Francis Ford Coppola says his interpretation of the dystopian science fiction genre in Big city reflects his utopian ambitions for the world.
“It’s a Roman epic, what can I say? It’s an immersion into a world that exists more than it should. Of course it’s about loyalty, but ultimately it’s a vision of hope,” Coppola said Tuesday night at a film festival in Toronto, presenting the North American premiere of his expensive passion project.
Coppola cited Adam Driver’s Cesar, who wanted to build a new utopian dream city in New York City, as his inspiration for Megalopolis. “There is always the vision of people who are great and capable of overcoming any challenge to create a beautiful world for us and our children. It is a hopeful film,” argued Coppola.
Monday night’s screening at the Roy Thomson Hall included an innovation seen for the first time at Cannes: a real actor broke the fourth wall and appeared onstage to speak to Adam Driver on screen at one point.
After its world premiere in Cannes, “Megalopolis” has divided critics: some praise Coppola’s bold masterpiece, others question its existence, and not many critics find themselves in the middle.
The screening in Toronto for Big city was opened by a rousing ovation for Coppola when he first came on stage to introduce the film, but the late-night premiere ended with brief, polite applause from the Toronto audience.
The marketing of Big city has offered its own drama, as the sci-fi epic’s first trailer was pulled by Lionsgate after just one day on August 21 when it was revealed that critic quotes cited in the teaser were fake. The studio released a new trailer without critic quotes shortly afterward.
Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza and Shia LaBeouf also star in an epic reimagining of the Roman Empire set in modern New York City on the brink of ruin. The film – part political drama, part sci-fi thriller, part love story and part comedy – is the result of what Coppola plundered from historical accounts of ancient Rome and modern New York City, the director said.
And Coppola took creative liberties with the characters and events. “If you said, ‘What about this crazy thing or this weird thing?’ I can tell you where I got that from. I didn’t make it up,” he argued.
The Toronto Film Festival runs until September 15th.
