Luca Guadagnino Quotes

Powerful Luca Guadagnino for Daily Growth

About Luca Guadagnino

Luca Guadagnino, a contemporary Italian filmmaker, was born on March 14, 1971, in Palermo, Sicily. Raised primarily in Milan, Guadagnino developed a passion for cinema at an early age, influenced by the cinematic works of Federico Fellini, Martin Scorsese, and Bernardo Bertolucci. Guadagnino's directorial career began with short films in the late 1990s, such as "La Bocca" (1996) and "Tanner 02" (2000), which gained critical acclaim for their intimate portrayals of young characters. His feature film debut, "The Proposal" (2005), was a romantic drama set in Palermo, showcasing Guadagnino's penchant for capturing the beauty and complexity of human relationships. In 2015, Guadagnino achieved international recognition with "A Bigger Splash," a modern reinterpretation of the 1969 Italian film "La Piscina." The film starred Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Dakota Johnson. However, Guadagnino's most significant works are arguably his trilogy of films set in Northern Italy: "Call Me by Your Name" (2017), "Suspiria" (2018), and "We Are Who We Are" (2020). Each work explores themes of identity, love, and the passage of time, often through the lens of youth. "Call Me by Your Name," a poignant coming-of-age story, earned Guadagnino an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Guadagnino's style is characterized by his use of vivid colors, lush imagery, and profound emotional depth. His films are often set in idyllic landscapes, serving as a backdrop for complex human narratives. Guadagnino continues to challenge and captivate audiences with his unique storytelling and cinematic vision.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Emotions are not linear; they go in circles."

This quote by Luca Guadagnino emphasizes that our emotions do not progress in a straightforward, continuous path but instead often repeat or loop back on themselves. Emotions can be cyclical rather than solely linear, capturing the oscillating nature of feelings such as joy, sadness, anger, and love. This insight suggests we should accept this ebb and flow within our emotional landscape as natural, recognizing that even seemingly resolved emotions may resurface, and that recurring feelings are a part of the human experience.


"The best way to travel is on a bicycle, because then you can stop anytime you want and look at the flowers."

This quote emphasizes the joy and freedom that comes with traveling at a leisurely pace, allowing one to truly appreciate the beauty of the journey. By cycling, travelers have the flexibility to explore their surroundings in-depth, engaging with nature and local culture on a more intimate level than other modes of transport. It encourages us to slow down, take time to smell the roses, and find wonder in the simple things along the way, creating memories that are richer and more meaningful.


"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."

This quote suggests that individuals have the power to shape their own lives, rather than passively discovering an inherent identity. It encourages personal growth, self-awareness, and intentionality in life choices. Instead of searching for predetermined meanings or purposes, one should actively create their own experiences, values, and sense of self. This interpretation emphasizes the active role individuals play in defining who they are and what their lives become.


"We all have our own stories to tell, and we are writing them moment by moment."

This quote by Luca Guadagnino suggests that everyone has their unique life narrative, which is continuously being authored and revised with each passing moment. It underscores the idea that our lives are a journey of personal growth and self-expression, where we play both the role of protagonist and storyteller in shaping our own destiny. The quote serves as a reminder to embrace individuality, empathize with others' stories, and appreciate the ongoing nature of life's unfolding narrative.


"Love is not just about passion, it's also about understanding, patience, and forgiveness."

This quote by Luca Guadagnino emphasizes that love encompasses more than just intense passion or attraction; it includes elements of comprehension, perseverance, and absolution. He suggests that a deep and lasting love requires an understanding of one's partner's needs, emotions, and actions, as well as patience to navigate the ups and downs in any relationship, and forgiveness to let go of past hurts and move forward together.


In 1993, my first documentary was about the civil war in Algeria. That was in French and in Arabic. Another short film I did was silent. What I'm trying to say is that, yes, I'm Italian, and yes, I make films with Italian money, but personally, I've always been invested in the broader world of film-making.

- Luca Guadagnino

Been, Another, About, Algeria

I have a number of projects that I've been dreaming of making ever since I was a child. But I am also very open to the chances of life and the chances of my profession.

- Luca Guadagnino

Dreaming, Profession, Very, Chances

I'm a very eclectic person, and I enjoy multiple tastes; I'm like a bee who jumps from flower to flower. Before I die, I have to make a war movie, a Western, and a movie like Mike Nichols, because I love him.

- Luca Guadagnino

Love, Die, Very, Flower

If you desire something, you don't have it. It is more interesting than enjoyment, because enjoyment erases the mysteries and the vision of desire. Desire opens up possibilities but never achieves anything, whereas enjoyment is just the brutal achievement of something - and after that, it's done.

- Luca Guadagnino

Achievement, Possibilities, Opens

As a director, what matters is how you penetrate the soul of the person in front of the camera and let the actor blur the boundaries between the character and the person themselves. In order to achieve that, I try to make people feel at ease, to be mindless of problems and be skinless and give everything to the camera.

