Ari Aster on the downside of being a filmmaker: “It feels like a funeral march”

Posted On August 26, 2025August 26, 2025

The process of making a film is like running a marathon for months on end, with countless setbacks, hurdles and moments that leave you gasping for air, only to realise that you still have many more miles left to run.

People keep reminding you that once you’ve made it, you should enjoy every success that comes your way, and being on set is perhaps the ultimate manifestation of this success – you have been given an amount of money that is inconceivable to most people to shoot a story that you created inside your head. The whole concept, if it wasn’t a commonplace reality for many, would sound almost ridiculous in how extreme it is.

But while it might be the opportunity of a lifetime, and one that most directors spend many years of their lives working towards, it does not alleviate the ungodly amount of pressure and stress you are under when the moment finally comes to realise your vision. The entire process of pre and post-production places enormous strain on you, finally given the task of producing the story you have devoted your entire being to creating, and the dawning realisation that the reality of the job is actually not that fun. 

This age-old plight was something that Ari Aster described when discussing the production of his latest film, Eddington. While it might be a joy and a privilege to be a filmmaker, there are many moments in which you find yourself questioning the every decision that led you to that point as you struggle through the worst bits of the job.

When explaining his feelings towards writing and being on-set, Aster said, “Oh, I find writing to be a grind until it’s really moving, then it becomes kind of a joy. But in the beginning, I find it almost impossible to deal with a blank page. Even if it’s terrible, I’m able to start enjoying that process once I have a first draft. But I don’t know how I ever get there because I really hate getting there. And then being on set, once I’m there, I feel that I’m in my element.

“Something in me kicks into gear and I’m not thinking. Waking up in the morning and going to set is just awful. Every time, it feels like a funeral march. The way people look to you for answers, it’s just terrible”.

Interestingly enough, the director had a niche film scene to articulate this conundrum, relating the on-set struggle to a particular moment in Airplane! When discussing this, Aster said, “Anyway, in the beginning the guy is coming to work at the airport and there’s Jehovah’s Witnesses and different people with pamphlets coming up to him and he punches them all out. I always think about that when I first arrive to set, just that I’m going to have to punch everybody out of my way”.

While it might be perceived as the most glamorous job in the world, there is a unique kind of stress to the job that is overlooked by many, with Aster perfectly describing the ups and downs that come with being a filmmaker.

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