Quotes from Andrew Haigh

I went through a period of watching probably too many Bergman films in a row. I felt like I'd discovered the answer to what cinema should be.

I think it's always interesting to me how we keep secrets from the ones we love the most. You could be so close to someone, but still there was something you can't express, you can't tell them, because it's almost too painful and too hard for you to articulate yourself, because you don't fully understand it.

I've traveled a fair amount around the country and visited many states. It's amazing that Oregon is so different from Idaho; even though Portland isn't that far from Boise, it's a completely different city. Colorado is very different from Oregon. From a European perspective, I've always found that fascinating about America.

We can all understand that feeling of being alone in the world trying to find ways to not be alone.

Lynne Ramsay's 'Ratcatcher' blew me away when it came out. When I started making short films, I would watch that film over and over again, marvelling at how that story visually unfolded.

Lots of shows get cancelled, and then they never get to end their stories. It's just over.

I always quite like the idea of casting against type when I'm looking for and trying to understand who a character is.

With supporting roles, you just want really good actors that can make it bigger than what's there.

It's very important that all the supporting characters feel like they've existed in the world, that they've had a history, and they'll go on to have a history within the scope of the story rather than just popping up and then disappearing.

I think the films that work the best are the ones that seem to be about one thing but then, under the surface, bubbling away, are lots more important questions that you're not really aware of, and when you leave the cinema, your mind is ablaze with different thoughts!

No relationships are perfect. When they develop, there are things that have happened before in your life that you maybe don't discuss. And there are always fault lines within every relationship. I believe it doesn't take too much pressure to be placed on those fault lines for them to start cracking apart.

I think there's always a conflict within me about being comfortable and secure and then being an individual and fighting for what I want to be on an individual basis.

The longer you get in a relationship, the harder it becomes to confront problems.

People have very difficult lives. We can judge them for making the wrong decisions, but if you look harder and understand that these lives can be difficult, hopefully you're at least a bit more sympathetic to the decisions these people have to make.

I would certainly not support Trump in any way shape or form, but I want to have sympathy.

The endings to me are the key moment in 'Weekend' and '45 Years.' I know how I want my gut to feel at the ending. Even if I can't articulate in words what that feeling is, I'm trying to find ways to get there.

I'm gay, and I know a lot of very liberal straight people, and, of course, they're absolutely fine, but they still won't necessarily come and see a film like 'Weekend.'

I feel like, throughout lots of my life, especially growing up, I felt powerless.

It fails everybody, pretty much, the American Dream, but people are driven by it. I don't think we're driven by the same sense of hope in Europe. We're driven by pessimism more.

I'm interested in how we understand ourselves in our relatioships and how we define ourselves.

When you make a film, everyone wants to define it.

Our past absolutely defines everything we do in the present. We can't help it. We're made by the events of our past, so there's no escaping it.

I wanted to make films since I was young. My background had nothing to do with anything creative, so it seemed an impossible task.

Certain people like the way I make films, and others do not. I've come to terms with the fact that there's no other way I can make films. If I tried to do it in a different way, it would never work.