John Lennon: The Last Interview at Cannes Film Festival

On December 8, 1980, John Lennon and Yoko Ono granted a radio interview from their home in the Dakota apartments, New York. They were promoting their new album, Double Fantasy, but the two-hour discussion covered a wide range of topics. Although interviewers were advised to avoid Beatles-related questions, Lennon and Ono were candid.

That day, Annie Leibovitz shot the iconic image of a naked Lennon embracing Ono. The interview itself reveals much, with Lennon speaking openly about love, his relationship, creativity, post-Beatles life, raising his child, and songwriting. At 40, Lennon sounded like someone with newfound clarity. “I feel like nothing happened before today,” he expressed.

In John Lennon: The Last Interview, director Steven Soderbergh uses surviving tapes to create a documentary aimed at demystifying Lennon and Ono, similar to Get Back for the Beatles. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

I was deeply moved by their generosity throughout the conversation, Soderbergh stated in Cannes.It’s like the world happened in one day, in that apartment.

Constructing the film presented challenges. Soderbergh prioritized retaining the audio but struggled with how to visually present the philosophical aspects. He tried various methods, but time and budget constraints led him to employ Meta’s AI software. Approximately 10% of the film features these sections.

The AI-generated parts, heavily criticized at Cannes, resemble basic special effects. There are no digitally altered images of Lennon. Soderbergh became a focal point in the discussion on AI use in filmmaking. Acknowledging Meta’s tools and aiming for transparency, he has been openly discussing their use.

Soderbergh noted that jobs crucial to filmmaking cannot be replaced by AI. He believes that imperfections will become more appreciated as technical perfection becomes accessible to all. Currently, no respected creative figure has fully embraced AI in a project to observe reactions, which he sees as necessary to define boundaries.

When asked about his approach to AI-generated animations, Soderbergh mentioned directing the software to create simple visuals like circles of light and floral transformations.

The AI experience led Soderbergh to set a rule: it must be necessary. Is there no other way to achieve his vision? Is it the best method? Not everyone using AI will meet these criteria.

On ethics and aesthetics, Soderbergh needed a way to visually accompany the raw dialogue. The time needed to reach a point of balance with AI in filmmaking is unpredictable, yet he believes it will happen. Each creative department will uniquely interact with technology, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.

The film’s conversation is inspiring, particularly Lennon’s desire to dismantle the myth of the male rock star. For young viewers, Soderbergh hopes that Lennon’s honesty from start to finish is evident. With strong yet reflective opinions, Lennon sought constant improvement: can we become better versions of ourselves?