We haven’t seen a function from mumblecore godfather Joe Swanberg in practically a decade, nevertheless it’s not like he was simply slacking off within the years since 2017’s “Win It All” debuted on Netflix.
In 2019, Netflix additionally aired the third and remaining season of his relationship comedy sequence “Straightforward,” a closely improvised and critically acclaimed look into the intercourse lives of self-absorbed adults. In different phrases, the indie, do-it-yourself style he pioneered with motion pictures “Kissing on the Mouth” (2005), Greta Gerwig breakout car “Hannah Takes the Stairs” (2007), “Nights and Weekends” (2008), and “Uncle Kent” (2011). His 2013 ensemble comedy “Consuming Buddies” gave us top-of-the-line Olivia Wilde performances and afforded the indie director main publicity.
However all of those, even “Straightforward,” really feel like a really very long time in the past.
Swanberg’s retreat from function directing occurred across the time of the pandemic, and after his two-decade marriage to fellow filmmaker Kris Williams ended. Swanberg pivoted to for-hire TV directing jobs, work on his subscription-based video retailer Analog in his hometown of Chicago, and performing in entrance of the digicam in microbudget initiatives. Regardless of what seemed to be a protracted absence from function filmmaking, it’s not just like the man who used to churn out an indie film virtually yearly, made together with his personal cash and together with his personal associates, wasn’t busy.
His newest movie, “The Solar By no means Units,” is a return to type for the director, already incomes nice evaluations (together with on IndieWire) and starring his common collaborator Jake Johnson, plus Dakota Fanning and Cory Michael Smith, in career-best performances from practically everyone.
Shot on-location final 12 months in 35mm in Alaska, this wry and bittersweet romantic triangle facilities on a terrific Fanning as Wendy, whose age-gap relationship with divorced hedge fund supervisor Jack (Johnson) is coming aside. When Jack insists the pair take a break in order that she will probably discover a associate higher suited to her wants, she runs her into her once-toxic ex-boyfriend Chuck (Cory Michael Smith), and their emotions are reignited over again, resulting in a messy association during which emotions are far and wide, each flourishing and wounded.
Forward of the movie’s premiere at SXSW over the weekend, the place the movie is at present looking for a purchaser, IndieWire caught up with Swanberg to, properly, atone for all the things he’s been as much as since “Straightforward” led to 2019.
We mentioned his ideas on the shifting panorama of indie movie and movie festivals, and the way the ad-libbed sexual frankness his movies had been as soon as identified for isn’t actually potential anymore in a post-#MeToo world. That reassessment of onscreen intercourse and nudity, with the introduction of intimacy coordinators, got here proper across the time Swanberg’s function filmmaking output went quiet. You received’t see a lot intercourse in any respect in “The Solar By no means Units,” although as Swanberg defined, his actors didn’t wish to convey an intimacy coordinator on set.
The next interview has been edited and condensed for size and readability.
IndieWire: “The Solar By no means Units” was introduced solely final summer time in 2025. How rapidly did the movie come collectively?
Joe Swanberg: We introduced it after we had already shot it. Typically, these bulletins exit they usually’re like, “We’re about to make this film!” The truth is, we had already filmed the entire thing in Might and early June, and it received introduced in August or one thing.
Simply to get a predictable query out of the way in which, it’s been some years because you had a function movie. You accomplished Season 3 of the Netflix sequence “Straightforward” in 2019 and had this novella-length movie “Construct the Wall” in 2020 with Jane Adams. However we’d have to return to 2017 to see the final function, “Win It All” at Netflix.
And we shot that 2017 film in 2015, so it was 10 years between options.
What had been you as much as in that point?
I used to be fairly spoiled. Actually, I had the best time of my life making “Straightforward,” and coming off of that present, it was troublesome to think about ever having it that good once more. Netflix was so superior to work for. My executives cherished the present, gave me complete freedom. I felt supported. World, same-day launch. I felt like possibly a wave I’d been browsing the final 15 years has lastly peaked. I directed some TV for rent and sort of kicked round however the fact was, I used to be not impressed to hurry into a brand new undertaking. I used to be drained, too.
Actually, “Straightforward” was one of the best, tremendous enjoyable present to make, however a variety of work. I wrote, directed, and produced each episode of the present. I meant to take a while off after “Straightforward” ended, after which due to the pandemic and numerous different manufacturing slowdowns, it ended up being far more time that I took off. I didn’t have a profession technique. I’ve been producing so much, performing so much, and I opened a video retailer in Chicago. After I look again on these years, I used to be busy the entire time. It was humorous to be again on set and be like, “Wow, I haven’t made a function in eternally.”
Video shops aren’t that profitable. Did the TV directing work and “Straightforward” allow you to remain afloat financially?
100%. The consolation of “Straightforward” allowed me to not really feel careworn to hurry again into one thing. In any other case, sure, I might’ve been, for pure survival causes, placing out extra stuff, little question about it.
