In January, Zachary Heinzerling won the directing award for the U.S. documentary category at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival for his debut feature “Cutie and the Boxer.” The film chronicles the marriage of Ushio and Noriko Shinohara, who married in New York 40 years ago. Ushio, a former boxer and recently recovered alcoholic, is an energetic artist, making paintings and sculptures without much monetary success. Noriko, on the other hand, is rising to find her own identity, after constantly being treated as her husband’s assistant.
Chosen to screen at the Sundance Institute’s NEXT WEEKEND program for its unusual style and aesthetics, between archival footage of the couple’s chaotic marriage and animated photography of their art, “Cutie and the Boxer” has received acclaim as an inventive take on independent filmmaking. Heinzerling spoke with the Daily Bruin’s Sebastian Torrelio about his avant-garde piece and having it screened for the film community at UCLA.
Daily Bruin: How did you first meet such an odd couple to film?
Zachary Heinzerling: A friend of mine actually introduced me to them in 2008. … He’s a photographer, and he thought it might make a good subject for a short film. So we shot for about a day and sent it to some people. We didn’t know that we would have the length to make a feature film; we didn’t know what the story would be. And as our relationship continued and we kept filming, it became more about their marriage and more about Noriko’s point of view.
DB: Many have called your filmmaking style innovative. What would you say is innovative about it?
ZH: The style of the film is more akin to a narrative. I really wanted the film to play out in the contemporary world and be the portrait of a relationship where things were happening in the present. There’s a historical aspect of the film, but it’s kind of used to dip back into the past and serve more contrast and layers to what caused some of the tension in the marriage today. It’s pretty much a present film. But the content of the film is more about Noriko’s character and how she started as an assistant, and how she took more power with role reversal. This idea of change allowed the film to be more in the present.
DB: What do you think of the NEXT WEEKEND program and the Hammer Museum being chosen to showcase your film to a wider audience?
ZH: I think it’s great that these beautiful venues are really nice. The Hammer Museum looks really awesome as well. These institutions showing these films gives a different context in a special theater. It becomes tied into whatever that institution is known for and I think that is really nice.
DB: How have you reacted to the success your film has had so far?
ZH: I think it’s been a surprise for us. I always felt it as more of a niche film. But I hoped that it would kind of cross over into a wider audience. I think it deals with things people can relate to and the characters are fascinating people. The level of intimacy in the film (is) really unique. You have these very, very personal themes. … I know that there’s a desire to really know who (Ushio and Noriko) are. On the surface, they’re really funny and charismatic and inviting. I think the level of intimacy in the film has caused people to react strongly and talk about it. It’s certainly a bigger film this year than I ever expected.
DB: What purpose do you think your film could serve to the students and the college community that it was selected to screen for?
ZH: I think for students it’s a film that introduces them to a lifestyle that they wouldn’t necessarily have considered. The film is about what it takes to be an artist, and the highs and lows that you experience as a part of it. I think, as students who are considering that path, it’s a really interesting view into a life that’s really unconventional, and to consider an unconventional path as they move forward.