Rian Johnson bagged a deal with Netflix that may be far beyond his imagination after the success of the first Knives Out Film.
The Writer/ Director is an enigma in himself like the main character of this series, Benoit Blanc. Having only four short films to his name, he bagged high-profile actors left and right since 2005. You would think he has been a big name in the industry for decades.
He shot to fame with his debut film, Brick (2005). And learning that alone has amazed me. I have come to admire this man and the intricacies of his recent work.
So here are a few things you and I can learn from his murder mystery film series, Knives Out, and the little-known workings behind Rian Johnson’s genius.
1. Childhood Inspiration and Wonder
Growing up reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys books, I am not one to shy away from the mystery stories and the clues that lead to discovery. I also watched Kim Possible and Totally Spies—Disney shows that made me want to snoop around and piece puzzles together.
Rian Johnson similarly grew up in between the pages of Agatha Christie books. His love for her books was his inspiration and driving tool for his Knives Out movies. He admits that being heavily influenced by her books, the world, and the stories tied to Benoit Blanc, were not unfamiliar territory.
The joys of reading and the thrills of mystery books translated into this director’s life as a platform that non-readers and avid murder mystery fans could enjoy.
Learning this further encouraged me to look into my childhood loves and see how I can channel this into my adult life.
So what childhood fancies are you not tapping into for your future? Without this young and innocent definition of our past, we cannot create something new and exciting as plain old adults. Being childlike is nothing to be ashamed of. Rian Johnson’s love for the books of Agatha Christie has helped bring him where he is today. Don’t push it away. You may just be hindering potential.
2. Is Art Ever Really Original? It is Borrowed and Transformed
Knives Out: Glass Onion is meta to all the art forms inside its plot and design. The title itself is an ode to another piece in pop culture but of a whole different art form.
Rian Johnson not only pulled inspiration from his love for murder mystery books but also picked up bits and pieces from the cinema style and storytelling of Alfred Hitchcock. Although rooted in the art of other artists, Rian has picked and built masterpieces of his own that brought him the name and fame that he is known for today.
All art is inspired by an existing piece out there. Very rarely do we find the works of an original form that has shaken the industry to its core. Review articles of art reference known workings of other famous artists.
So we can all start by being copycats, too.
How you piece these together and how your style translates through these tropes can be the legacy you will leave in the genre and field you find yourself in. So, Rian Johnson’s films made me feel better about following suit. It may just be the start of something different.
3. There is Always Room for the Little Joys, Even in a Murder Mystery
Rian Johnson is not one to shy away from slapstick comedy, even in the face of a character’s death in his stories. His storytelling puts a breath of fresh air into the tensions that are rising amid the plot.
Watching interviews with the cast of the latest film in the series, Daniel Craig said they knew they nailed the take when they heard the director giggling over punchlines.
What a feeling it may be to see your words transformed by the inflections and expressions of the actors in your film. What does it feel like to see all of this captured in the lens of the camera? Rian Johnson must have been static watching his stories come to life, and hearing his jokes land on the cast and crew.
Although he may have known his story inside and out, he was still one to laugh at his own jokes. What joy and innocence does this man have in his work? It is wild. Even the cast seems to be having a blast shooting the Glass Onion.
Life is difficult. Work is hard, and working for things you love and care about does not make life easier. But that does not mean we take life and all its seriousness at face value. There are always little doors we can open to bring joy and laughter into situations, even those that hurt.
4. The need to conclude life with a long Whodunitt Monologue
What is a Whodunit story without a lengthy explanation of who, why, where, and how the murder happened?
What is life without you getting the whole story and understanding what went wrong? It is painful and confusing. But that is why we crave these lengthy monologues that even the genre laughably pokes fun at.
You and I long for explanations. We long for closure. Such films help us escape the holes in our reality. They help us forget things we cannot explain in our own lives. These films even encourage us to confirm our suspicions and questions as the story moves forward.
Realizing how much life revolves around questions we want to be answered, or how life is a journey of finding the answer, Rian Johnson’s films try to help you open your eyes to the small details that have been there from the start.
In the second installment of his series, he made the viewer marinate in the lack of answers and justice.
SPOILER WARNING:
Glass Onion ends on a foot of somewhat defeat. Issues remained open. Events were forever irreversible. Although solved, the door of restitution remained shut. But that was not the end.
There was still a way for the main characters to take the irreparable situation and turn it on its head.
This film reminded me that we do not need all the answers. We can still use closed doors, loss, and the lack of resolution. Even if the Whodunit monologues lack the closure we hoped for, they are still nice to have, but they are everything we need to get to the end.
5. Life is a Glass Onion of Layers, but Everything is as Plain as Day
Benoit Blanc stood in awe as he stepped onto the private island of Miles Bron. He was enamored by the intricacies and the layers of the glass onion he found himself in. The amusement may have momentarily blinded him from the answer that sat right in front of him as clear as day.
The Filmography of Rian Johnson also looks extra complicated with his big hits and star-studded casts.
Looking into this writer/director, I knew that the layers of this man’s life were deep and thick—with twists and turns that have helped bring him where he is today.
But just like a glass onion, Rian Johnson tells aspiring writers and moviemakers to simply keep creating. It is just as plain as that.
Always pointing back to films he tried to make with friends when he was younger, he encourages others to make do with what they have on hand and keep going.
Unlike this writer/director, we may not shoot to fame with our first feature film, but we can always build and learn from failed projects. And keep moving forward.
Busyzi 