QR Film Interview: Heathers Director Michael Lehmann talks Homosexuality, High School, and Donald Trump

The rerelease of Heathers marks its 30th anniversary, and speaking with director Michael Lehmann, he comments that he is, "very happy people still have an interest in it".

Heathers is a satirical, cult-classic 80s film about the hysterical repercussions within society following (staged) teenage suicides, which we experience alongside Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder), and JD (Christian Slater). 

The film was first released in 1989, and received some backlash for its taboo content,

"mostly, what was shocking with its first release was the idea that we would make a comedy that dealt with the issue of teenage suicide, this was the thing that people keyed into at the time, [but] we didn’t make a comedy about teenage suicide, nobody kills themselves, that’s not what it’s about." He continues,  "it’s partly about the rush to believe that teenagers would kill themselves and the response from responsible educators in society about that sort of thing, so it’s a satire about the way teenagers are perceived.”

Indeed, in 2018 it could be subject to similar backlash. Lehmann comments that "today, you wouldn't really make the same jokes in the same way", and there are definitely some questionable, should-I-be-laughing-at-this moments in the film.

The entirety of Heathers walks the tightrope between the shocking and the hilarious. “I love my dead gay son!” proclaims one of the fathers at the funeral of a jock who was murdered, then posed to look as if he and another jock had committed double suicide due to their romance not being accepted in society.

“The funny thing is when Heathers came out it was embraced pretty directly by the gay community,” … “we were clearly making fun of clichés about gay people and, at the time, the satire was clearly targeted and pretty well drawn,” explains Lehmann. Now however, “the playing field is just 30 years later.”

Without a doubt, many of the jokes now seem dated. Homophobia and sexism would not, and should not be portrayed in the same way in 2018 as it was in the 80s, “and that’s because people have changed their views” Lehmann says, and goes on, “the world, it hasn’t changed enough, but it’s changed in many ways, and so the whole question of sexual equality and how it’s treated is different now than it was.”

However, 30 years later the film is as popular as ever. This is because it still has the capacity to resonate with so many through recognisable humanity.  

"The emotional experience of adolescence, and the things that we all go through in high school, remain the same,” Lehmann continues, “one of the thing that Dan’s [Waters, the screenwriter] script remains so sharp about was capturing the absurdity of that situation and presenting it humorously, but also with a great deal of emotional resonance.” … “I think that’s why it really endures”.

“If it was just funny, I imagine a lot of the humour would be really dated or it wouldn’t hold up, but it’s also dark and it goes places other movies don’t. It has an emotional [and moral] basis that’s pretty strong, and I think those help to keep it alive."

When you search for 80s cult classics,Heathers is among the Greats: The Goonies,Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club. "It’s Cult status, [comes] partly from the very edgy humour, and the fact that the tone is very dark, the language is very frank, and the style is provocative and satirical. When those elements come together, and if they work at all, that at least starts you down the path of Cult movie." 

The story of Heathers has definitely been kept alive through the rerelease, but also, throughHeathers: The Musical. Though for stage, the plot has changed somewhat to a more light-hearted one, but the fundamental questions about morality and human experience have stayed the same.

One of the most interesting tropes addressed inHeathers is the moral predicament within theschool. That predicament of good versus evil, bully or get bullied. The lead (Winona Ryder as Veronica) is morally ambiguous throughout about this. Veronica struggles between wanting to be friends with the popular girls (all three named Heather), and being a good person. "If she was just a do-gooder it would be boring, but I think it also allows us all to identify with her,” Lehmann remarks about relating to the character. “There have been times in my life where I was accepted by the popular kids and I was happy about that, even if I knew I was betraying my other friendships or I was being exclusive” …  “so, I think we all experience the same kind of moral ambivalence that she does, and that it allows us to identity with her even in the face of all the horrible things that she is doing."

After 30 years, the content of Heathers may be ringing true to many on a larger scale, as the High School dynamic of ‘bully or get bullied’ is especially perceptible within politics, “Donald Trump is a status quo politician who supports rich white people and supports keeping them in power.” Lehmann concludes, “He also bullies his opponents and he bullies those who disagree with him so in that sense, he is like one big Heather."   

There is something to think about for everyone in Heathers' 103 minute runtime, and it goes without saying that fabulous direction, script-writing, and imagery throughout makes the film very very. 

Heathers 30th Anniversary is currently in cinemas and comes to Digital & On Demand 20th August. Watch the trailer here. 

By Chloe Herron