Anna Biller tried to insult me on Twitter, and it's hilarious
Added 2023-08-17 00:38:57 +0000 UTCFor the record, I am one of many she has argued with on twitter for the last 24 hours who criticize or disagree with her takes, so it's not really much of an accomplishment. XD
For those who don't know, Biller directed The Love Witch. A film I enjoyed a lot and gave it a good review a couple years ago. I think she even acknowledged it on twitter at the time. Even if the thesis on feminism is a little convoluted by my observances, it's a really unique film that I'm glad exists. She has some real talent particularly for vintage aesthetics and pastiche work, so I keep an eye on what she's doing peripherally. Her sense of detail is better than almost anyone in the business by my estimation. I really am excited to see what she comes up with next. However...she lacks some self-awareness as a person, which is evident based on her twitter behavior at times. I warned all of you once that if you like someone who is a public figure...NEVER follow them on twitter if you want to keep liking them. By the end I guarantee you will probably dislike them. Unless they have mastered the use of the platform like Conan O'Brien has, you gotta be prepared to see a lot of embarrassing behavior that should be kept private, or just nonexistent in the first place.
But anyway, she is having a twitter meltdown over a tagline on a movie poster she found condescending towards young women, whereas most took it as a simple joke. I normally don't do this, but my dumbass decided to chime in because I was annoyed that she was clogging my feed with all the heated argument threads. Also, I don't like seeing talented people I'm rooting for, look foolish publicly. I knew she would respond to me. Cause she clearly has nothing better to do than to fight with every single person on twitter who disagrees with her on this subject. She responded almost instantly. I will save the "you're on drugs tweet forever as something I'm quite amused by. Not only because it's from Anna Biller, and that's just so awesome. But mainly because...it was just such a lame comeback that had nothing to do with anything. It's like really? That's what you got? Don't you write your own scripts? lol
The behavior I see from grown adults on twitter is really astonishing. I call out childish behavior when I see it. I don't care who you are.
She didn't block me though. And I don't think she's blocking many as I might've expected her to. So, props to her for that at least. I hope she calms down at some point and realizes that twitter is stupid and not worth it...and if you're taking it seriously like this, you're creating your own depression.
Comments
Thanks! I'll check her out. Yeah man...every time I log into my twitter, I keep hoping that the top 20 tweets I see won't be hers lol. But I'm always wrong.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-18 08:25:52 +0000 UTCNo worries
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-18 08:22:37 +0000 UTCWhenever I have a long online disagreement and I get a response like "You're on drugs" it's so satisfying. It's just an ample confirmation that I won the argument. She had nothing more to say to you and just used this line as a movement of despair. PS: I will definitely keep your "NEVER follow them on Twitter" advice!
Laomedon
2023-08-17 10:33:39 +0000 UTCLol, how random. I kind of like both her films. Inflexible ideological stances are the worst.
Ross Skilton
2023-08-17 09:15:46 +0000 UTChaha yeah I thought that too. But I find it sad when people swear so hard by identity politics, and it's rarely out of caring for others as they claim, and it's all about yourself. It doesnt have to be like that. :/
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 05:31:39 +0000 UTCI mean, she's basically attacking everyone. I dont really look at it as individual. But yeah, I worry about these people and what they will think of their twitter behavior years down the line. It's part of why I only talk to the patrons. I ain't getting into all that shit publicly. hahaha
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 05:30:40 +0000 UTCYou're so right. for celebrities, Twitter is permission to reveal the inner ignorant, immature, junior high thug asshole. So many celebs I once admired I now have to take with a spoon of sugar.... a big heaping spoonful. Ms. Biller gained nothing from attacking you except to show that she's a thug and is not interested in honest, objective debate.
Atticus Xey
2023-08-17 04:57:33 +0000 UTCThis is why I for the most part use Twitter to follow the news (mainly movies & sports) and that’s about it. Definitely agree with your statement regarding following public figures you admire backfiring. It’s just a recipe for disaster and I’ve had numerous people I’ve admired or respected disappoint me. Louis CK had some good points about this kind of thing not too long ago. A part of me thinks this is a failed attempt to win certain people over to garner attention for her upcoming movie but I’m doubting that the more she goes on.
Stephen
2023-08-17 03:58:34 +0000 UTCTry telling that to sports teams that fought tooth and nail all season only to fail at winning a championship. Growing up on hockey and baseball and seeing dozens of teams, including my Red Wings, suffer catastrophic season ending losses taught me to have a lot of respect for athletes. Never forget 2009 Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Wolfman Brandon
2023-08-17 03:45:27 +0000 UTCActually, I did make it sound like a comparison. That’s not what I was trying to go for. My bad.
