What do Jonathan Glazer, Miguel Gomes, and now, Karyn Kusama all have in common? A shared appreciation for Spanish auteur Luis Buñuel.
During a visit to the Criterion Closet, “Jennifer’s Body” director Kusama cited how Buñuel played with power onscreen, especially in his satirical films focusing on the elite class. Kusama selected features that all dealt with the theme of power: who has it, who is seeking it, and who deploys it.
“Back to that notion of power, I feel like somebody who’s really always poked fun at it and done a great job of exploring it with humor and surrealism is Luis Buñuel,” Kusama said. “There’s a Buñuel set of three films: ‘Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie,’ ‘The Phantom of Liberty,’ and ‘That Obscure Object of Desire,’ all in one set. I’m going to get that and have my mind blown again.”
Buñuel directed 35 movies between 1929 and 1977 in the span of his career. His beloved 1953 psychological drama “Él” just received a 4K theatrical re-release. Buñuel also most famously directed Catherine Deneuve in the legendary 1967 film “Belle de Jour.”
Kusama further selected the Coen Brothers’ Best Picture winner “No Country for Old Men,” Nancy Savoca’s “Dogfight,” and Martha Coolidge’s “Not a Pretty Picture” while in the Criterion Closet. Kusama cited how “No Country for Old Men” as a “revolutionary” film that transcends genre even while being a “mainstream” release. Kusama added that “Not a Pretty Picture” director Coolidge is a “real hero” of hers, and that Coolidge’s later film “Valley Girl” is one of her “desert island top five” films.
Other recent Criterion Closet guests have included Julia Fox, Julia Garner, Brady Corbet, Carrie Coon, Pamela Anderson, Mikey Madison, and Harris Dickinson. The Criterion Closet van also recently brought the experience to SXSW after successful runs at the New York Film Festival and beyond. The pop-up allows patrons, who queue in line for hours starting early in the morning, to record their own picks from inside a truck.
Check out Kusama’s full Criterion Closet selections below.
