The Secret Obsession That Makes Dune (And Villeneuve's Other Movies) So Good
Denis Villeneuve’s obsession with Frank Herbert’s Dune was no secret, but another fixation shaped all his protagonists over the last decade. In a recent interview, Villeneuve explained that one key obsession influenced much of his filmmaking. It wasn’t just Dune’s Paul Atreides who was affected by Villeneuve’s obsession, but also the protagonists in Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Sicario, Enemy, and Prisoners.
The common denominators in Denis Villeneuve’s films were no coincidence. The slow churning suspense, the eerie atmospheres, and the storytelling that dug deep into the characters’ psyche served the same purpose; they fed one specific obsession. Curiously enough, the repeating pattern of his obsession seemed to have caught Villeneuve in the same conundrum as his characters.
The recurring factor in Denis Villeneuve’s films was his obsession with the idea that humans can change. Like Paul Atreides in Dune, Officer K in Blade Runner, Louise Banks in Arrival, and Adam/Anthony in Enemy were hindered by preconceived notions of reality and existence. The arrogance of House Atreides haunted Paul. Officer K was sure that replicants could not procreate. Louise was convinced that time was linear, and Adam surely didn’t expect to meet his doppelganger in the door.
Denis Villeneuve’s directing wasn’t just a breath of fresh air in Hollywood; his obsession made the films positively addictive. So far, he has managed to find new and original ways to approach his fixation on individual growth. The concept that humans are intrinsically capable of change, but struggle to break free from past experiences, is wholly relatable. As explained by Villeneuve, people are condemned by the past, and Hell is repetition. The quest that all his protagonists faced was to realize their innate ability to change.
The desert in Dune facilitated Paul’s inner journey. It forced him to come to terms with both his heritage and destiny. In Arrival, the alien language challenged the human concept of time. In Blade Runner and Enemy, the boundaries between dreams and reality put the protagonists to the test. Sicario and Prisoners offered more grounded stories in which a police officer and a desperate family man were forced to challenge the limits of their humanity.
Denis Villeneuve made all these protagonists combat ingrained preconceptions to break free from the Hell of repetition. Yet, ironically, Villeneuve has repeated his obsession in six films back-to-back with great success. The recognizable struggle of his characters captivated audiences around the world, and Dune’s veritable success underlined that no one wants Villeneuve to stop. Too bad it confines him to his own personal Hell of repetition, however.