ADG Perspective

November-December 2022

Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1485934

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5 6 P E R S P E C T I V E | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 2 An indecipherable puzzle does not exist. By definition, it is meant to be "puzzled out." Digging into a mystery in order to get to the bottom of factual truth beneath layers of duplicity, deception and even self-deception, however, requires the exceptionally observant skills of an accomplished student of human nature. And an appreciation for, to repurpose the Winston Churchill quote, the "riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." By contrast, a glass onion may be densely layered, but it's also transparent. How could there be mystery to a glass onion? Oh, but there could be—particularly when what you see both is and isn't what you get! In the hands of a brilliant writer like Rian Johnson, the mystery at the heart of Glass Onion is right in front of you if you can but see it, though it's not the one you suspect. And, while Benoit Blanc quickly dispenses with the early puzzles thrown his way, this mystery is what ultimately consumes the film's hero. Rian has written and directed a film story filled with intrigue and satire, character color and texture, direction and misdirection—a good mystery writer is like a magician focusing the audience's fascinated attention on one hand while the other is quietly busy with the real work. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was magical to explore with Rian and his collaborators. In alignment with the story's multi-faceted, multi-layered narrative structure incorporating reconstructions, reincarnations and revelations, the sets and locations, even the props A M e t a p h o r f o r a M y s t e r y G L A S S O N I O N B Y R I C K H E I N R I C H S , P R O D U C T I O N D E S I G N E R A A. EARLY CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION OF THE GLASS ONION ON THE GREEK VILLA LOCATION BY RICK HEINRICHS IN PHOTOSHOP. LOCATION PHOTO BY LEOPOLD HUGHES.

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