Film Twitter is a blessing and a curse. I’m very much a part of it but it also frustrates me to no end. You have to have opinions on every movie, if you enjoy a movie that others see as “less than stellar,” you’re made to be a fool.
That does, apparently, apply to directors as well. Celine Song, who was promoting her new film Materialists, was asked about her cultural essentials and she understood that as connected back to a desert island. Basically what film she’d bring as an essential if she was stuck on a desert island.
You know, a question that typically brings a more light-hearted answer than a simple “What’s your favorite movie?” Song responded Zootopia and somehow, that ushered in a lot of angry responses from so-called film fans.
So you don’t like Zootopia? Being a fan of film doesn’t mean you don’t have to hate any movie that isn’t high art! But it got so bad that Song had to address the backlash to a fairly simple and fair question. In a Reddit AMA, Song shared her favorite film as well as her love for Zootopia once more.
“To be honest with you, I was just not that prepared for that interview (even though everyone told me what the interview was going to be haha) and I really understood it as what movie l’d take to the desert island (I got stuck on the word ‘essentials’). My answer to ‘what’s your favorite movie’ is usually Children of Men, but I definitely wouldn’t want to take it to a desert island… I want to feel happy! Anyway, I really love Zootopia so much. I saw it like 10 times.”
Some of you hate joy, I guess
I’ve never really understood people who judge others for their favorite movies in these interviews. If anything, I think people who answer the Letterboxd Top 4 question with movies none of us have really engaged with or only watched once to check a box is pretentious. I don’t think that makes you a better film “fan.” I think that just makes you obnoxious.
Even if your favorite movie is an art house film from France, others have ruined your ability to say that and not sound annoying about it. Case in point: People so angry that a director and screenwriter likes Zootopia. Why did she have to defend choosing this movie? It’s good! I love the fox and the bunny and I want them to be in love with each other! That’s okay!
The weird backlash to her choice is just giving boring film people who don’t know how to have fun with movies. I love that Song ended it with another shout out to Zootopia because she’s right!
(featured image: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
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