You point out this nice working relationship with Netflix. Had been you speaking with them about one other undertaking? Their mannequin for working with impartial filmmakers now has fully modified.
A bit of bit. There was nothing particular. Between Seasons 2 and three of “Straightforward,” they had been like, “You are able to do Season 3 of ‘Straightforward,’ or we’ll do a unique present with you. We may develop one thing internally.” I simply cherished “Straightforward” a lot that it was a no brainer for me. I had one assembly with them afterwards to type of examine in, and the vibe at that assembly was “We’d like to work with you, however we’re not doing one thing like ‘Straightforward’ once more. We’re not doing one other improvised present. If we do one other present with you, it’s going to be a standard growth course of the way in which we construct different exhibits.” I’m not against doing one thing like that. Actually on the time, I used to be one million miles away from that sounding interesting.
What you’re describing on “Straightforward,” these days are over at Netflix. You’re debuting “The Solar By no means Units” in a very totally different impartial movie world than we had 10 years in the past.
I don’t know if I personally would have marched into the world to make a film if Jake (Johnson) wasn’t already on board with that. He and I’ve traditionally put our personal cash into our motion pictures, after which work with different financiers to finish that image. Similar scenario with this one. It is going to be tremendous attention-grabbing for me to be at SXSW with a film that’s on the market and to reorient myself with that indie panorama. Coming off of “Completely satisfied Christmas,” Eddie Linker and I began a financing firm (Forager Movies). We did a number of of Alex Ross Perry motion pictures, we did a Lynn Shelton film.
I felt, from 2015 to 2018, very updated on who the patrons had been, what they had been on the lookout for, what costs they had been paying for issues. By 2019, I went again to that group of buyers right here in Chicago and mentioned, you guys, I don’t know what’s happening on the market, I’ve to be sincere. I don’t have a very good deal with on it anymore. It was clear to me that streamers had been going to start out producing in-house quite than buying at festivals. I purposefully stepped out of the sport at that time.
At this level, I will likely be reorienting virtually like a first-time function director. There are lots of people at these corporations I in all probability have by no means met, and streaming is as complicated to me because it ever has been although the rumblings that I’m listening to is that they’re shifting towards acquisitions once more, at the least on the function facet, possibly their in-house productions aren’t going the way in which they wished.
Was it straightforward to get financing? You’ve largely self-financed going again to your early mumblecore motion pictures.
On the financing facet, I’m glad to report we had been in a position to elevate the amount of cash we would have liked, and other people had been enthusiastic concerning the movie. Whether or not that may occur each trip, I don’t know. No less than getting this film made, I feel everyone was excited. Individuals wished me to make one other film. Jake and I kicked round some concepts within the intervening years, however we had been actually excited to work collectively once more.
What was the private germ of the concept for “The Solar By no means Units”? You and Kris Williams divorced in 2019, so between this movie and the three seasons of “Straightforward,” it could appear you’ve put a variety of your individual marriage into your work.
I began kicking this concept round in 2019, post-divorce, as I used to be courting a youthful individual and actually type of questioning on her behalf whether or not our relationship was all that satisfying with me being so set in my methods. I actually got here out of the top of my relationship with Kris feeling like I by no means wish to get married once more, I by no means wish to have extra youngsters, if we couldn’t make it work. I used to be in that relationship with Kris for 20 years; we had been 18 to 38. I used to be younger nonetheless, but additionally I (felt) a little bit outdated and virtually calcified. “I don’t wish to be alone the remainder of my life, however I don’t suppose I wish to do that entire massive factor with a brand new individual.”
I used to be imagining a film throughout that point interval a few lady who was courting somebody like me, which supplied some stability and luxury, but additionally was courting somebody who was youthful and a little bit extra on her wavelength, and a little bit extra adventurous and outdoorsy, after which she type of felt like, “My life is ideal with these two guys in it. Neither one is the reply, but when I can simply date each of them, collectively they sort of full my life.”
Ashley Sneed referred to as me and was like, “Do you wish to make a film in Alaska? There’s this stunning time interval the place we may shoot earlier than the vacationer season begins. Do you could have any concepts we are able to do?” I at all times imagined the film within the Pacific Northwest… I began speaking to Jake (Johnson), pitching him that concept, telling him a few breakup I used to be going by means of on the time with a unique individual. As typically is the case, he was taking a variety of my uncooked enter and serving to form that right into a story. I at all times forged tremendous early on, so then Dakota (Fanning) and Cory (Michael Smith) got here on board, then a variety of the writing occurred.
You wrote it in 2019, nevertheless it’s very up to date within the sense that we’re seeing extra heterosexual open marriages.
I documented it in “Straightforward”; all three seasons of the present there’s this couple in an open relationship, so I used to be pulling a variety of that stuff from my very own marriage. Put up-divorce, I couldn’t think about being monogamous once more. It felt like not likely the kind of relationship construction that I used to be going to exist in in my forties. I’ve had loads of experiences since then that I’ve type of re-evaluated monogamy as doubtlessly a pleasant factor versus a proscribing factor. Undoubtedly all of that stuff was factoring in there. With “The Solar By no means Units,” I do really feel like in 2026 everyone seems to be in open relationships, there’s nonetheless a way of ick round it or a sense of “oh, you’ll change your thoughts.”
