Chloë Sévigny names the directors who “really” inspire her

The three directors Chloë Sévigny is "truly inspired by"

(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)

Sun June 16, 2024 1:00 p.m., United Kingdom

When moviegoers talk about the landscape of American independent cinema, Chloë Sevigny will always be one of the first names that comes to mind. Known for her collaborations with Harmony Korine, Olivier Assayas and Lars von Trier, Sévigny has proven that she has the acting chops to compete with the best of them again and again.

Starting out as a model, she quickly entered the world of acting in an unforgettable way with an appearance in Larry Clark’s horrifyingly dark coming-of-age drama. Children. Her casting may have been the result of her friendship with Korine, whom she met in Washington Square Park, but it was clear to everyone that she had what it took to make it in the industry.

Move from Children working with people like Steve Buscemi and Mary Harron, the latter having chosen Sévigny for American Psycho, the actor gradually built up an impressive filmography while sticking to artistic subjects that fascinated her. While many people primarily associate his independent career with the controversial Vincent Gallo film, The brown rabbitSévigny’s work has much more to offer.

In recent years, Sévigny has also completed several projects which are now considered a perfect extension of his artistic interests. The 2016 short film Kitty, which marked her debut as a director, opened the ball for Sévigny, who had always wanted to take on the challenge. The surreal film follows a young girl’s transformation into a cat, exploring the protagonist’s turbulent emotions as she is suddenly excluded from her own life.

During a conversation with W, Sévigny explained: “It was something I always wanted to do, but it seemed intimidating and I wasn’t sure I was good at it. I finally told myself that I had to grit my teeth and try! It was so rewarding and I loved overseeing every aspect. I’m a bit of a control freak on set, to begin with, and being given that power felt very empowering.

If Sévigny is visibly still discovering her identity as a filmmaker, she does have a group of authors whom she considers to be direct influences. Asked about this in the interview, the American artist clarified that she was particularly interested in films directed by women because they capture a range of emotions that are not found anywhere else.

Sévigny revealed: “No one in particular, but there are a lot of female directors who inspire me a lot, like filmmakers Catherine Breillat, Jane Campion and Claire Denis. I also think there’s an emotion in films made by women that I gravitate towards. There is an intimacy with the actors that you can see coming through on screen.

Although her own work is quite different from Denis’ fluid vision of genre cinema or Campion’s distinctive style, there is a similarity in the artistic concerns that drive her and the pioneers she cited as favorites.

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