"Some of the Americans do not believe in women's rights"

Lina Dunam - about the last season of "Girls", Trump and Bodosetere

On the American television channel HBO on February 12, the final, sixth season of the series "Girls" ("Girls") started. In Russia, the story of four friends from New York and their search for yourself can be watched simultaneously with the States in the Akdiatek service. On the eve of the release of the last season, the author, director and leading actor in the series Lina Danam promised fans of “Girls”, which in the coming years would make his continuation in the form of a full -length film. In addition, Dandam releases Lenny Letter's weekly newsletter on feminist topics, participates in photo shoots that promote the ideas of the body positive, and harshly criticizes Donald Trump's policy. By the release of the sixth season of “Girls”, “Medusa” publishes an interview with Lina Danam.

-Five years ago, you were called a child prodigy: by the age of 25 you have already shot two full-length indie films and launched the series on HBO. Since then, a lot of things have happened: glory, experience, attention of social networks. How did all this change you?

-If you work in the film industry, it is very important at some point to stop constantly experiencing a sense of reverence. Yes, I know that I was lucky, but it is impossible to experience and express a storm of delight every time you are simply given your work. I still grieve with my business, although I had a little bunch of public life, but I try, on the one hand, not to stand still, on the other, not to change my views.

- Do you think the "girls" influenced the generation? Do you feel responsible for this?

- I really hope that our series helped women to overcome shame - for their emotions, sometimes contradictory, for their intimate life. At least, he helps not to experience such a sense of shame, which, as it seemed to us, we must experience. It is clear that the heroine of the show is not an example to follow, and I do not answer for their actions. But it depends on me how accurately we will be able to convey female experience, to honestly tell the stories of women. And you know what is the main thing here? What to evaluate whether it was possible or not, I will not. No matter how proud of the result, ultimately decide the audience.

- Have you been ready for how society will react to the show?

- No, what are you. Well, that is, I am very proud that the series has made a certain effect, but I still do not perceive myself as an influential person there. In general, when you make the first television show, the very thought that someone will watch it does not fit in your head. So you just come out of considerations that "oh okay, no one will look at him anyway." And then they begin to watch it - and you are: "Wow!" And this feeling does not leave me so far.

- Do you read comments?

- Well, no, I could not read them all, even if I wanted to. Besides, when would I read books then? Of course, I am aware of what they write, but I do not live in a vacuum. But I try to protect myself, this year especially after the election. I know for sure who I am and what I am - and I will not allow the people who do not know me, did not watch my series, did not read that I wrote, but they walked and decided that everyone understood me.

- The last season goes to, let’s say, a kind of time. How much does it reflect what is concerned about now American society, take at least women's rights?

- It seems to me that the essence of today's discussion about women's rights boils down to the fact that a certain part of the Americans does not believe in these same fundamental rights. And it is not only the right to dispose of your own body, but in principle about the right to dispose of your own life, to make independent decisions. Society holds women in the hedgehog mittens of completely inadequate standards. And every woman who dares against these standards to rebel is immediately accused of inappropriate behavior, frenzy or nagging. I do not remember that women have ever been inspired with such force that they were abnormal, when everything is in order with them, and forced to feel insulated and broken-when in fact everything is completely wrong.

It is with this that we are fighting in the series: we don’t have a pronounced anti -gun propaganda anywhere, but in fact all our shows is a protest against such an idea of ​​control, such as Congress’s attempts to control the life and body of a woman. Because the struggle and problems of women concern everyone, because, as we now see, the matter is not just in an attempt to limit the rights of women, but of the desire to limit the rights of everyone who looks and thinks differently. And for me it is in its purest form an anti -American position. Because America was built on the principle of freedom, and now we are losing this free thought.

Of course, I do not pretend that our final season will help to solve political problems, but I hope that it will at least help to think about something, to feel something, to laugh at it, in the end. And this is not enough for us now.

- Why do you think the generation of “girls” in November 2016 [when there were elections of the US president] did not leave the house?

- This is an interesting question. In a sense, millennials are a very active generation, perhaps the first in a long time. Who mostly protested before the elections? People who have an acute sense of injustice, which is why such a movement arose as The Black Lives Matter . That is why the indigenous Americans opposed the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. Those who were historically marginalized understand the significance of protest, but white millennials, it seems to me, were sure that their parents had already done everything for them.

No, of course, not all; I saw many enthusiastic people who followed Bernie Sanders, actively helped the election campaign Hillary Clinton. But it seems to me that not everyone still understands how important their voice is that they really can influence the political climate in the country. If these presidential elections showed something, it is that the appearance of the election matters-and we all now live with these results.

