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You want to be able to provide something, and you're pissing down a fucking well. It will suck you dry and take everything you have and, like being a parent, you can pour as much love as you want, and your kid still says, 'Just let me right out here, you don't have to take me all the way.' You're working to make yourself obsolete. I'm not going to make Persona - my movies are fairly obvious in what the people want and what it is that's happening; it;s not that internalized. What's internalized is how you process the information from the singular, subjective point of view. And that becomes the subtext of it.

David Fincher#3

ArtAudienceProcessMeaningSubjectivity

About this quote

What does it mean?
Artists try to make their work obsolete so the audience can interpret it themselves.
In plain terms
I want to make things where you have to process the meaning.
What can you take from it?
Effective art invites audience interpretation.

Where it applies

  • creative work
  • artistic intent

Putting it to work

  • leave room for interpretation
  • trust the audience

Questions to consider

  • Who decides what art means?

Another view

Some viewers prefer clear guidance.

More from David Fincher

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