These Films Are Pure Visual Masterpieces According to Denis Villeneuve
During a roundtable for The Hollywood Reporter, Denis Villeneuve opened up about his admiration for Pierre Perrault, a legendary Canadian documentary filmmaker.
Villeneuve, best known for Dune, said he’s always felt a kind of debt to Perrault, who was a major figure in the 1960s “direct cinema” movement. This style broke tradition by putting cameras right into people’s lives instead of keeping them on tripods.
Villeneuve explained that Perrault was supportive of him right after film school but was disappointed that he chose fiction over documentary. “He was very sad that I was going to do fiction instead of documentary,” Villeneuve said. “To a purist like Perrault, the very idea of narrative filmmaking was fundamentally dishonest.” Villeneuve even mimicked Perrault’s reaction, saying, “Why are you crying when Catherine Deneuve cries? It’s fake.”
Even though Villeneuve went on to make big sci-fi and narrative films, he says Perrault’s style still inspires him. “I always felt like I was the bad son,” he joked, “but I couldn’t resist fiction even though I respected the strong reality of Perrault’s work.”
When asked which films he would watch to prepare for death, Villeneuve chose Perrault’s famous trilogy about a small island in Quebec. The series starts with 1963’s Pour la suite du monde (also known as For Those Who Will Follow) and follows a local fisherman over three years. Villeneuve called it “a fantastic achievement that remains close to my heart” and praised the trilogy’s visual and emotional beauty. “There is a trilogy about that island which are amongst the most beautiful movies I have ever seen,” he said.
For a director known for the sweeping deserts of Arrakis in Dune and futuristic cityscapes, that is high praise for a 1960s documentary about fishermen.
Villeneuve’s career shows no signs of slowing. He recently finished principal photography on Dune: Part Three, based on Dune Messiah, with a global release planned for December 18, 2026. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya are returning, and rumors suggest Robert Pattinson may join the cast in a major role.
He’s also set to direct the 26th James Bond film, with casting expected to start in summer 2026.
Villeneuve has been outspoken about the importance of seeing films in theaters. He often talks about the power of the big-screen experience and worries about the shift toward streaming-first releases. Even as he finishes the Dune trilogy and takes on 007, the “bad son” of documentary filmmaking seems to be thriving in the world of fiction.
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