Mastermind: Kelly Reichardt’s Anti-Heist Movie

Kelly Reichardt has been called one of America’s greatest filmmakers as well One of the quietest. But the latest one Mastermindwhich centers around an art theft that goes off the rails, is perhaps her loudest film yet and certainly one Its largest budget to date. Reichardt even set out to create something different from her previous work, which included… The first cow, Appearanceand Wendy and Lucy — only to go back to the editing room and realize, “Oh, there it is. Another one of these movies.” Naturally, Reichardt’s crime thriller is a character study about a man trying to claw his way out of failure.

Mastermind Stars Josh O’Connor, most popular from last year United Or one of the four films coming out this fall, including the new one Knives out sequel. (He headlines Steven Spielberg and Joel Coen’s next projects.) But while O’Connor is on a path to becoming a household name, he’s been cast perfectly. Mastermind Like a movie star foil, dimly lit thief JP Money.

As promised, the film begins with a satisfying romp – a collage art heist of Arthur Dove’s paintings, based on an actual 1972 painting at the Worcester Museum of Art. For Mooney, stealing art isn’t the hard part; It is holding on to them that becomes the problem. O’Connor’s dimpled smile shows him as a man aimlessly cruising through life due to his good looks and privileged upbringing (his father is a powerful local judge). However, family ties will not get him out of this problem, as Reichardt describes Mastermind As an “exposure” film – an “anti-heist” film.

Reichardt spoke to Edge About the challenges of writing and being a budget-conscious filmmaker (and the cost of car scenes, shots at night, and her first-ever built-in set), all the while trying to avoid the H-word: steal.

The Verge: Your films tend to have an atmosphere that’s unique to you. How do you set the tone for Kelly Reichardt’s film?

Kelly Reichardt: I mean it’s funny, because I always think when I start I’m doing something completely different. It won’t be like anything you’ve done before. And then I walked into the editing room and said, “Oh, this is it. Another one of those movies.” So yeah, I don’t know. I think everyone has their own kind of fingerprint, for better or worse.

Did you find the film in the editing, or how much of it was locked in the script?

The script was the script. I mean, there were a lot of locations and a lot of car work and a lot… I didn’t have the money to shoot in a way that I would find something in the edit. (Cinematographer) Chris Blauvelt and I, we’ve worked together on a lot of movies now. And I talk to Chris about editing all the time when we’re building scenes and shots. Adjustment is part of the conversation, but of course nothing is set in stone. And you walk into the editing room and say, “Okay, this is the movie I have.” There are many discoveries to be made in the newsroom. But that was not the case Mick snapped.

The concept was that I would have this kind of take on the genre that I was working in, and then that would be undone, like the character. It would really be some kind of post-movie. That was kind of what I was going for.

But I mean the shoot had to be very specific given the amount of time and financial resources we had. I’m in the editing room with a lot of footage to go through and find. It’s nice to have a design and see that show up in the editing room.

I want to delve into directing day Mastermind. Were you able to buy time in certain places?

I mean, well, there’s a lot of work on cars. You never buy time when we do car work. Car platforms are slow. I think there are night scenes everywhere. All of these things slow you down. I had this amazing crew and the locals in Cincinnati were amazing.

But also things related to the museum were difficult. We built the interior of the museum in this warehouse – it wasn’t a soundstage, it was an old warehouse. But it was really interesting to see them together. If you had a bad day exploring, and didn’t have any big catches, you came back and there was something going on in the “museum”. This whole building is happening and the paintings are being finished and the frames are being built, and it’s been exciting. This was his own little world. I’d never really had any construction in my life, so yeah, it was cool.

Did it make you want to make more of them?

It’s expensive. I love shooting locations. They have their own challenges. But I thought, “Oh, if we build this, I’ll be able to… for the first time, I’ll have a space that we designed and I’ll be able to really design my shots.” But they were putting it together right up until the moment before we shot, so I didn’t really have all the time I wanted to spend there.

So we’re stuck with this kind of grand heist movie

Yes, but I don’t think we should say “theft” because people have expectations. I think it’s almost like a heist movie. I showed a clip to a friend and she was furious afterwards and said, “Don’t tell me I’m coming to see a heist movie, and I’m coming to see this?” So people should be measured about theft.

This story could have been told many different ways. We leave the heist behind and it becomes a film about someone traveling, and it feels really familiar and warm.

Well, I got myself into this because… whatever. The third act became really difficult because it could have been done so many different ways, she says. It has become the first new chapter. I thought to myself, “Oh, I’m really stuck with this.” I showed it to John Raymond, with whom I had worked several times. He’s my very close friend and my writing partner on a lot of our films. And I showed him that and said, “I can’t find my way out of the weeds in the third trimester.” And he went there with a buzz saw.

It took a long time for me to let it fall apart the way I wanted it to and not keep building it back up. That’s been a long journey.

As you walk away from the film now, what do you think its theme or plot line works for you?

I don’t know. I’m already past the point of looking at it weird, because now I have to start talking about it. But I’m done with this movie. I mean is there a line through? I think the best way I can describe it is how I keep describing it as some kind of breakdown or consequence, sort of. Depending on who you are in the world, either larger systems will hold you back – there’s no shortage of watching people fail their way to the top, right? And then there are closer, more intimate relationships that lift you up, keep you grounded, and help you get through it. And in Mastermindwe’re watching a character, and he’s a guy who kind of burns through it all.

Everyone is trying to understand this strange moment we are living in the world. Mastermind The film is about the past, but it still feels like an urgent film. Why did you choose this era to set the story? Are there things you find as points of reflection?

Well, it’s easier to understand the political moment that has passed, isn’t it? And it has a place and time. I don’t know how you can make a movie nowadays. And even some of the people I go to see, I feel like saying, “Don’t put this on me. I’m not ready to make fun of this time. I’m not ready to find the irony in it. I don’t want that.” I thought, Sean Baker. Red rocket It does a great job of being a contemporary political film without talking about being a political film. I liked this movie for that.

But I think one way to think and reflect on where we are is to look back at this other time. It wasn’t really like a starting point for me. I wanted to tell this little car heist story in a movie that took place in an era that every director my age would probably want to make. I didn’t want to make a movie that was full of depression or anything like that. I don’t want to romanticize the time.

I mean, my first political memory is when I was a kid and I was in the pool and I had to get out of the pool to watch Nixon resign. And that was my first idea of ​​being interested in something going on in government or something like that. Damn, I was so young.

There are a lot of differences now too, right? Now I feel like, why aren’t we all out on the streets every minute now? Where is everyone? In Portland, there’s a guy on Burnside Street with a “Stop Tyranny” sign, and he’s there every day by himself, this old man. And it’s like, “Where’s everyone?” This is different from this moment, that moment.