Doing It His Way Malkovich Gets Behind Camera With ëDancer Upstairsí by Ky N. Nguyen Largely Spanish-funded, ìThe Dancer Upstairsî marks the film directorial debut of American actor John Malkovich, who says, ìOne of the main reasons I directed this was that sometimes itís just too hard to explain to someone else what you want. Itís always more fun to sit back afterwards and say, ëWell, I would have done it this way,í but in the end, sometimes itís just easier to do it yourself.î Malkovich spoke to The Washington Diplomat at the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown before he presented Filmfest DC 2003ís opening night film. Spanish actor Javier Bardem stars as an honest police detective hunting the leader of a Marxist guerrilla groupóloosely modeled after The Shining Path in Peru. Malkovich noted, ìThere are many details which are true to history. Others are pure invention. The film is deliberately ambiguous: We tell a true story as though it were fiction.î He continued, ìIíve read some of Shining Pathís communiquÈs, but Iím not really interested in its ideology. I donít believe that murder and butchery are the best ways to solve the problem of social inequality.Ö For me, the personal histories of the protagonists are more important than the historical details.î The movie opens with the late American singer Nina Simone (who spent much of her time in France like Malkovich) philosophizing about time as the screen changes from darkness to a driving car. Malkovich said, ìI chose having her talk because one of the things the film addresses is the idea of human people doing inhuman thingsÖ. I wanted to talk about the notion of time being a dictator because people have a tendency to take a position. ìThey donít see how what seemed evident, obvious, heartfelt and totally worthy of support today may seem corrupt, brutal, idiotic and despotic tomorrow. Itís only time that reveals this to us Ö normally when itís way too late.î Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.