The movie Taika Waititi says inspired “a generation of filmmakers”
In the world of dark comedy, no one comes close to Taika Waititi. The modern king of the genre, the Kiwi writer, actor and director is a master at dry laughs. From his behind-the-scenes work on Flight Of The Concordes to his leading roles in What We Do In The Shadows and Jojo Rabbit, he’s solidified his place as one of the finest of our time. But he credits one movie in particular for a whole wave of new talent.
After getting started on his local comedy scene, Waititi climbed the ladder quickly. His first debut short film gained an Oscar nomination and the world’s attention. By 2010, only five years later, his feature film Boy won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It was a hit, and his rising star status was set.
He’s always strayed towards the weird and wonderful. His projects deal with sincere topics but are told with a huge dose of silliness. Never shying away from outright stupidity or more left-field humour, it’s given him a unique voice in the world of film and TV.
Despite now being a huge name in Hollywood, Waititi seems to approach his projects with the spirit of an indie flick. They never feel too overdone or lose a sense of rawness in the face of a big budget. That energy seems to come from one of his favourite films that he claimed “totally inspired generations of filmmakers.”
The credit belongs to the 1967 film The Graduate; a film that changed the face of cinema as Hollywood began to embrace more unusual or countercultural stories, rather than only ever favouring big stories of major drama or romance. Instead, nuance was invited into the box office.
For Waititi, it’s that clever balance between plot and feeling that he loves. “It’s hilarious, but also has that element of treading between comedy and drama and doing it so well, and actually being about something,” he said.
To the director, it’s a master in it’s own lane, able to deal with a somewhat dull subject matter with real pathos. He continued, “It’s probably the best version of those films about rich people and their boring problems, you know, that anyone’s ever made.”
Despite now being an old film, The Graduate at one point was utterly new. It heralded in the start of major movie studios beginning to take a chance on different stories, becoming an unlikely hit as it was the highest grossing film of the year; a result that no one expected. Looking back, it’s a really simple story about a man grappling with his purpose after finishing college. It’s a classic coming of age tale that has remained timeless.
“For me, it’s just fresh,” Waititi said. “There’s also the energy of the actors: Hoffman, just young and going for it; he hasn’t become jaded. That film could come out today in a fresh print and still be incredible; everyone would think ‘Oh, Wes Anderson made a new film,’ or ‘Sofia Coppola made a new film.’”
Providing a blueprint for how to handle humour, drama and big feelings, Waititi has always looked towards The Graduate. “People have tried to do that since — that film has totally inspired generations of filmmakers,” he said, adding simply, “I’ve always loved that film.”
