Anna Biller Celebrates Jacques Demy’s Candy-Colored Darkness

Back in the fall, writer-director Anna Biller traveled to New York from Los Angeles for the theatrical premiere of her third feature, The Love Witch, a subversive horror-fantasy about a spell-casting temptress who falls prey to the psychosis of romantic desire. As with Biller’s previous films, this exploration of female pleasure pays homage to the splendor of classic cinema from both Hollywood and abroad, giving her the chance to showcase her gifts as a writer, producer, editor, composer, costume and production designer, and set decorator.

While she was in town, she visited us to talk about her love for French director Jacques Demy, whose mix of candy-colored imagery and psychological darkness has made a lasting impact on her filmmaking approach. In the latest episode in our Under the Influence series, Biller explains how Demy’s 1970 Donkey Skin (originally titled Peau d’Âne) directly inspired scenes in The Love Witch and how his singular career gave her the confidence to follow her own path as a director.