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Australian film director Andrew Dominik was slammed online after he justified criticism surrounding his September 2022 release Blonde.
While speaking at Saudi Arabia's Red Sea International Film Festival, the 55-year-old personality stated that the American audience "hated the movie" and only wanted to see iconic stars like Marilyn Monroe celebrated.
He said:
“Now we’re living in a time where it’s important to present women as empowered, and they want to reinvent Marilyn Monroe as an empowered woman. That’s what they want to see. And if you’re not showing them that, it upsets them.”
Dominik also stated that Blonde, which is inspired by Monroe's life, was accused of exploiting the star, something that doesn't make sense at this time. He mentioned:
“Which is kind of strange, because she’s dead. The movie doesn’t make any difference in one way or another.”
Twitter reactions to Andrew Dominik's comment
After Andrew Dominik's comments from the Red Sea International Festival went viral, Twitterati slammed the renowned director. Users pointed out that the director purposefully chose to highlight Marilyn Monroe's trauma while ignoring her talent and achievements.
Andrew Dominik was "really pleased" by outraged fans of Blonde
Continuing at the Red Sea International Film Festival, Andrew Dominik said the film Blonde was intentionally made to change the idea surrounding Marilyn Monroe's life. Dominik avered:
“That they really mean is that the film exploited their memory of her, their image of her, which is fair enough. But that’s the whole idea of the movie. It’s trying to take the iconography of her life and put it into service of something else, it’s trying to take things that you’re familiar with, and turning the meaning inside out. But that’s what they don’t want to see.”
As per The Hollywood Reporter, Dominik stated that he was "really pleased" that the film had “outraged so many people.” He went on to say that American movies were getting "more conservative," to the point where audiences could anticipate the next plot twist like they would in a bedtime story.
Further, Dominik said Blonde's criticism did not affect him because he did not agree with the critics. He said:
“You can’t really do other people’s thinking for them but I think when it comes to an iconic American, what they want is hagiographies, they want the celebration of that person, and a celebration of that person according to the mores of the time."
Even though the film was criticized, Dominik said that “tens of millions of people” watched the film.
Released on September 16, 2022, Blonde stars Ana de Armas in the lead role alongside Julianne Nicholson, Sara Paxton, Rob Brownstein, etc.