Shane Palamara
2023-08-17 03:34:40 +0000 UTCI’m not comparing them. I just meant I disagree with their moral choices, that’s all. Polanski is a POS, but a way better filmmaker than Biller, I agree with you on that.
Shane Palamara
2023-08-17 03:29:18 +0000 UTCLol yes…a Debbie Downer. She’d steer the conversation towards the latest injustice against women and then get angry when someone tries to change the subject. I’m on a YouTube binge right now for Ana Lily Amirpour, a very refreshing contrast to Ms. Biller. She directed A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, a movie I liked very much. She seems really cool, very passionate about film. Big David Lynch fan, as well as Back to the Future. Makes me want to see her other work. If you want to take a break from Ms. Triggered, you should check out some of her interviews.
Bennett Oliver
2023-08-17 03:24:35 +0000 UTCOh I didnt' mean you specifically. I mean I notice today that if a rich person feels depressed...everyone just tells them to shut up and get over it because they are rich. And I don't think that's fair.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 03:20:52 +0000 UTCSamantha was incredible in that film. A perfect choice. But...I would never compare Anna Biller to what Roman Polanski did. Being a typical butthurt uptight feminist is a lot different than molesting a teenager. That said...Polanski is one of my favorite filmmakers and artists. And Biller wishes she were on that level.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 03:19:09 +0000 UTCI don't hate rich people in general. Just the ones that have nothing better to do than bully or antagonize people. There's definitely rich people who are sweethearts but they're hard to come by these days and that's for people in general, too. It's that pettiness that drives me nuts and it seems to be spreading like a virus.
Wolfman Brandon
2023-08-17 03:16:18 +0000 UTCAs you said in your original post, this seems like another Polanski situation (obviously way less severe) where I’ll have to separate the filmmaker from their films because I do really like The Love Witch and I consider it to be one of my favorite films. Samantha Robinson was awesome in it! I’ll still look forward to Biller’s other work, but, if the next movie’s bad, oh well…
Shane Palamara
2023-08-17 03:14:24 +0000 UTClol...I picture Anna Biller at a party to be the one who makes the conversation real uncomfortable when she has a couple of drinks.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 03:05:30 +0000 UTClol...funny thing is, for once I was completely sober. XD How rude of her to catch me on an off time.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 03:03:58 +0000 UTCSure there are. Tons. But there are also a bunch of shithead women who do unspeakable things, that get brushed under the rug because...women get a free pass due to this "believe all women" mentality we have now. I find that disgusting. I fully agree with you that I tend to believe people want to be kind and good impulsively. But she seems to be more cynical about it. A lot of academics I find, overanalyze and cripple themselves, which tends to close the mind ironically. I think she fancies herself a film expert and academic, with lots of political/social commentary she infuses. But...it's a bunch of words, musings, ways to make yourself feel smart and analytical. But what is the point? What are you gaining? And how much of the academia are you hiding behind, so that you DONT have to face something more honest?
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 03:03:28 +0000 UTCLeave the nice feminist alone! She’s not herself! She’s usually fun at parties! And stop projecting on people, dammit! You know how you get when you’re on drugs!
Bennett Oliver
2023-08-17 02:59:14 +0000 UTCAnna Biller is not well-known, or that rich. She's a struggling independent filmmaker. But people with money have every right to have feelings just like anyone else. This hatred for the rich out of bitterness feels really misguided.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 02:50:22 +0000 UTCThe level of pettiness these people have is astounding. Why are they wasting time with such nonsense? They're millionaires. They shouldn't have to complain about life ever again. Are they so soft that they can't handle the opinion of a normie? How pathetic.
Wolfman Brandon
2023-08-17 02:40:22 +0000 UTCI mean, I totally get why women would be more bitter/fearful towards men. There are plenty of shithead guys out there who take advantage, but there are WAY more good people in the world who want to help others. It’s important to have people around you who will always be there for you no matter what. But yes humans are more complex than that and we all have our pros and cons.
Shane Palamara
2023-08-17 02:03:07 +0000 UTCand yes...not surprised she's still going.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 01:55:08 +0000 UTCBut also...I get really tired of women using the excuse that men have treated them badly, so they get to wreak havoc on everyone for it. Um...I'm a lady too. I've experienced my own shit too with men, believe me. A lot. But...victimizing constantly and being angry at the world is just childish. Grow up and stop seeing the world so black and white. As someone who claims they are "an artist" you'd think this would be natural. Blaming a gender as a collective for the harm a few have done to you...sounds like a reversal of healthy and kind behavior in humans to me. And a recipe for constant chaos.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 01:54:15 +0000 UTCAnd she’s still going as we speak. I wish she would take a little break or something. I feel like I need to go get some popcorn and beer.