This film, whereas not being an open-relationship film, it’s a really polyamory film the place Dakota is within the midst of all these things, you’re feeling how somebody might be in love with two folks on the similar time. Despite the fact that we didn’t got down to do it on this film, we weren’t having open marriage or polyamory conversations, after I was modifying the film I used to be like, “That is what I might present to any person who was confused about that.” Doesn’t it make sense to you that she may totally love Jake but additionally totally love Corey and be in love with Corey and be confused about these emotions?
Your early motion pictures had been identified for his or her frankness by way of intercourse and nudity and with your individual associates. With the #MeToo motion, which was across the time of your final function, got here extra scrutiny round these scenes and a reassessment of intercourse onscreen by means of intimacy coordinators. How did that have an effect on your work?
It hasn’t actually modified it. We shot Season 3 of “Straightforward” in 2018, so we had been virtually finished with the present when a variety of that stuff got here in, and no one introduced up intimacy coordinators. It was not likely a place that existed. My final massive burst of productiveness was proper earlier than all of that, after which coming again and doing this film, my collaborations with Jake are inherently not ever tremendous sexually targeted. The 4 motion pictures we’ve made collectively simply don’t go there. The take a look at will come subsequent time, to see whether or not that’s one thing that affects the kind of storytelling that I’m doing.
My very own private curiosity within the intercourse lives of characters, and particularly characters my age, hasn’t actually modified. So I think about within the subsequent 12 months or two, I’ll in all probability begin placing collectively the primary film the place producers or different individuals are going to wish to have the intimacy coordinator dialog. I requested about it on this film, and my actors didn’t need that, and I received’t title names, however a few of them had been particularly like, “I don’t wish to work with an intimacy coordinator. I don’t like that. It makes me uncomfortable.”
Have you ever had experiences with an intimacy coordinator?
I’ve labored with them as an actor, not as a director, and it made me really feel bizarre. It was a film being directed by a girl (the 2025 Tribeca quick “Chasing the Get together” by Jessie Komitor), and the primary assembly we had with the intimacy coordinator I used to be like, “I don’t know who this individual is. I’m right here due to you and your script and I belief your imaginative and prescient right here.” That was my first time coping with that, and I might’ve most well-liked to work instantly with the director. It’s TBD the place that function finally ends up situating itself within the trade. I bear in mind studying that Sean (Baker) didn’t use one on “Anora,” and there have been different take a look at instances of actors deciding not to do this.
As an actor, I might by no means have a lawyer characterize me who was introduced on by the studio that I used to be negotiating with, and as an advocate. If that function on set goes to turn out to be an advocate for me, then I ought to rent that individual, not the studio that I’m negotiating in opposition to. So long as the intimacy coordinators are being employed by the studio, my view of their function is that their job is to coerce the actors into doing issues, versus advocate on their behalf in opposition to the studio. So I feel if there was a shift that I wish to see within the trade, it could be that intimacy coordinators, like managers or brokers, turned a task that an actor would convey into the equation and that the actor would pay. And so long as we’re in a scenario the place the studio is paying the intimacy coordinator, I view that individual as antagonistic in opposition to me, not as an advocate for me.
Lots of your friends and previous collaborators have gone to on to work for studios, like Adam Wingard, Greta Gerwig, Olivia Wilde, and Ti West. Do you wish to keep within the indie lane?
Within the wake of “Consuming Buddies,” I signed on to 2 studio comedies: one at New Line, and one at Lionsgate. They had been $25-million studio rom-coms. I ended up quitting each of these initiatives. I reached a degree that I felt we (had been) not going to make an ideal film. I’ve by no means actually been money-driven; I actually really feel like my profession has gone so significantly better than I believed it was gonna go. even have acknowledged I’ve made a lot work. I acknowledge the hole between the flicks that I nonetheless actually love, that I’ve made, and those that I really feel no matter about is admittedly (about) how passionate I used to be on the time concerning the undertaking. In a market proper now the place to get an adult-oriented, introspective drama out into the world is already a problem, I do know that except I actually am deeply invested within the film, that problem turns into even tougher. So I feel I’m doing what I really like nonetheless.
I’ve by no means actually had aspirations to work on the studios or something like that. And “Straightforward” was actually the candy spot the place Netflix allowed me to do my factor. I’m at all times on the lookout for alternatives like that, and if there’s locations for me to slot in the larger image, then I’m at all times open to that. However you recognize, after I get up within the morning and I’m simply residing my life right here in Chicago, it’s actually these characters, these portraits, which might be fascinating to me and preserve drawing me in.
“The Solar By no means Units” screened at SXSW 2026. It’s at present looking for U.S. distribution.