Chloé Zhao Reveals the Three Directors Who Shaped Her Vision
Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao opens up about the three filmmakers who have most influenced her creative journey, offering a rare glimpse into the inspirations behind her acclaimed films.
Chloé Zhao’s rise to prominence has been nothing short of remarkable. When she clinched the Academy Award for Best Director with Nomadland, she not only made history as the first woman of colour to do so, but also reminded audiences of her distinctive approach to storytelling. While her foray into the Marvel universe with Eternals may have divided opinion, Zhao’s latest work, Hamnet, has once again demonstrated her ability to probe the rawest corners of human experience. The film, which has already picked up a Golden Globe, delves into the devastating impact of grief and its curious relationship with creativity, drawing praise for its unflinching honesty and emotional depth.
Though Zhao’s influences are varied—she’s spoken before about the impact of Àgnes Varda’s Vagabond and Christopher Nolan’s sweeping cinematic style—there are three directors she regards as her guiding lights. These mentors, as she calls them, have left an indelible mark on her craft, shaping the way she approaches both the grand and the intimate in her films.
Spiritual Heights and Deep Roots
Terrence Malick stands at the top of Zhao’s list. Known for his poetic, visually arresting films such as Badlands and Days of Heaven, it was The Tree of Life that struck a particular chord with her. Zhao once described the film’s structure in vivid terms:
“For me, the tree of life has the highest branches that reach to the heavens, and then you’ve got the trunk in the middle, and then you’ve got the roots that reach all the way down into the void.”
She went on,
“And I think watching Terrence’s films is interesting because I can tell that he’s trying to reach up as high as possible to the heavens. You really feel the elevation watching his film. And that’s why they are so spiritual.”
It’s not difficult to spot the echoes of Malick’s contemplative style in Zhao’s own work, where the search for meaning is often set against the vastness of the world and the fragility of memory.
Her films, much like Malick’s, seem to hover between the earthly and the ethereal, inviting viewers to reflect on the connections that bind us, even as we’re reminded of our smallness in the face of something much larger.
Descent into the Abyss
Werner Herzog, another of Zhao’s chosen mentors, is celebrated for his ability to blur the boundaries between fact and fiction. His documentaries and narrative films alike are known for their intensity and willingness to confront the unknown. Zhao has spoken about her admiration for Herzog’s documentary Into the Abyss, saying,
“That’s what the genius of Werner Herzog is, it’s always about more. It shows you how much life can shock you, and how magnificent it is to be alive in the most bittersweet way.”
Herzog’s influence is apparent in Zhao’s willingness to explore the darker, more unsettling aspects of existence, never shying away from the uncomfortable truths that lie beneath the surface.
She’s described her own creative journey as a kind of descent, remarking,
“I have three mentors, Terry, Werner [Herzog] and Ang Lee. And something has evolved in the last few years, which is how deep can we go to descend into the underworld, to the realms of the deluge, because that is also where the scarab beetle is. That is also part of The Tree of Life.”
It’s a perspective that has allowed her to tackle subjects others might avoid, always searching for the beauty hidden within the pain.
Bridging Worlds
Completing the trio is Ang Lee, whose career has spanned everything from period dramas to martial arts epics. For Zhao, Lee’s ability to weave his own heritage into a diverse range of films has been particularly inspiring. She once noted,
“Ang Lee’s career has been very inspiring to me – how he’s able to bring where he comes from to all the films that he makes.”
Lee’s example has encouraged Zhao to embrace her own background, infusing her work with a sense of place and identity that feels both personal and universal.
With these three figures as her touchstones, Zhao has managed to carve out a space for herself in the world of cinema that is both distinctive and ever-evolving. From her early, intimate projects to the sweeping scale of her more recent endeavours, she continues to draw on the lessons of her mentors, reaching for new heights while never losing sight of the depths below.