Horror, almost better than any of the other genres, pits the will to live against the will toward nihilism. I just think that's worth exploring. I don't know what is more important, actually, to explore than that very dynamic. Karyn Kusama More Quotes by Karyn Kusama More Quotes From Karyn Kusama Best advice: 'Just be yourself.' Worst advice: 'Just be yourself.' Karyn Kusama be-yourself yourself best advice The genre of horror is really just a way to manage much larger, much more terrifying realities in our daily worlds. Karyn Kusama daily more horror way Always keep absorbing art and looking at paintings and reading books and watching movies in other languages, just getting to know the world at hand and the world of the past. It's important to keep absorbing the world and keep engaging with it, and often that means not thinking about movies and thinking about other things. Karyn Kusama past world art thinking It's extremely instructive to realize that you cannot do everything. You need to delegate, to find experts, to consult with them. A big part of the job of directing is knowing when to take something on and when you shouldn't. Karyn Kusama realize need job you I think that idea that sort of our emotional self and our emotional life is a faucet that you turn on and off, and that we are in control of it entirely, that's a really appealing idea for a lot of people. But there are certainly the times where it's appealing to me, but it never quite works the way I hoped it would. Karyn Kusama me you life people I understand the power of sorrow, and I understand how far it can take us from ourselves if we let it. Karyn Kusama how understand sorrow power I'm a director first and foremost, and I hope that the fact that I'm female is just one of the many things that informs my unique perspective on the world. Karyn Kusama perspective unique hope world The people in the decision-making positions need to be thinking differently about who to hire, and looking more unsparingly at their choices. Why give this person a break over that person? Why give this person a second chance over that person? I do think that's where gender comes into play. Karyn Kusama looking gender people thinking Our society is constantly creating this framework for girls to feel that their only worth is their appearance, and it's damaging on so many levels to so many people. Karyn Kusama feel society appearance people I feel a kinship to the idea of beloved stories and beloved pieces of art that we can imagine in different ways and sort of take a meta approach in terms of what those stories offer us. Karyn Kusama us feel different art One of the uncertain pleasures of adulthood, for me, has really been about confronting how little I know about the world and how much completely baffles me about the world and human behavior. Karyn Kusama know me behavior world I've been asked countless times, 'Why are you drawn to horror films? Why do you think women are drawn to horror films?' And it's because, in a way, it's one of the few genres that tells it like it is. A lot of times, women do feel like they're running for their lives somehow. Karyn Kusama feel think you women It's pretty gratifying to spend so long to make your first film and then feel like it got a lot of love - that was an incredible feeling. But there's something very distorting about that much attention. It felt like such a double-edged sword. Karyn Kusama feel feeling love long I think I was a pretty anxious dreamer, maybe a fundamentally lonely kid. Karyn Kusama kid think dreamer lonely Day-to-day concerns really trumped big dreams for quite a while in my life. I was so freaked out about money. And until, honestly, I was in my early thirties and made 'Girlfight,' that anxiety was a real issue: How are you going to live? How are you going to survive? Karyn Kusama dreams you money life I had no shortage of wild times in my youth. Karyn Kusama wild had times youth It's important to tell meaningful stories and to find new ways to communicate those stories to people. Karyn Kusama find new important people Making movies, even though it's a business, is also an art, and sometimes you don't hit the bull's-eye. Karyn Kusama you business sometimes art I've experienced a lot of successes. I've experienced a lot of failures. I've been able to get back up on my feet and keep going. Karyn Kusama going back keep-going feet Claire Denis's 'Beau Travail' is one of Denis's greatest achievements. One of the most mysterious and beautiful endings in movies. Karyn Kusama greatest movies mysterious beautiful