When will I get to seeEllis Park?
When is that being released in America?
JUSTIN KURZEL: Well, we’re still yet to find a distributor.
Image via Amazon MGM Studios
It’s got one overseas and in Europe and in Australia, but we’re still searching.
So, it’s still kind of journeying along.
But I’m hoping very, very soon.It’s one of my favorite films I’ve made.
Image via Warner Bros.
But it’ll be very soon.
Which of your films changed the most in the editing room in ways you didn’t expect?
KURZEL: Oh, wow.
Image via Amazon MGM Studios
That’s a really good question.
So, I reckonThe Order, actually.
I went down the rabbit hole with that one a couple of times.
I would love to see alt cuts, and I never will.
What do I need to do to get you to call George and say, Let’s talk?
KURZEL: Yeah, I’d love to have a chat with him about it.
Image via Sony Pictures Television
Oh, I’m dead serious with you.
I think that you should absolutely be doing this.
And it’s such a great time in Australia, too, that period.
Image via Warner Bros.
That was one that we started to have conversations about, perhaps a different way of concluding our film.
I really enjoy the way you and your DP, Adam Arkapaw, collaborate.
KURZEL: No, this one was really planned.
The Orderis a historical crime thriller directed by Justin Kurzel. Set in 1983, the film follows FBI agent Terry Husk, who investigates a series of violent crimes in the Pacific Northwest. He suspects these are not the actions of a regular criminal gang but rather a white supremacist group led by the charismatic Bob Mathews. As he digs deeper, the investigation uncovers a radical underground network.
And it was never off the dolly or off sticks.
We never went handheld with it.
That means you have to be very deliberate and, in a sense, organized.
He’s a huge asset to me.
So, there’s always a really interesting tension there that comes from when we actually do start filming.
I’ve spoken to so many directors and cinematographers, and it’s so interesting.
KURZEL: No, I give a shot to work with one camera.
Point of view for me gets really lost when you suddenly have four or five cameras.
I really do two cameras for one performance.
I usually really focus and concentrate on one actor’s performance and then turn the camera around.
You put together this great cast for this movie.
KURZEL: Yeah, he really is.
He’s very giving in that way.
He felt like he hadn’t walked in these shoes before, and that excited him.
That, I think, was a great bonus to the film and to his interpretation of Husk.
Which role ended up being the toughest to cast and why?
There’s something very similar.
I was a massive fan of his podcast, so I felt his voice was really needed in this.
So, probably him.
The cast and creatives discuss their shockingly short film schedule, embodying difficult characters, and more at TIFF.
KURZEL: I’d rather not be specific, but it was under 40 days by quite a bit.
It’s really hard.
It’s starting to become really hard making these sorts of films.
It’s just the way of the world at the moment that I hope changes.
But hopefully that’ll improve.
Justin Kurzel Teases His Five-Part War Series With Jacob Elordi
What is the status ofThe Siege?
It was a film I was attached to that didn’t come to fruition.
I won’t be doing that.
Something you are doing isThe Narrow Road to the Deep North.
I’m really excited about that.
Jacob’s really wonderful in it.
So, yeah, I’m doing that.
Did you direct all five parts ofDeep North?
KURZEL: I did.
He’s been a long collaborator with me.
Needless to say, I’m excited to see it.
What can you tease about it?
Horror is one of the few things that seems to always perform at the box office.
It’s a very popular genre.
KURZEL: Ive been really fascinated by it.
Were just developing it and writing it at the moment.
KURZEL: Yeah, but in some sense, the genre is the star in a way.
Its so interesting how that genre just seems to capture.
Its really interesting how it captivates an audience like no other genre.
The Orderis now playing in theaters.
As he digs deeper, the investigation uncovers a radical underground data pipe.
