Pain Hustlers director explains "tightrope walk" of Netflix movie's darker scenes
Harry Potter director David Yates has opened up about finding the right balance in tone for his new movie Pain Hustlers.
The movie, which stars Chris Evans and Emily Blunt, is a fictionalised story about a pharmaceutical company that profits from the opioid crisis. But while the tone of the movie starts out as a The Wolf of Wall Street or Big Short-inspired satire, it also shows the dark side of the story, including people's deaths.
In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Yates opened up about finding the right balance when depicting such a tragic tale.
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"It's a tightrope walk, in a way. An example of that is Dr Lydell. He could have been painted as a total monster in the movie and instead we decided to lean into his vulnerability. He's going through a divorce, he's lonely and there's a certain absurdity about that character and a poignancy about him," Yates said.
"You end up bizarrely liking him, even though he's killing people, because he's a lost human being. He's not doing it maliciously; he's doing it because he's broken."
He continued: "The same with Liza's story. She's doing it because she wants to create the best life for her kid and for herself, and because she's undervalued ultimately. But the switch to going a little darker and acknowledging the pain, we worked it out very carefully and I think most people go with it. It's important we went there."
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Pain Hustlers stars Blunt alongside MCU actor Chris Evans with the film's trailer showcasing their chemistry on screen. The film also stars Schitt's Creek actress Catherine O'Hara.
However, the movie's first reviews have not been good. After it debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, the film sits on a score of just 27% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Pain Hustlers is released on Netflix on October 27.
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