- Luca Guadagnino

Soul, Achieve, Ease, Mindless

I love to tell stories, but the making is less comfortable. I like to be private, and being in the middle of a film crew with the least amount of privacy is the discomfort of shooting a movie. For me, the editing is the great moment when I can bring back ideas and realize the movie for the last time before I hand it to the audience.

- Luca Guadagnino

Love, Movie, Private, Discomfort

I think you should never be forced to be nice as an artist. An artist has to be uncomfortable in a way. Narcissistic and uncomfortable.

- Luca Guadagnino

Think, Artist, I Think, Narcissistic

I hate the concept of beauty for the sake of it. It is overrated.

- Luca Guadagnino

Beauty, Hate, Concept, Overrated

My father is a teacher; my mother was a telecom employee. I come from Palermo; I was raised in Ethiopia. I am homosexual. I didn't go to film school.

- Luca Guadagnino

Father, Raised, Film School, Ethiopia

I think we shouldn't be shy of thinking that we can interpret text like a movie again, depending on the point of view and what we do with it more than anything else. Of course a lot of remakes of important films, particularly of horror films, they suck.

- Luca Guadagnino

Shy, Movie, I Think, Interpret

When people think fashion is just the surface of things, I disagree very politely.

- Luca Guadagnino

Think, Surface, Very, Politely

I'm interested in form, in the shape of things. And in commitment to the degree of never letting go the quest for the meaning of things. That can come off as beauty and style, but that's not where I start from.

- Luca Guadagnino

Beauty, Degree, Shape, Meaning Of

I am a Hitchcockian - I still believe that 'Psycho' sets the standard for mother/son relations.

- Luca Guadagnino

I Am, Standard, Still, Relations

The concept of making a movie in which the director dictates is kind of exotic - and absolutely not truthful. Directing means allowing a great deal of collaboration and listening and having the ability to change your mind.

- Luca Guadagnino

Listening, Which, Means, Truthful

You know when they say you need to put people who go well together? I much prefer to put people who fight at the table. Then you have some sort of sparkle at the dinner!

- Luca Guadagnino

Sparkle, Some, Prefer, Table

Moviemaking is a dirty, tiring affair. The joy comes from the possibility to be free on set and really let loose.

- Luca Guadagnino

Joy, Dirty, Set, Affair

I think that making a movie is not just making the movie - it is also about having thoughtful ideas and embracing all the aspects of its launch.

- Luca Guadagnino

Think, Making, I Think, Embracing

Making movies is about control. You need to control your narcissism in the first place, and you need to be disciplined enough to understand the reason for the film. You need to follow the agenda of the film, not a personal agenda or that of the studio. Or, worst of all, of the actors.

- Luca Guadagnino

Reason, Making, Studio, Narcissism

I'm one of those directors who read reviews, even if they're bad, because I started as a film critic as a cinema student. I indulge in the art of criticism in general.

- Luca Guadagnino

Art, Bad, Read, Indulge

I don't like post-modernism. It's cynical, and takes no discipline - you just copy. It doesn't allow a film to be open to reality.

- Luca Guadagnino

Discipline, Like, Allow, Cynical

I need to have a great deal of control and the ability to share my control with my collaborators and grant them the freedom and the quality of work I think these people deserve. If I don't have those elements, I walk away.

- Luca Guadagnino

Deal, Away, I Think, Grant

I only cast the actors and actresses I fall in love with - truly having an emotion for them, an anticipation and enthusiasm when seeing them - and I believe that my emotional confidence in them blends into chemistry. It's always been like that, and I hope I won't be wrong in the future.

- Luca Guadagnino

Love, Believe, Been, Anticipation

The concept of muse is alien to me. To speak of a muse implies there is a couple in which one person is the objectified passive element - there to help the creative, active, often male part of the duo to create. A muse is very passive. Who wants a muse? I don't want a muse.

- Luca Guadagnino

Concept, Very, Couple, Implies

I think a script is great when it starts with the structure and works with the structure without falling into the typical three-act system in which the audience is ahead of the movie. I hate that, but that is like 99% of what I read.

- Luca Guadagnino

Think, Falling, Which, Structure

I am more interested in revolutionary beauty than in the great beauty, to be honest. Italian cinema is now mostly a bureau for tourism. We have given up that revolution of the contemporary.

- Luca Guadagnino

Beauty, Given, Mostly, To Be Honest

I am a film director, and I work with a visual language, with a visual medium. And I try to make virtue of the use of this visual medium. And I try to make sure what I do speaks the language of cinema.

- Luca Guadagnino

Work, Director, Sure, Medium

Everything that goes outside the rules of Italian cinema has always been cursed.

- Luca Guadagnino

Always, Been, Cursed, Cinema

I grew up with a concept of cinema as a directorial thing, meaning the director is allowed to sail the ship. Not a dictatorial thing.

- Luca Guadagnino

Sail, Director, Allowed, Cinema

When you have great performers and have set your movie in the right direction, it's a beautiful privilege to let the camera watch the action unfold without spoken words.

- Luca Guadagnino

Movie, Performers, Set, Right Direction

Spare functional furniture, in my opinion, is the genius of 20th-century design.

- Luca Guadagnino

Genius, Functional, Furniture

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