There were certain things that I watched, and I screened a series of period films as well, not because I wanted to copy those, because I wanted to be different. “Far from the Madding Crowd” was one I looked to because I thought it looked so good. “Doctor Zhivago.” Unrequited love is always a great thing. “Tess” was something I looked at, I thought Polanski got the period right.

Neil LaBute

Categorized in : Love Is Great Things Unrequited Love

We live in a disposable society. It's easier to throw things out than to fix them. We even give it a name - we call it recycling.

Neil LaBute

recycling names giving

The future is now. It's time to grow up and be strong. Tomorrow may well be too late.

Neil LaBute

growing-up strong too-late

In a relationship you have to open yourself up.

Neil LaBute

love-relationship

Sitting in an automobile was where I first remember understanding how drama works ... Hidden in the back seat of a sedan, I quickly realized how deep the chasm or intense the claustrophobia could be inside your average family car.

Neil LaBute

car average drama

Everybody has the ability to be manipulative, to be hateful and deceitful.

Neil LaBute

hateful hype deceit

But for me, it feels like a natural extension of what I've been doing: exploring relationships. Here you have two relationships and we can explore how difficult it is for people to be together.

Neil LaBute

together two people

Everyone has a story.

Neil LaBute

everyone-has-a-story stories

People think my work is therapeutic. I don't see it that way. It's not like I'm saving money from a weekly therapy visit by writing down my life.

Neil LaBute

writing people thinking

I felt, if I'm going to take on some of the most overdone material, which is men and women and affairs and betrayal of friends, I had better have a new take on it. I think my films come from a desperation not to be boring.

Neil LaBute

betrayal men thinking

My business is can I create a world that's possible and could happen? I think that's the only thing that I have to do, and I think that I have done that each time.

Neil LaBute

done business thinking

With In the Company of Men, the misogynist label stuck early and firmly. In the end, it probably did hurt the film a bit, because getting women into the theaters was difficult.

Neil LaBute

hurt feelings men

Without In The Company of Men, I could still be teaching, so who knows if this would've existed.

Neil LaBute

company teaching men

People have perhaps gotten to the point where for the most part movies are a just bit of escape.

Neil LaBute

bits movie people

I would be more frightened as a writer if people thought my movies were like science fiction.

Neil LaBute

movie would-be people

I wanted to tell a story that interested me as much in the telling as in the watching.

Neil LaBute

stories wanted

I'm more than open to hope, but I think men and women have a difficult time dealing with each other and often take the low road.

Neil LaBute

difficult-times men thinking

I see bits and pieces of me in all the characters in my films.

Neil LaBute

pieces film character

You start as an audience member and create a world you're interested in, and then you move into the telling of those stories, bringing what has interested you as an audience member.

Neil LaBute

stories world moving

Relationships in general make people a bit nervous. It's about trust. Do I trust you enough to go there?

Neil LaBute

trust relationship people

I will say that the idea of a woman being deceptive came from that original discussion with critics and reporters about if woman could do that kind of thing. Evelyn, herself, grew out of the discussions about how capable women are of deceit and lying and manipulation.

Neil LaBute

deceit lying ideas