Dear Writers: COMMENTARY ON COMMENTARY: The Invisible Man (2020)
Source: the Blu-ray (but also this excellent detailed analysis by Rob Hunter at FilmSchoolRejects)
Participants: Leigh Whannel, Elizabeth Moss
1. For a movie that’s relentlessly tense…
…the commentary is full of laughs. Leigh Whannel has the charm of Taika Waititi (and a similar accent…).
2. Wouldn’t it be awesome…
…to hear Leigh record commentary for a Taika movie? And vice versa Taika for a Leigh movie. Maybe Upgrade…but it would only work if they had a proper trans girl/movie nerd as their host…
3. Leigh confesses to Elizabeth Moss…
…that the shooting location where she is picked up by a driver at the beginning of the movie…was secretly full of funnel web spiders. He’s very sorry! Especially given how horrified Elizabeth sounds learning this.
4. You can see the real Elizabeth Moss…
…in the scene where Cecilia gives Sydney the money for college. Leigh asked Elizabeth to be her authentic self. The person he knows. I find it easy to believe in her joy from the act of generosity ❤
5. Take advantage of…
…empty space. Set the audiences expectations. Then don’t betray them — just delay what you promised. String them along. Sometimes until the end of the book. Sometimes until the end of the series.
6. Leigh says to keep your focus on…
…what makes your storytelling unique. You’ll have a lot of voices telling you how to make your story better. Sometimes, they’re just saying play it safe. But the fun part of storytelling is in taking a risk.
7. No matter how good a scene is…
…once you get into editing the finished manuscript/film, you need to base your decisions on the rhythm of the advancing story. Some moments can be reduced to a line/look. Others really need to breathe.
8. Leigh offers an amazing analysis of…
…the moment when Cecilia first confronts brother at the possibility is alive and invisible.
The brother says, “You know what’s better than being invisible? Not being invisible — but making your tortured ex believe you are.”
The movie holds you in suspense over whether Adrian is really able to turn invisible. Whether he’s still alive. Whether this is all in her mind.
9. Even the trailers…
…were magnificent in not spoiling that for sure.
10. There is no tenth fact, but there is an ad!
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