The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Whether or not you give a f*ck, this is the film for you. 

If you don’t care about anyone or anything, The Subtle Art shows why you should. If you do care, The Subtle Art shows why you shouldn’t. 

It may have something to say, but The Subtle Art says nothing new. As director Nathan Price tells Matthew Sherwood, it uses ‘very old knowledge... Buddhism... stoicism... wisdom that's existed through the ages’ but it speaks in a ‘punky’ way that makes the film’s message fresh and relatable for people today.

At the heart of The Subtle Art is Mark Manson, author of the book on which the film is based. He uses the example of his life to firmly ground his words in reality. The Subtle Art is not a film that tolerates platitudes; only the truth.

Matthew’s conversation with Nathan ranges from the philosophical, as they discuss the difficulty of being human, to the nuts and bolts of shooting the film, which Nathan did in just eight days. Nathan reveals how a surprising encounter alerted him to the special nature of Manson’s book, the problems caused during production by NFTs, and the kindness shown by other creatives in letting their work be used in the film.

Nathan questions if The Subtle Art is even a documentary. In a way, it isn’t. It’s not even really a ‘self-help’ film for it goes much deeper than that. It’s no more, or less, than a film that helps you realise: realise that life can suck but happiness comes from solving our problems rather than avoiding them. And how do we solve them? By working out what to give a f*ck about, and what not.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“... the human body is so complex, the human brain is so complex, it doesn't hurt to meditate upon it... and..., I guess, you could think of this [film] as a really just hyper-pitched, crafted meditation session.” – Nathan Price

What is Covered:

01:42 – Matthew Sherwood introduces this episode’s guest, Nathan Price, director of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a f*ck
04:13 – Nathan explains what The Subtle Art is all about
06:07 – Discussing Mark Manson, author of the book on which the film is based
07:10 – How The Subtle Art is a film without precursors
08:28 – How The Subtle Art is about more than its title immediately suggests
09:10 – How Mark Manson came to write The Subtle Art
10:19 – The Subtle Art: Speaking old truths in a new way
11:17 – The difficulty of being a human
14:47 – The kind of film Nathan wanted to make
16:59 – Introducing the grawlix
17:41 – Mark Metcalfe’s role in making a film version of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a f*ck
18:46 – How Nathan became involved in the making of the film
21:36 – Filmmakers who inspired Nathan in the making of The Subtle Art
23:30 – The Subtle Art as a conversation with a friend
24:35 – The intensity that came with shooting the film in a matter of days 
26:40 – Difficulties caused by the NFT boom and how Midjourney could have helped
27:38 – Nathan discusses some of the help he was given when making the film
30:01 – Matthew Metcalfe’s role in getting The Subtle Art accepted by a studio
31:21 – Discussing Nathan’s filmmaking background
33:28 – Early feedback for The Subtle Art
34:59 – The limits of Kant and Nietzsche in solving marital disputes
35:36 – What Nathan has learnt from making The Subtle Art of Not giving a f*ck
38:29 – Could a sequel to The Subtle Art be in the works
39:08 – What next for Nathan

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a f*ck
The MovieMaker Podcast
Innersound Audio
Alamo Pictures

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