THE WATCH LIST WITH Georgia Oakley
“One of the first times I remember seeing cinema as art, cinema as poetry.”
With Georgia Oakley’s stunning debut Blue Jean out now, we sat down with the director to chat about all about her favourite films.
1. SAFE (1995)
“Profoundly relevant. Gorgeously allegorical. A horror film about the things we cannot see. One of our key visual references for Blue Jean.”
2. BEAU TRAVAIL (1999)
“One of the first times I remember seeing cinema as art, cinema as poetry. Also contains the best closing scene possibly ever.”
3. Je tu il elle (1974)
“Sexy, carnal, ambiguous. Wildly ahead of its time. The first graphic lesbian sex scene in mainstream cinema.”
4. THREE COLOURS: BLUE (1993)
“Extraordinary study of grief and liberation. One of the greatest central performances of all time. I’ve probably referenced this film on everything I’ve ever worked on.”
5. DO THE RIGHT THING (1989)
“I didn’t go to film school. But I did write my thesis on ‘Do The Right Thing’. I remember being inspired by how much of himself Spike Lee put into the film. Emotionally and politically explosive in the best ways.”
Honourable mentions go to:
TOMBOY (2011)
THE SOUVENIR (2019)
WANDA (1970)
MORVERN CALLAR (2002)
PARIS, TEXAS (1984)
Started as a way to end our scrolling during the first COVID-19 lockdown, The Watch List is a series of film recommendations handpicked for you by those in the know - actors, directors, filmmakers and writers whose work has been inspired by the films that came before them.