Giovanni Ribisi talks about his career as a cameraman and the filming of “Strange Darling”

Giovanni Ribisi is worried that I am watching Strange darlinghis film debut as a cinematographer, all alone in his home theater in Atwater Village. Not because he doesn't know me, or because he's leaving a stranger there alone while he runs to Panavision to fix a problem with a camera he owns, but because this film is crying out to be seen on a big screen in the company of others, all strapped into the same thrilling serial killer ride, proudly shot on 35mm film.

“Me and JT were worried about you watching the movie alone, because in front of an audience it's just incredible. It's crazy,” he says after the credits roll on the $4 million film, written and directed by JT Mollner.

He doesn’t need to worry: Strange darling is gripping. I'm still in high gear from the ride.

Willa Fitzgerald (The Fall of the House of Usher) takes on the lead role as “the lady” who flees from “the demon”, played stoically by Kyle Gallner (The passenger), who relentlessly pursues his prey through the Oregon wilderness, armed with a rifle and a desperate motivation that slowly becomes clear over the course of a 91-minute, six-chapter narrative that unfolds in complete disarray.

Intensive is one word to describe the cinematic experience with which Ribisi and Mollner have sent audiences into audible ecstasy from the first test screening to the world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2023, where it received rave reviews.

And starting Friday, viewers across the country can (and should) enjoy a community experience that would be tragically spoiled by too many any details about the film before taking a seat in a darkened auditorium – a celebrated safe space that has been compromised during the Covid years. “Every time I go to the cinema now, I'm just so glad I did it,” Ribisi says. “There's something about experiencing it that you can say, 'I saw the same thing you saw, man.' And there's something damn sacred about that.”

Uniting self and others to overcome the limiting ego is the very definition of holiness in some spiritual traditions. So for cinephiles—a class of people Ribisi embodies—sitting next to strangers and surrendering to a flickering stream of moving images captured on a celluloid stream of consciousness called film is a religious experience.

Giovanni Ribisi on the transition from actor to cameraman

A movie star with over 100 credits (Sister Friends, Boiler Room, Gone in 60 Seconds, Saving Private Ryan, Public Enemies, Avatar And Tedto name a few), he is also a disciplined student of the film arts, having spent the last 15 years quietly perfecting cinematography after co-founding 3D conversion company Stereo D, which was acquired by Deluxe in 2011.

“I had a visual effects company about 15 years ago that we built out and sold, and then I had a moment where I could say, 'Well, I've been an actor since I was nine, but what do I want to do when I grow up?' And I just started doing it without any logic behind it or anything,” he says. “I did a lot of commercials and music videos and I was quietly cutting my teeth doing it because you're bound to get laughed at or just say, 'Oh, that's cute.'

“It was really significant,” he continues. “It was something I really couldn't do anything about.”

“And then one day I was in New York. I went to a camera store and bought a 35mm camera with four magazines. That was the low point for Kodak, so I called them, bought 1,600 feet of film, put the four magazines in, drove across the country and shot, and then I never looked back. I sold all my digital cameras and went full-time into film.”

His fascination with the camera began 40 years ago with his acting career. “I think that was the first time I walked onto a film set and saw this machine, I was nine years old,” Ribisi recalls. “And on this machine was Panavision, and these three guys were working on it, and it just seemed so mysterious to me. I remember the set and what was filmed afterward, and it looked completely different. And of course, the person operating this machine was a magician.”

Among the film magicians who supervised Ribisi is Dante Spinotti (heat), the late Andrew Lesnie (Lord of the rings) and Sal Totino (Cinderella-Man) – but he also thanks “everyone” who gave him advice when asked.

“On every film I worked on, the cameraman had to deal with me and my stupid questions,” says Ribisi.

This unwavering love for a medium that is in danger of being swallowed up by a global tsunami of digital content is what brought Ribisi and Mollner together. Years before the latter wrote Strange darlingThe employees met at the American Society of Cinematographers Awards through Steve Bellamy, former president of Kodak Motion Picture and Entertainment.

Ribisi showed Mollner around the film studio in Los Angeles, where he lives and breathes cinema, and they began to think about collaborating.

“He sent me scripts… and finally something he sent me – originally titled A night with you – I read it and within 15 minutes I was on the phone and we were talking about doing it.”

Strange Darling is “a fairytale,” says Giovanni Ribisi

Despite the film's brutal and bloody hard-R style, says Ribisi, “the basic concept was like a fairy tale.” The essence is enhanced by Z. Berg's enchanting soundtrack, delicate vocals set against a backdrop of dreamy daylight contrasting with the vivid violence sizzling in the foreground.

“We talked a lot about Little Red Riding Hood,” adds Mollner.

Even the process of Strange darling was something of a fairy tale. Maybe it was once the case in Hollywood that studio heads would write checks to make movies at the first meeting, but these days negotiations drag on for months. Maybe years. Fortunately for Ribisi and Mollner, former Miramax CEO Bill Block bucked that trend when producers Roy Lee and Steven Schneider arranged a meeting.

“He said, 'We're writing a check today, let's make your movie,'” Mollner recalls on the phone from his home in Topanga Canyon. “And this is kind of an old-school thing that was around in the '70s and '90s. Kind of old-school Miramax stuff. So it was really a dream. And the fact that Giovanni was so excited about it gave me a really big boost in the beginning.”

Although the road to financing went smoothly, the journey through production was full of twists and turns, as befits a fairy tale: wildfires in Oregon shut down production for days, a key location was lost with 18 hours' notice, and an entire set was thrown away to cut costs. “It was definitely challenging in a lot of ways. And I guess at the end of the day, I don't know what a movie isn't,” Ribisi says, then adds, “There's so much desperation in the cracks of this movie.”

“I was directing for my life, so to speak,” Mollner says when asked about that desperation. “I think this film is a kind of reflection of the general state of mind. And I think in some ways Giovanni's too… I just know that I had the feeling that if I didn't do a great job, if I didn't finish it, then maybe I wouldn't get another chance. So that was everything. I mean, this film was like a religion for us.”

Ribisi continues: “Any film at this point, at this stage of the game, I would argue – even compared to the '70s and '80s – any film is just impossible. It's a damn miracle that something like this happens. And so there's an aspect that is so desperate to get it done and cross the finish line without compromise, or with compromise and still keep their voice in it.”

Mission accomplished. Strange darlingThe voice of is sharp enough to cut through the infinite noise that bloats the digital void. As I recall the titles that streamed before my eyes last week, Strange darling stands out: a breath of fresh air in style and substance, or perhaps more accurately, a strong breath of a bygone era captured on Kodak – one that Ribisi breathed throughout his life on set and in cinemas. It clearly influences the visual aesthetic of a picture that, in the words of diversity Critic Michael Nordine says “it's destined to become a cult classic.”

And although Strange darling has delighted critics and genre fans lucky enough to see this grindhouse throwback before the masses, but I manage to spit out a praise Ribisi hasn't yet heard after watching his DP debut all alone in the filmmaker's cave: “This film makes me want to make films.” While a steady stream of computer-generated, star-studded $150 million dramas bombards me every week, the affordable recipe Mollner and Ribisi have cooked up on celluloid feels refreshingly accessible—like something that could inspire a new generation of films. filmManufacturers calling Kodak.

“Oh wow, unbelievable,” Ribisi replies. “That's the best compliment we've ever heard.”

Strange darling will be released in cinemas on Friday by Magenta Light Studios.

Main image: Giovanni Ribisi on the set of Strange, darling.

This story originally appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of MovieMaker Magazine.