Shane Palamara
2023-08-17 01:52:52 +0000 UTCyeah she is. She's making no sense. The more it goes on, the more unhinged she sounds. By the time she got to me she wasn't really coherent, or using basic words properly lol.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 01:47:03 +0000 UTCI could maybe see how she thinks you are projecting by defending men (which itself is ridiculous). She was being sexist as hell just because some guy was giving his opinion. I don’t wanna be a snowflake but “mansplaining” is a little offensive lol. But she said you are projecting regarding doing drugs which makes no sense haha. I’m assuming she is defensively pulling all of her stops right now and feels cornered by everyone, sinking further into her delusions. Just my take, though. I really don’t know either.
Shane Palamara
2023-08-17 01:43:43 +0000 UTCquite honestly I have no idea what the problem is with it. But she is absolutely losing her shit over it. Just check her twitter right now.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 01:36:20 +0000 UTCI....guess? eye roll*
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 01:35:46 +0000 UTCLMAO, the Bottoms tagline. That was controversial?
vince2k
2023-08-17 01:35:26 +0000 UTCI disagree. I think her persona online and her films do match. It's just that she puts a lot more thought and work into her actual films. But the aimlessness, and the lack of concrete understanding on her bitterness towards men, creates cloudy morals so far as the film experience as I've stated. I am not surprised at all that this is how she is based on that film. When I did that review, I have to admit to you...I knew almost nothing of Anna as a person. But I could tell one thing very clearly while watching: The things I found most complex and interesting so far as feminism in the film, I think are things I interpreted for myself, and I have a feeling she would disagree, or is not aware of how it comes off to me. But that's the awesome thing about art. It's open to interpretation. And I think maybe unconsciously there's a lot she has yet to unpack within her own work that has a lot of depth. But I think at the end of the day her ideas, her anger towards men without seeming to know why...is part of why I feel the film struggles to have anything meaningful to say in its conclusion. It's quite full of ideas, but doesnt know how to get a hold of them, and thus there's a lot of academic musings that really dont' lead anywhere. Which is a lot like her in real life. You notice she accuses me of projecting there. But...what am I projecting? She's just using words to use them, with no point. I guess to make her feel in control of the situation or whatever. I dunno.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 01:35:20 +0000 UTCThe narcissism to me comes from how obsessed she is with female empowerment and feminism, yet this somehow makes it okay for her to treat men the same way she complains about. This is bullying. Feminism today seems to think this is okay, and I refuse to stand by it. I was calling her out because she was being rude to men in particular on twitter, for what seemed like no reason, other than the fact that they are men who disagree with her. She seems to be fine arguing with and snapping at women on twitter who disagree. But if a man has anything to say she just goes "stop mansplaining!" and dismisses him. Wow....just imagine if she were a man, and she treated women that way on twitter. Think of the kind of backlash that would happen towards her. I think she should thank her lucky stars that she IS a woman in this day and age...and she will be just fine, and will never have to answer for it. I find this hypocritical and just, common sense, rude behavior. Worse, she doubles down rather than apologizing and/or recognizing it, which makes her look worse.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 01:23:00 +0000 UTCWow, I never thought I’d see the day where you and Anna Biller get into an online fight haha. But I completely agree with you. I’m a huge fan of The Love Witch and Biller as an artist, but I am extremely confused by her philosophies on humanity and feminism in particular. Elaine in The Love Witch is a very strong but flawed woman by design. As you said in your review, perhaps Biller is trying to “shine light on and exploit” women at the same time. So I’m confused as to why someone who seems to be an open-minded feminist filmmaker would act so cringe, childish, and easily-offended online. Especially since she seems to love the old-fashionedness of the 50s/60s films. It’s kinda sad. I mean, I’m a man so I can’t internalize all of this, but it just seems like her films and her online persona don’t match. PS - It is pretty freaking amazing that Anna Biller said you are on drugs XD
Shane Palamara
2023-08-17 01:11:46 +0000 UTCThat's pure narcissism right there 😂
Ferdinand
2023-08-17 01:08:58 +0000 UTCYeah. It really is a cesspool. I just like to sit back and watch the chaos from afar most of the time.
Deepfocuslens
2023-08-17 01:06:02 +0000 UTCA great reminder for anyone capable of expressing their thoughts that literally any other avenue is better than Twitter (X).
Arthur Augustyn
2023-08-17 01:03:31 +0000 UTC
