While Guillermo del Toro has always had a minimal internet presence — “I have NO TikTok, NO FACEBOOK, INACTIVE on Instagram. No other Social Media” — reads a pinned tweet, this week the award-winning fantasy filmmaker gave us a rare glimpse into his life with a watch-list. The director began the thread on a pensive note, reflecting on his own isolation after asking his followers how they had been holding up: “I have been indoors for over a month. Self-imposed,” he wrote. “It’s been an odd exercise: helping friends on the outside or strategizing to assist others while being indoors is in and of itself a strange moment. An important moment.”
His lifeline? “I have been sustained largely by the Criterion Channel, Netflix, iTunes etc.” Oh Guillermo, haven’t we all? Although not really sure if anyone uses iTunes anymore. The filmmaker recommended his followers check out the filmography of a few directors including Mitchell Leisen and Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Céline Sciamma, revealed that he’d found some solace in the writing of Aldous Huxley, and added he’s been reading poetry too. On a lighter note, the del Toro family has also been enjoying “bulletproof stuff” such as Singing in the Rain and Rear Window, as well as watching Chopped for cooking inspo. Entertaining and productive!
Meanwhile, Midsommar director Ari Aster jumped into the conversation to call the third season of The Sopranos “a supreme work of art”, as well as recommending the filmography of Jacques Tati, and authors including Anne Carson, Walter Benjamin, and Jack Handey. And Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky responded with his quarantine watch list, including Barton Fink, Amélie, Rashomon, and Total Recall. The filmmaker had also been catching himself up on literary classics by Henry David Thoreau and Pablo Neruda. You too can feast on the recommendations of the knowledgeable, and read the full discussion thread below.