I'm interested in seeing films that confront me with new things, with films that make me question myself, with films that help me to reflect on subjects that I hadn't thought about before, films that help me progress and advance.

I’ve been accused of ‘raping’ the audience in my films, and I admit to that freely — all movies assault the viewer in one way or another.

Film is 24 lies per second at the service of truth, or at the service of the attempt to find the truth.

The dumber people are, the more they feel the need for a broad set of shoulders they can lay their head against.

It's the duty of art to ask questions, not to provide answers. And if you want a clearer answer, I'll have to pass.

To decide to film a movie again shot by shot, you must be masochistic to a certain degree because it is a much greater challenge.

The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes, or problems, or ideas. But those are actually things that develop out of characters, out of images and out of other things. These more abstract things develop while working on the material, and out of it. It's not a theoretical exercise from the outset.