released his third feature film, the critically acclaimed and multi-award-winning 2009 drama film “Polytechnique”, which featured at the Cannes Film Festival that year. Then, just one year later, he released the tense, heart-breaking drama film “Incendies,” which was adapted from Wajdi Mouawad’s play of the same name and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. It was following these two films that his career truly began to take off with larger budgets and bigger names, but his indie filmmaking spirit remained alive and well. In 2013, he released “Prisoners” and “Enemy,” two wildly different films that perfectly showcased his range as a storyteller. Then, in 2015, he released “Sicario,” a politically charged neo-western thriller written by Taylor Sheridan that was nominated for multiple Academy Awards. Just one year later, in 2016, he released his first science-fiction film “Arrival,” a beautifully melancholic meditation of memory, life and language that was adapted from Ted Chiang’s novella “Story of Your Life”. He followed this up in 2017 with the coveted sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic “Blade Runner” with “Blade Runner 2049”, where he accomplished the impossible by creating a sequel to a beloved film that I consider better than the original. Then, he began work on his long-awaited passion project, “Dune”. By his own words, his career has been leading to the moment that he could adapt his favorite book into a film, and the passion and love for that book simply radiate with every frame.

Balancing Style and Substance

Villeneuve’s films are oftentimes dark and haunting psychological dramas or thrillers that emphasize atmosphere and explore the human condition, with particular focus on the themes of trauma (Polytechnique, Incendies), identity (Enemy, Blade Runner 2049), memory (Arrival) and parenthood/legacy (Maelström, Incendies, Arrival, Prisoners, Dune). His films also regularly feature strong, complex female characters and leads, juxtaposed against dubious and morally compromised men; Enemy (2013), Prisoners (2013), Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and Dune (2020) being the exceptions. When it comes to color palette, Denis oftentimes will either overwhelm with a single color, such as stark yellows in Enemy (2013) or cold blues in Maelström (2000), or he will create completely contrasting color palettes, as in Arrival (2016) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017). But, with each color palette, there is a clear and strong adherence to theme. Among the most notable features of a Denis Villeneuve film is its visual poetry with regard to cinematography. He captures uncertainty, ambiguity and tension exceptionally well, which can be seen with his inverted camera shot from “Polytechnique” (2009), the silhouettes at dusk in Sicario (2015), or the reveal of the heptapods in Arrival (2016). His use of shadows and high-contrast lighting, negative space, unbalanced composition and subtle framing creates such a potent visual experience that feels so fresh and unique and yet strangely comfortable and alluring. His approach to color and cinematography are almost antithetical to one another, and yet they compliment each other perfectly. On the one hand, he presents such vibrant and striking colors in his palettes that tell a story but then the shadows enshroud that story in mystery and anxiety; two disparate visual styles brought together in a kind of visual chemistry, and there is no better example of this than Blade Runner 2049 (2017). Another hallmark of a Denis Villeneuve film is the score, which helps to create an atmosphere that feels emotional, colorful and thematically rich. Villeneuve’s film’s scores never feel overengineered or emotionally manipulative, which is an indictment of so many other films that exist. Instead, his films’ scores feel like a different color for the palette, a new frame for the camera or a new shadow on his characters’ faces. It is abundantly clear that Denis has never lost or compromised his unique filmmaking spirit and style; each one of his films feels so unique to him, as if there are fingerprints that you cannot see but you feel.

Lessons from a True Master

Denis Villenueve’s unique style and approach to filmmaking is what has appealed to me so much as an audience member, and has me coming back for more each and every time. But there are certain things that have stood out to me and drawn me to him as an aspiring filmmaker and student of film that extends beyond what I have mentioned so far. Among his most powerful tools in his kit is pacing. His sense of pacing has always resonated with me; his ability to create a fluid rhythm with his films that perfectly tells the story and feels more like a song than a lecture. His films’ scenes never overstay their welcome and never belabor the point, yet they linger and dwell and allow the audience to sit in a moment and let the emotion and story wash over you. It’s what has allowed me to sit and watch a film that is in excess of two hours without feeling drained or exhausted, which is a trap that many filmmakers walk into, even the greats like Scorsese or Tarantino. There is a musical quality to his filmmaking style that I find so satisfying, and his long-time collaboration with editor Joe Walker, that he himself admits enables him to appreciate the weight of a shot and its impact on time and the scene, has meant his films have as few cuts as possible to create a lasting impression on the audience. He also utilizes subtle push-ins that creates a tense effect that I have always loved. We see this in Prisoners (2013), when we are first introduced to Detective Loki, there is a slow push-in as he sits alone in a Chinese restaurant that feels foreboding and voyeuristic, and these lingering shots with the slow push-in feel so captivating and mysterious. Another key feature to how Villeneuve crafts his films is his approach to exposition. All films have exposition, it’s a necessary literary device to propel the film forward, especially one with dense context and lore, such as Sicario (2015) or Dune (2021). But, so often, exposition can feel dry and divorced from the characters, but Denis Villeneuve approaches exposition with his characters at the forefront, and when exposition is delivered, it is always done so in a way that feels natural and organic to his characters. In Dune (2021), Duke and Paul are discussing the upcoming relocation to Arrakis, and there is a significant amount of political and historical context that is communicated in this scene, but it is all done through an organic conversation between a nurturing father and his anxious son that ends with the potent line, “A great man doesn’t seek to lead. He is called to it, and he answers. And if your answer is no, you’ll still be the only thing I ever needed you to be: my son.” This scene, to me, perfectly captures why exposition is so difficult and so important, and Villenueve’s approach delicately balances both the expository elements that are required to tell the story and the character motivations that still allow us, the audience, to relate to and invest in the characters. He is even able to accomplish this just with subtext, as in Prisoners (2013) when Keller (Hugh Jackman), threatens and intimidates Alex (Paul Dano) with a hammer as a stunned Franklin (Terrence Howard) looks on with tears in his eyes. We, the audience, perfectly understand everything we need to know about the characters’ state of mind in that moment; Keller is lost and violent, Franklin is terrified and guilt-ridden, and Alex is just a scared child who is incapable of understanding what is happening to him. This is all accomplished with a slow push-in that brings the audience into the scene, forcing us to watch as a father grapples with his violent inner demons disguised as devotion and desperation.

Denis Villeneuve has had a profound impact on me as an aspiring filmmaker and storyteller, and while the same could be said of many other filmmakers that have come before and since, Villenueve has undoubtedly been among the wisest of instructors. His career is as astonishing as it is varied, and with every film he releases, we see not just a well-crafted film and beautifully told story but yet another glimpse into Denis Villeneuve as a human. His approach to filmmaking is one that creates potent, poignant and visceral stories that are as engaging and entertaining as they are educational and inspirational. On a personal level, I find his passion for filmmaking to be infectious, and I feel it in every beat, every shot and every line of dialogue from start to finish.