Alex Ross Perry Says Christopher Nolan’s ‘Miraculous’ ‘Dunkirk’ Was Main Inspiration for ‘Pavements,’ Calls Out ‘Unforgivable’ Scripts

variety.com:

Rafa Sales Ross Guest Contributor Alex Ross Perry revealed an unexpected inspiration for “Pavements,” his experimental musical biopic concert film about the American indie band Pavement: Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning epic “Dunkirk.” Speaking at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where he is screening both “Pavements” and “Videohaven,” the indie director called Nolan’s effort “one of the most structurally incredible, miraculous scripts ever written.” “This is a hundred-million-dollar World War II film that, to me, had to be my influence in making this documentary,” he continued. “It has three storylines: one that takes place over a week, one that takes place over a day, and one that takes place over an hour, and 80% of the way through the movie all of them converge at the same point at the same time.

I had never seen anything like this done in a script before. It works when you read it and it works when you watch it. “ Perry explained that “Pavements” came from a sense of “restlessness” both as a filmmaker and a cinephile. “I watch a movie every day and am very bored by a lot of them.

I just had to think of something different.” “I didn’t invent the essay film, I just wanted to make one,” he added. “That’s not an instinct most narrative filmmakers would ever have.