Karyn Kusama (born March 21, 1968) is an American film director who had her breakthrough with Girlfight, her first feature film. She wrote the screenplay and directed the film at age 27. It was released in 2000 and won the Director's Prize and the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, as well as the Prix de la Jeunesse at the Cannes Film Festival. The independent feature film with a budget of around US$1 Million was critically well received. It brought in US$1,667,000.
It took two years to find financing for the film. After financing fell through shortly before shooting began, Girlfight was fully financed by film-maker John Sayles whom she worked for as an assistant at that time.
Career
Since Girlfight, Kusama has moved on to direct commercial Hollywood productions. To date, she only directed two more feature films, Aeon Flux and Jennifer's Body, as well as one episode of the TV series The L Word. However, neither of her following films have received positive reviews or won critical acclaim.
Kusama's films have been set in varying genres. Whereas Girlfight was a contemporary American drama, Aeon Flux is set in the future, and Jennifer's Body is a horror film. She is one of only a few American female directors who serve a variety of genres and direct sci-fi and horror movies as well.
Themes
Kusama in especially interested in physicalizing female power. While Kusama is successful in getting inside the psyche of her protagonist, the recurring theme of her work is female empowerment through physicality, women who use and explore the strength of their body. In all of her feature films, the heroine uses her physical strength to overcome suppression of some sort. In Girlfight, the protagonist learns to break out of her emotionally and physically constraining life through releasing and finding her physical power in boxing. In Aeon Flux, the heroine uses her physical fighting power to save humanity. In Jennifer's Body, the literal men-eater uses her physical power to fight against suppression of females.
In that sense, she applies a sort of Third Wave Feminism, i.e. her characters reject the female mainstream roles and integrate aspects into their personalities that are primarily considered as masculine.
Filmography
Director
- The Invitation (2015)
- Jennifer's Body (2009)
- The L Word ("Little Boy Blue", 2007)
- Æon Flux (2005)
- Girlfight (2000)
Writer
- Girlfight (2000)
Miscellaneous crew
- Lone Star (1996) (office manager: New York)
Background
Kusama grew up in St. Louis, MO, USA. Growing up, movies served her as a sanctuary from her "highly emotional life". She says films are a pop form of storytelling.
Early career
After graduating from NYU, Karyn Kusama mainly worked as an editor, and for documentary films. After lacking a mentor who could show her the vast possibilities in film-making and the industry, and a screenwriting partner died, she abandoned filmmaking for a while. She became a nanny and painted houses. Through her nanny job she was later introduced to filmmaker John Sayles and worked as his assistant for three years. It was through observing his approach to film-making that she realized there is not one single way. He eventually became her mentor, and later on, the executive producer of her award-winning first feature film Girlfight. While working for John Sayles, she continued to write screenplays. In 1992 she began collecting ideas for Girlfight, but did start writing on it until two years later.
Notable quotes
"I think we crave women in more active engaged roles in the world. I think men want it and need it as much as women do."
"Sometimes the pure aesthetics is actually the story to me."
On being a director: "Have an engaged relationship with the world, where your imagination lives in a bigger world and film is your best attempt to reveal it. Always reach out to the world."
On young film-makers's strive for celebrity and wealth: "There was a real resistance â€" and I think this is reflected in the larger world â€" to your own ideas and your own expressive power. People were afraid to be personal. And it strikes me that the film-making that we all grow up on as powerful film-making comes out of some deeply personal place."
On casting for Girlfight: "I was shocked. There was an obsession with being small, and obsession with frailty, and it was just really interesting, because I never knew until I saw all of these talented, often very articulate young women coming in who had to literally sell their bodies."
On the theme in Girlfight: "I was interested in ... Girlfight because I did see her narrative trajectory as being one from emotional paralysis to emotional openness and vulnerability."
"We need to see more women on screen that are emotionally moving and powerful, and in possession of herself and her body. We need more difficult and complex women on screen."
Major films
Girlfight (2000)
Her breakthrough film. It was not a major box office success, but gained Kusama recognition and a name in Hollywood because of its critical acclaim, especially its success at the Sundance Film Festival.
Aeon Flux (2005)
Her second directoral work and first commercial work was backed by Paramount with a budget of $62,000,000. It did not receive good reviews. Moreover, during its production process, Paramount changed executives, which gave the project a difficult position within the studio. Its worldwide gross it estimated at around $52,000,000.
Jennifer's Body (2009)
Jennifer's Body, written by Diablo Cody, was Kusama's third feature film and first horror film. It was not well received critically. However, it was her commercially most successful film, grossing around $31,000,000 and was produced with a budget of around $16,000,000.
The Invitation (2015)
Kusama returned to filmmaking with The Invitation, a horror movie written by Kusama's husband Phil Hay and his writing partner, Matt Manfredi and starring Logan Marshall-Green. The film premiered at the 2015 SXSW Festival to great acclaim. The film was later acquired by Drafthouse Films for distribution.
Planned films
The Rut (2013)
Most recently, Karyn Kusama was hired to direct The Rut, another drama around a female lead on her journey to testing her strength. The film, written by Kevin Caruso, stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Ray Liotta. It is currently in pre-production (May 7, 2012).
Awards
References
Further reading
External links
- Karyn Kusama at the Internet Movie Database
- Youtube: 2011 Film Independent Forum: Karyn Kusama interview