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Key Points

Chloe Zhao thinks Hollywood has some serious room for improvement when it comes to storytelling. She specifically calls out the industry's struggle with preserving what she calls "the language of ambiguity." The Oscar-winning director also gets real about the challenges of financing films while maintaining creative integrity. Interestingly, she reveals that her neurodivergence has played a major role in shaping how she approaches filmmaking.

Key Points: Chloe Zhao Says Hollywood Must Improve Ambiguity Language

  • Zhao believes Hollywood fails at preserving ambiguity in storytelling
  • She advocates for rediscovering older, more intuitive narrative methods
  • The director stresses financial responsibility to investors despite creative vision
  • Her neurodivergence significantly influences her unique approach to filmmaking
2 min read

Chloe Zhao reveals the areas of improvement for Hollywood

Oscar winner Chloe Zhao critiques Hollywood's storytelling flaws, discusses film financing challenges, and reveals how neurodivergence shapes her creative vision.

Chloe Zhao reveals the areas of improvement for Hollywood
"The language of ambiguity is, to me, vital for the health of a society - Chloe Zhao"

Mumbai, Oct 12

Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, who is known for her work on ‘Eternals’, and ‘The Rider’, feels there are a few grey areas where Hollywood needs improvement.

The Oscar-winning director got candid about Hollywood, the difficulty of financing films, and how neurodivergence has impacted her storytelling, reports ‘Variety’.

Her devastating historical drama ‘Hamnet’, about the personal tragedy that led to the creation of William Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, held its European premiere at the London Film Festival recently.

As per ‘Variety’, at the festival, the film was welcomed with plenty of emotion (and a surprise appearance from producer Steven Spielberg).

Speaking about making the film, Chloe Zhao said that the experience made her “very passionate about rediscovering and remembering some older ways of storytelling that have been forgotten in our society”.

“Before we made everything factual and reasonable, there was a time where we’d see stories in different ways, from our dreams, our vision quests, from going into nature and listening to the birds”, she said. “So the language of ambiguity is, to me, vital for the health of a society. And I think even in Hollywood, in the film industry, we are not very good at preserving the language of ambiguity. If logos and mystery are in harmony, we would be living in a much better world”.

However, the director acknowledged that it’s oftentimes difficult to get stories like these financed for the big screen. Though profiting from a film is not her end goal, the filmmaker acknowledged that “money is really important”.

She went on, “Maybe it’s because I’m Chinese, I don’t know what is it, but I’m so afraid of owing people money. I don’t like it. I don’t like being in debt. I want the people who put the money into my films to get the money back”.

“I don’t believe that my vision and whatever importance of my film should make people lose money. It’s just not for me. I try really hard to get financiers or studios to say, how much are you comfortable giving me so that you can survive as a company, please. And then I’ll do it within that. So I think it’s really helpful because limitations, I promise, are your best friend”, she added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Her point about financial responsibility is so refreshing! In Bollywood too, we need more directors who respect investors' money while pursuing creative vision. It's not either/or - you can make meaningful cinema without bankrupting producers.
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Arjun K
Interesting perspective, though I wish she'd acknowledged that Hollywood's issues with diversity go beyond just storytelling methods. The industry still struggles with authentic representation of Asian and other minority voices. But her financial honesty is commendable.
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Sarah B
As an expat living in Mumbai, I find her observations spot on. The balance between commercial success and artistic integrity is something Indian filmmakers have been navigating for decades. Maybe Hollywood should look East for inspiration!
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Vikram M
Her mention of "older ways of storytelling" reminds me of our own Indian epics - Ramayana and Mahabharata. These stories have multiple layers and interpretations that change with every generation. Hollywood's formulaic approach could definitely use some of this depth.
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Kavya N
Love her practical approach to film financing! In India, we've seen so many brilliant indie films struggle because of poor financial planning. More directors should think like her - creativity thrives within sensible boundaries, not reckless spending. 💯

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