There's a literal track: who says what to whom, what are people wearing, etcetera. And there's the abstract track: what ideas are suggested by the literal. And the real movie takes place in the relationship between the literal and the abstract.

My goal is to make as many films as possible about different aspects of American life.

Making movies is an effort is an attempt to leave a trace of your existence.

I'm in no way suggesting that I succeed, but it's inspiring to read somebody who does succeed and from whom, in a general way, you can draw examples and nourishment and sustenance.

I'm drawn to making movies about contemporary life. The reason I choose institutions is because they provide a limit, a boundary.

Of course there's conscious manipulation! Everything about a movie is manipulation ... If you like it, it's an interpretation. If you don't like it, it's a lie - but everything about these movies is a distortion."

Documentary filmmaking ruins you for real life, because you learn to be extremely attentive.