The Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu prefers to provoke cinema-goers rather than bore them. His new film, Digger, starring Tom Cruise, struggles in its theatrical run and divides critics.
Alejandro González Iñárritu responds to Digger’s polarizing reviewsIñárritu told The New York Times he welcomes the backlash. “I prefer that to the lukewarm reception,” he said, arguing that indifference would sting more than hostility. The director conceded his climate satire misses the mark in places. “The movie is not perfect,” he admitted, before defending his approach: “I like taking risks.”
He called the Tom Cruise starrer deliberately confrontational. “I think definitely it’s an uncommon film. It’s a provoking film,” Iñárritu said. “That’s the role of a film for me — let’s start the conversation.” Not every viewer wants that challenge, and he accepts it. “There’s people that want more certainty in the storytelling, and that’s OK too,” he said. “This is not like an ice cream. So, yeah, we expected that, to be honest.”
The numbers paint a grim picture. Digger opened to just $8 million domestically, Cruise’s weakest stateside debut since 2007’s Lions for Lambs. It trailed Verity, Resident Evil, and Heart of the Beast in its first weekend. Rotten Tomatoes shows 51% from critics against 71% from audiences, while Metacritic records 46/100 from critics and 66/100 from users.
All in all, Alejandro González Iñárritu frames Digger as a mirror rather than a lecture. “This film is a disaster movie, but the disaster is us,” he said. “The world is so beautiful and so incredible. There are so many resources, and the balance of the ecosystem is just insanely beautiful. If we can get together in the same room, in the same reality, and understand where we are in the narrative, I think it’s hopeful.”
For now, the director stands by his gamble and lets cinemagoers decide.
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