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The Big Picture Podcast: Episode 6, Great Director Debuts (part 1)

In this special 3 part episode, Gabriel and Tom select and discuss great director debuts from the year 2000 and up.

Right out of the gate, these film-makers showed a clarity of vision and creative maturity that ensured theirs would be names (and films) we’d remember.

In part 1, our spotlight focusses on Kenneth Lonergan’s 2000 film You Can Count on Me about orphaned siblings navigating their hopes and expectations of each other and of those around them in this beautiful familial portrait of small-town America…

…and Tarsem Singh’s visually audacious sci-fi, serial-killer-thriller The Cell, which sees Jennifer Lopez’s child psychologist entering the mind of a serial killer in an attempt to locate his latest victim, also released in 2000.

We discuss the various themes, creative approaches, audience reception and the lasting impact of both films, while identifying the unique ‘voice’ of their directors that is now evident in much of their body of work.

Listen to the episode here or on Soundcloud and Anchor FM

By Gabriel Solomons

Gabriel's earliest cinematic memory was believing a man could fly in Richard Donner's original (and best) Superman. Following numerous failed attempts at pursuing a career as a caped crusader (mild vertigo didn't help), he subsequently settled down into the far safer – but infinitely less exciting – world of editorial design. A brief stint at the Independent newspaper in London sharpened his skills but cemented his desire to escape the big smoke forever, choosing to settle in the west country. He set up the arts and culture magazine 'Decode' in 2003 and currently edits and art directs the Big Picture magazine. When asked by mates what his favourite film is he replies The Big Lebowski while when in the presence of film afficianados he goes all poncy and says Fellini's 8 1/2.