Azazel Jacobs

“I’m going to start with Exterminating Angel. I guess this is one of those films that is both, like, I can’t touch it, but I’m inspired by it. I’m not trying to ever make a film that’s this perfect, because it says everything so simply and so clearly. And perfectly. But a lot of my movies go into a place which can’t really happen, but hopefully speaks to something that’s very… even more truthful about the situation, and that’s Exterminating Angel for me.”

“But Hobson’s Choice, starring Charles Laughton. Anything that Charles Laughton did, for the most part, I think is out of this world, and that’s why I’m getting this.”

“La vie de bohème. I love all Kaurismäki’s films. For me, for whatever reason, this is like everything comes together. It’s kind of miraculous. It has this fantasy. It’s completely grounded. It’s hilarious. It’s also very moving. And what he does with this train pulling out... He does it in the most magnificent way that makes me think every time, “I can’t afford that.” Then you think, “Oh, Aki figured out how to do it for basically 50 cents.”...”

“Lucrecia Martel, La ciénaga. I watch her work and I go, “I cannot ever even try to do something like that because it’s… everything is flawless and perfect.” But I’m going to keep watching because it’s just the best of the best.”

“Girlfriends. I think about– Like, another miracle of a film. Any time that I’m thinking, “How do I do this? I need this and I need that.” Then you see this movie and go, “Oh, I can just use what I have and make something.” If anything, it’ll be a home movie that I want to hold onto. Or it could turn out as amazing as this film.”

“I saw this, Tótem. I thought this was brilliant. Written beautifully, directed, acting, shot so beautifully. Just a film that I love. I think I’m ready to dive in and see it again.”

“Miracle in Milan, this is one of those movies that– My parents would always drive myself and my sister to films that they thought were films that they loved and also that could work for kids. There’s a moment at the end of this that I completely took as realistic at the time, but it kind of… defies gravity, and it blew my mind as a kid. And it was something I always held on to is thinking, “Films, if they feel real, will take you someplace completely unexpected.”...”

“The Breakfast Club. I don’t know why it spoke so deeply to me growing up in New York City, my school was nothing like this, but, for whatever reason, stayed with me, watched it a bunch of times. Now that I’ve been making movies, I realize that not only did it influence my storytelling, but just to see, like, “Wow, there’s a lot of bold choices.” Then once you find out Dede Allen is the editor on it, you realize, “Oh, it’s… very, very purposeful and working in this whole other level.”...”

“Pandora’s Box. Louise Brooks starring in it. I think she’s one of the best writers on film. Lulu in Hollywood, I would highly recommend that book because she can write about film like nobody else. This is a movie my father, Ken Jacobs, talks about all the time. And I have to be honest, I don’t believe I ever saw it. So I know this is probably the best way that I could ever possibly see it. And then I could no longer pretend that I’ve seen it with him. And I’m sure I’m going to find it as bril...”