Opinion: Exploring The Intersection Between Auteur And Commercial Art

As a teenager, I was really blown away by The Matrix and The Dark Knight trilogies. It was my naive adolescent assumption that there would always be action adventure blockbusters for inquiring minds with aesthetic sensibilities. As time has passed the commercial action blockbuster and thought-provoking art film appear diametrically opposed. The blockbuster films have become bigger and less challenging and the intellectual films have become more niche and less entertaining.

Coincidentally, director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Cloud) articulated something that’s been on my mind as of late in regards to the divide between auteur cinema and big commercial films. Kurosawa argues that films coming out of Korea manage to blend the sensibilities of a commercial film and an auteur’s art project. I would agree with this sentiment and believe that audience members are more accepting of wilder ideas at this moment in time. I’m thinking specifically of the fanbase that’s surrounding Death Stranding 2: On the Beach — which is the epitome of an arthouse project with blockbuster production values.

I know I’m not alone in my love of blockbuster spectacle and the idiosyncrasies of indie filmmaking. There will be some daring creators who manage to blend the two and show us something we’ve truly never seen before.