Beifuss on "Forty Shades"

Excellent story and interview with Ira Sachs in the CA.

"Forty Shades" is "not like a lot of American films being made right now. In truth, it's very hard to make dramas -- straight, serious dramas that touch people in a way that's very personal. A lot of films being made today are intent on offering escape from the personal. A film like 'War of the Worlds' is about escape where this is a film about discovery.

"Philo of Alexandria wrote, 'Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.' For me when I read that in some magazine article once, it seemed to describe the kind of movies I want to make, which are clear-eyed and aware of people's weaknesses and follies but also empathetic because everyone is trying to figure out their approach to life."

--Ira Sachs