cult cinema
I Think We’re Alone Noww w w. s c i fi n ow.co.u kWe TAlk To Reed moRano, oNe of cINemA’s
mosT excITINg NeW dIrecTorIAl TAleNTs, AbouT
mAkINg The jump from The hANdmAId’s TAle To
her feATure sf WITh i think We’Re alone noW
Words Katherine McLaughLin056 |
cineMatographer turned
director Reed Morano is part of the team
responsible for creating the eerie look of
Gilead on screen in the critically acclaimed
television series The Handmaid’s Tale.
She directed the first three episodes of the
dystopian nightmare adapted from the book
written by Margaret Atwood and says: “It is
one of the only books I remember reading in
college that left a lasting effect on me. I knew
I could tell it in a way that would connect
to people. I was told that I would not be in
the running for that job, but I still would
not take no for an answer, so I eventually
got to pitch for it and they asked me to do it.
Sometimes persistence can pay off.”
Reed’s determination also led her to
work on Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade
imbuing her impactful cinematography in
the ‘Sandcastles’ section of the film directed
by Mark Romanek. Her masterful way of
conveying gorgeous stillness and delicate
intimacy spoke volumes in Beyoncé’s game-
changing musical masterpiece and Reed
once again uses that to subvert the typicaltropes of the post-apocalyptic thriller with
her second feature film, I Think We’re Alone
Now, which she directed from a screenplay
written by Mike Makwosky.
Peter Dinklage stars as Del, the last man
on earth, or so he thinks, until a young
woman literally crashes into the town
where he’s been making order out of all the
chaos. He spends his days cleaning up the
neighbourhood where he lived, listening
to Rush, burying the bodies of those who
perished and logging their existence. At
nightfall he cosies up in the town library,
soaking up knowledge from books and DVDs
and eating peaceful dinners with a river
view. His routine is his pleasure and he’s
doing just fine.
“I’ve always liked the idea of playing with
an alternate reality or seeing characters in
a difficult situation. I like the idea of having
a slightly heightened reality and seeing
how that affects everyday relationships and
normal behaviour. Usually when you have
a post-apocalyptic situation the goals of
the character usually fall into ‘why did the