In particular, it is now necessary to say that a very large percentage of white women voted for Donald Trump. They voted against their interests, against the interests of their sisters of different origin, against their transissor, Muslim sisters - and did not see what the problem was. And personally, it seems to me that the problem is that these women were inspired in the family, that they, their views, rights and body do not matter. You know, if I had grown up under other circumstances - if my mother had not been a feminist, my father supported Trump, my brother considered abortion a sin, and the boyfriend did not respect my feelings and body - I don’t know who I would vote for. It seems to me that now is the time to reach out to these women and let them know that they have the right to more. Much more.

- Then why did you decide that now is the time to finish the "girls"? Want to leave at the peak?

-Firstly, thanks, and secondly, in a sense yes. In fact, on the set of the fourth season, we realized that we still have something to say and this is enough for two seasons. It’s just that in the first season we went to Va-Bank and laid out all the cards on the table-then we had no idea whether we would have a second chance whether we would let us shoot further. I considered our first season the best until we removed the fifth and sixth. And this feeling that you invested everything that you could, said everything you wanted - when it returns, it means it is time to finish.

- You launched the career of Adam Driver - in the “Girls” he had the first noticeable role, and now he was in “Star Wars” and in the new film by Jim Jarmush.

“I am very glad for him, he is not just an amazing actor, he is an amazing person.” I am proud that I was lucky to work with such a talent. It is really special.

-At the same time, with the main stars of the show, the “girls” themselves-Dzhemima Kerk, Zosei Metmet, Ellison Williams-this still did not happen. It turns out that it is more difficult for women to get good roles, interesting scenarios and equivalent offers than, say, to the same Adam Driver?

- Yes, I think that we have ... It is no secret that men in Hollywood offer more interesting roles of the first plan than women who have to play girlfriends and wives. Yes, even if you look at the Oscar nominees of this year. There are, of course, beautiful nominees, take at least the great Isabelle Jupper, but you understand that most films are made by men. Even if at first glance it seems that women have something to choose from, still most complex, expressive roles are written for men.

A story with a powerful heroine is very rare. For example, Allison is very demanding - she does not want to play superheroes. What remains for her in the end? To be very, very selective, act on TV and play in the theater. Well, or write scripts yourself. In no case do I want to offend Adam, his success is to fully the merit of his talent. But even he will tell you - he is married to the actress and knows how difficult it is for a woman in this profession to find a job that would correspond to her talent.

- You said that the decision to shoot “girls” was also influenced by how unrealistically they portray sex in Hollywood. Can you recall the most implausible sex scene in the cinema?

- I will not call names and point a finger, but I always take me a dumb, when I see on the screen of beautiful people who have sex, and a woman in negligence, and a man seems to be at all a desire to undress her ... Well, you know how they shoot: people start to kiss, music sounds - and that’s all, darkening. All this creates very implausible ideas and expectations from sex. And I am very pleased that we managed to remove, probably, the strangest, awkward and honest scenes of sex that were ever shown on television.

- You feel your experience of piston.

- Oh, reviews on porn. It was a very long time, in college, and I did not do it for long. The problem is that pistoncritic from me was so -so, because I don't like porn at all. I am bad from him when I watch porn, I can’t get rid of the thought: is each of the partners participating in this voluntarily? Whatever the film I watch, I constantly feel that women are exploited.

- You are actively promoting the idea of ​​body positive, including a personal example. How, in your opinion, has the attitude to the female body and beauty standards have changed during the time while the series was going on?

- The coolest thing is that now everything is rapidly going to show as much as possible the variety of beauty, “real women” and “real body”. But there are problems, of course. For example, the rapid growth of the plus-cane industry is a formally very good sign, but let's admit that these women are not just incredibly beautiful, they are still models. They are dressed as a model, they are with complete makeup, and they have all the possibilities of models.

And it is necessary to normalize the body of “ordinary” women - women who are not shot in magazines who are not dressed in the perfect set of linen, the makeup artist did not work on the makeup, who were not emphasized by all their “virtues”. We must learn to see beauty in the usual. I do not want to in any case to deceive the merits of body positive models. I love Ashley Graham and Tara Lynn, they are really amazing. But it seems to me that the girls on Instagram make a real breakthrough who take and say: “I'm not afraid that they will see me without cosmetics or in a bikini with cellulite.” And this, of course, is power.

- And it does not hurt you that your appearance is constantly evaluated and criticized?

- Honestly, I don't care. I am concerned about other things-for example, if I blurt out something not that will touch someone. Because it is worth reacting only to criticism on the merits. I am not worried about the opinion of a person who for some reason spends time condemning my body.

Jeanne jury