Director Profile: Quentin Dupieux

BiographyQuentin Dupieux, commonly referred to by his stage name "Mr. Oizo", is a film director/ techno musician from Paris, France.
Though his filmography isn't notably expansive, he has become well renowned for his consistent depiction of idiosyncratic worlds and scenarios.

At the age of 12, Dupieux's passion for the arts was sparked by an interest in photography. In his later teens he began focusing in on his musical talent, which would lead to the opportunity for him to exhibit his directorial skills. Dupieux's father was a car salesman at the time, and Laurent Garnier, a musician from FCom, purchased a car from him. This relation is what gave Quentin his chance. Seeing work done by him, Garnier eventually decided to let the young teenager direct the music video for his song "Flashback" in 1997.

Following this, Dupieux directed a number of music videos, and eventually his first film, "Steak". However, his first big breakthrough in the world of film was with his well received project, "Rubber", which debuted on May 15, 2010. The film was positively reviewed at numerous film festivals, but failed in the box office. Nevertheless, a large following of those entranced by film's phantasmagoric plot with wildly comedic aspects led to the continuation of what would be a succesful filmography for Quentin Dupieux.

Directorial TrademarksSurreal QualitiesIf Dupieux has become known for anything, it is for the bizarre worlds he creates, and the characters that he places in them. In the aforementioned "Rubber", the film actually opens with an abstract explanation of his directing style. In short, it is described as "No Reason". Every scene is jammed full of both dialogues and scenery that create a dreamlike state for the movie. Throughout his career, Dupieux has been extremely consistent with this trademark, which has defined him among other directors. For example, in the film "Wrong", he creates a scene in an office building where it is pouring rain from the ceiling. While the plot of the movie continues, and characters still interact, nobody reacts to, let alone mentions it. Many modern comedy directors have attempted to do this, but none are able to weave the randomness into the plot as smoothly without being distracting as Dupieux.

Minimalist PlotThis has been a tricky trademark for Quentin to pull off. He chooses to insert comedic aspects around an extremely basic plot, or even no plot at all. This has been a problem for critics in the past, but others respect him for his ability to make an engaging movie while not becoming involved with a necessarily intricate story. Once again, he was quick to define this trademark with his most popular film, "Rubber". The main character, Robert the Tire has no other objective in the movie other than blowing things up. In "Wrong", integral side missions are worked around an overall mission for a man to find his pet. These plots have allowed for Dupieux to truly expand creativity.

Secret OrganizationsEvery story needs a problem and a solution. In working with very basic plots, an interesting choice of Dupieux has been to quietly work in organizations that often go without being directly addressed. Whether it be a group of animal thieves, or a group of people that watch movies within movies (which goes unexplained), Dupieux seems to reach into the most bizarre regions of his imagination to produce both conflicts and solutions. Successfully weaving these parts in has proven to be vital in bringing this unique director to the forefront of surreal comedies.

Identifiable CharactersPerhaps the most notable is Dolph Springer, played by Jack Plotnick (who appears in multiple Dupieux films). As said before, the plot is very basic, and the goals are simple. Dolph is a character who has set out to find his lost dog in "Wrong". Dupieux skillfully is able to depict a man with relatable emotions and actions even in a world where the surrounding scenarios and actions are zany and often make little sense at a first glance. Few other directors in the genre have been able to pull this off as well as he has. Even Robert the Tire, a voiceless character with repetitive actions is made identifiable because of the way that others interact with him. This has become a defining characteristic of his films that often go unnoticed. His writing can have you rooting for both protagonists and antagonists at any point.

CollaborationsGregory BernardThough all of Dupieux's movies have been directed and written indiviudally, Gregory Bernard taken part in the renowned production of Rubber, Wrong, Wrong Cops, and Reality. Though he plays no direct part in the stories, his work has been what has helped the films thrive in quality and visual aspects.

Quotes"All great films, without exception, contain an important element--a "no reason". And you know why? Because life itself...is filled with "no reason."

Filmography"Kirk" (1997)
"M-Seq" (1999)
"Flat Beat" (1999)
"Analog Worms Attack" (1999)
"Inside The Kidney Machine" (1999)
"Nonfilm" (2001)
"Stunt" (2004)
"Steak" (2007)
"Making Lambs Anger" (2009)
Rubber (2010)
"Where's the money, George?" (2010)
Wrong (2012)
Wrong Cops (Three-Part Series) (2012)
Reality (2014)