Every time a new artistic medium or platform becomes available, there will always be naysayers to dismiss it. This cycle is as old as art itself, touching every medium from photography to film to graffiti and countless others. The most recent subject of this cold shoulder from “real” artists is aimed at the current trend of YouTube creators making feature films. Most notably, Curry Barker, with his smash hit Obsession, and Kane Parsons’ highly anticipated Backrooms movie for A24.
Both of these directors have been subjected to the nasty rumor that they did not direct their own films. Why? Who knows, because there doesn’t seem to be any evidence to support this beyond the fact that they are both young, 26 and 19 respectively, and started out making YouTube videos.
We’ll remind readers that Steven Spielberg turned 27 while shooting the complete box office bomb, Jaws. A comparison we’re also using because of the longstanding rumor that Spielberg, not Tobe Hooper, directed Poltergeist. But that’s another stupid theory to address at another time.
These accounts mostly claim that Backrooms producers James Wan or Osgood Perkins ghost-directed it, for….reasons….
Mark Duplass Responds
The rumors about Parsons gained so much traction that the film’s star, Mark Duplass, stepped in. “Hmmm, with all due respect I don’t remember seeing you on set,” he posted on X in response to an account spreading it. “When I was there, Kane was 100% in control. More so than many directors 3x his age.”
He later got more in-depth in an Instagram video, further defending Parsons’ skills as a creator. “So a lot of takes going on right now about whether Kane Parsons, at the tender age of 19, actually directed Backrooms. Or whether it was more ghost directed by one of his more experienced producers. Um, I was there. I suspect one of the reasons I was hired is because I mentor a lot of young filmmakers, and they may have thought it would be good to have someone there who’s sensitive to that. And I was prepared to help out, and what happened was, he didn’t need any of us,” Duplass explains.
“He was intensely prepared,” he adds. “He spent the last five years of his life building out one of the most detailed mythologies I’ve ever been a part of. Worked incredibly closely with his crew, particularly his DP and shot design. And was VERY sensitive and calm and smart in dealing with actors. So for those of you who have all these thoughts, were you there?”
Why Parsons Directed It
As Duplass points out, the Backrooms have basically been Parsons’ life for 5 years now. He has already built out an entire world around the concept on a lot fewer resources than A24 is bankrolling. The skills he developed to become a successful enough YouTuber for the studio to take notice probably translate fairly well to a film set. Weirdly, he is seemingly being penalized for realizing the opportunity he has in front of him and making the most out of it.
This whole thing is like if we dismissed filmmakers who honed their skillset by using VHS camcorders to make home movies with their friends. Something practically every filmmaker who grew up in the 1980s or later has done.
Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons, will hit theaters on May 29. You can watch Duplass video response below:
