The surprising 1978 movie Stanley Kubrick called the “most interesting” of the decade
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SUMMARY:
Far Out Magazine has revisited a 1980 interview in which Stanley Kubrick singled out Claudia Weill's 1978 independent film "Girlfriends" as "one of the most interesting Hollywood films" he had seen in a long time. Rather than discussing the era's more celebrated directors, such as Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, Kubrick chose to praise this small, largely overlooked production, highlighting his admiration for films that stayed true to their story rather than chasing commercial appeal.
"Girlfriends" was notable as the first independent film financed entirely through grants, with production dragging on for nearly three years because of funding difficulties before its eventual release in August 1978. It follows two women whose close friendship unravels after one marries and moves away, leaving the other behind. Kubrick praised the film's "serious, intelligent, sensitive writing and filmmaking", likening it to European cinema, and commended director Claudia Weill's resourcefulness in shooting it gradually, just two or three days a week over roughly a year, which he felt gave the filmmaking room for careful, considered choices.
- Kubrick named 1978's "Girlfriends" his most interesting film of the decade
- The Claudia Weill film was the first entirely grant-funded independent production
- He praised its intimate scale and thoughtful, unhurried filmmaking approach