Zach Braff Reacts to Critics Turning Against ‘Garden State,’
"I was a very depressed young man who had this fantasy of a dream girl coming along and saving me from myself," says Zach Braff of his 2004 film "Garden State." "And so I wrote that character." https://t.co/DnytqvLqbZ
- Variety (@Variety) March 21, 2023
Time has not been kind to “Garden State.” It’s the kind of film that now elicits groans and eye-rolls since its arty blocking (that wallpaper!) and alt-rock soundtrack have become worn out indie film cliches. Natalie Portman’s character, Sam, is often cited as one of the worst offenders of the “manic pixie dream girl” stereotype, which describes a quirky female character whose main narrative purpose is to save their male counterpart and teach him about the meaning of love and life.
Nearly 20 years after the film’s debut, Braff confronted the backlash head on in a new interview.
“I was just copying Diane Keaton in ‘Annie Hall’ and Ruth Gordon in ‘Harold and Maude,' Those were my two favorite movies growing up, and I was kind of taking those two female protagonists and melding them into Natalie Portman. Of course I’ve heard and respect the criticism, but… I was a very depressed young man who had this fantasy of a dream girl coming along and saving me from myself. And so I wrote that character. I had OCD as a child. I knew I was battling something. That’s what writing ‘Garden State’ was about. I wasn’t as extreme as [my character] Andy, but I was certainly battling my own demons. As I was writing it, I was hoping I could survive what became known as the quarter-life crisis, and depression, and fantasizing that the perfect woman would come along and rescue me.”
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