Writer/Director Nicolas Winding Refn, "Only God Forgives"

(photo courtesy of Jonas Bie)

With the success of films like "Drive," "Valhalla Rising" and his "Pusher" series, Nicolas Winding Refn has become one of the hottest directors around. While this Danish sensation finds his name frequently on short lists of major directing projects, he continues to do his own thing, like his next film, "Only God Forgives," where he again teams with leading man Ryan Gosling.

Refn will make an appearance at Indiana University Cinema Friday, September 13, when he will participate in the Jorgensen Guest Lecturer Series, then introduce screenings of "Forgives," "Drive" and "Bronson" on Saturday, September 14. Tickets are available at IU Cinema's website at http://www.cinema.indiana.edu/.

Refn sat down with The Film Yap to talk about "Forgives" and his previous films, attending screenings of your own films, and the pervasive violence in his films.

Why did you decide to screen “Only God Forgives” at IU Cinema?

Well, I had been corresponding with [IU Cinema Director] Jon Vickers over the past year and had gotten quite friendly with him. He told me about his place down there, and we felt that it could be a great opportunity to do something together.

Can you talk about doing these types of screenings? What is it like? Is it an interesting, fun thing, or do you dread it?

There’s nothing more true than meeting people face to face that are genuine film lovers. Everybody asks the same questions sometimes, but in a different way so it becomes a different answer. I certainly enjoy it a lot. It’s certainly more fun than anything. There’s a purity about it that I always find to be satisfying. You always fear that no one shows up. That’s your biggest fear.

I remember seeing a movie the Duplass brothers did several years ago called “Baghead,” and it starts at a film festival Q&A and the joke is that everyone just wants to know the movie’s budget. I always wondered from the filmmaker’s point of view, does it become just fan worship, or are there people who want to know more about the filmmaking process?

It varies. Anything can happen.

Can you talk a little about Ryan Gosling as your leading man? What does he bring to the table, and what do you guys have as far as chemistry or whatever you want to call it?

Well, there are certain answers that are always more interesting if they have a sense of mystery, and I believe this is one of them. But I will say this: We work very well together because we are very similar. That brings an emotional connection between us that makes it very easy to connect with. It streamlines it. We enjoy each other’s company. It’s like asking somebody, "Why did you marry your wife?” Why question it?

On a characteristic level, a lot of the lead characters in your movies are the silent type, and there is very little dialogue. Can you talk about that as a motif through your films?

Well, I like silence at the moment in my life. I like silent cinema. We’re so used to dialogue as exposition that we forget the camera is there to tell the story. “Only God Forgives,” like “Valhalla Rising” or “Drive,” the essence was silence, or the silence of the character. It’s not what you hear, it’s what you don’t hear. That becomes more apparent when you take away the act of speaking.

Do you think on a character level there is a dignity to that, when a character doesn’t need to talk to get his point across?

Look, there’s no right or wrong in the world of art. Too many people spend time categorizing it and setting up barriers as to what is true and what is not, what is good and what is bad, and sometimes it’s important to forget that. Art has no rules. There is no right or wrong. It’s only what works in the experience.

You also use extreme graphic violence. What does that mean to your films?

Art is an act of violence. It’s meant to violate you. I like obstacles. I like contrasts and the obstacles of contrasts. If you can flip from one to the other like a coin, it becomes very much an emotional roller coaster ride. You get thrown from one end of the spectrum to the other. It’s like shock treatment. It’s meant to penetrate your mind and crawl into your subconscious. That’s what art can do.

I have that discussion with people a lot who say they don’t like graphic violence. I always go the other way and say if violence in movies is dangerous, it may be worse when it’s sanitized and doesn’t show the end result of the violence.

It depends on what kind of film you’re making. But I believe filmmaking is not about what you see, it’s about what you don’t see.

You’ve captured the attention of the fan community. You’re a big name now, and it’s not uncommon to find your name attached to rumors for certain projects. Are you aware of that?

No, I was just like, “Oh, 'Star Wars,' huh?” I am part of that generation where social media became not just a way of using information but a way of communicating. My children will be even more accustomed to that in their life. And I’m a big advocate of the digital revolution. It has only brought greatness with it at the end. There is always a flip side, but the final call is that it brought everyone a step closer. I think that I every much enjoy people’s analyses, their perceptions of what I may or may not do. Sometimes it’s true, sometimes it’s not. It’s a strange, left-field view on elements. When I hear about it, I find it very amusing.

What do you have coming up next. IMDB.com says “I Sell the Dead” is your next project. Are you interested in doing something more commercial?

Well, I enjoy doing my own thing because it’s commercial. But if you’re asking if I’m going to do a studio picture, nothing has come up that proposed itself that would allow me to switch out my creative freedom for a bigger machinery. I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I think I’m going to do “Barbarella” next, which is my TV show.