You do not make it very easy for the audience. Compared to Simenon’s novel where the story is very easy to follow, you omit a lot of things, you do not show only indicate many details.

Not the story that matters. First of all, I respect my viewers as much as myself. If I do not like primitive, stupid, simple stories, then I won’t humiliate my audience with a story of this kind. Because I suppose the viewer is as smart and sensitive as me, so I have to make a great effort to present the best I can. I always have to do my best and have to speak supposing that the viewer is as clever or more clever than me.

The other thing is storytelling. We talked about this last time: every story is the same. It is not worth caring much for telling a story. We shall not tell a story. There are things which are already known. We can omit them, because that is not the point. The point is whether fate is there in the characters’ eyes on the screen. There are big stories, but they can be authentic only if there are real human destinies presented in them. The point is how deep you can present or approach human fate. If you suceed in it, then you could do it.

Bela Tarr, interviewed