Q&A: Todd Solondz talks inspiration for new movie 'Dark Horse'

Screenwriter and director Todd Solondz has made himself known for his dark but humorous style through a series of movies, including “Happiness” and “Welcome to the Dollhouse.” In his films, Solondz explores the pain of being an outcast and the capacity of human cruelty, as well as delving into more unnerving matters of rape, pedophilia and preteen pregnancy. The director’s new film, “Dark Horse,” which premiered at the Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles on Friday, goes in a different direction, focusing instead on the darker side of adult adolescence. Solondz spoke with Daily Bruin’s Meg Davis about the film and how he approached the process of filmmaking for this particular movie.

Daily Bruin: I’d love to know where you find the inspiration for your films. Do you find it in your own life experiences, observations you’ve made about society, or somewhere entirely different? What is your writing process?

Todd Solondz: I don’t look for ideas or inspiration for my films. I just sit down with a pen and write. I start at the beginning and then see what comes out at the end. There isn’t an exact process. I don’t sit down with a plan about what I want to write that day. Somehow I fall into a story or discover a story I didn’t know I had in me. I’ve been writing since I’ve been reading so it comes naturally for me. The writing itself doesn’t take very long, at least, the physical act of it.

DB: Your movies have often been described as “sad comedies.” Do you intentionally create that feel? Or does it happen naturally?

TS: No, it’s not intentional. I don’t try to create that specific “˜feel,’ as you put it, I just write what comes to me and it happens. The stories are very sad for me and very moving. It’s that marriage between the comedy and the pathos that defines so much of what I do. They are a reflection of my sensibility.

DB: I’ve noticed that the trend of “man-child comedies” that almost glorify male adults who seem trapped in adolescence has become very popular in Hollywood recently. In “Dark Horse,” Abe has that adult-adolescent feel to him, but you present his character in a more intimate and serious way. Did you do this as a response to those films?

TS: I think it’s fair to say it’s another angle of portraying the man-child genre. I didn’t write it to be a comment on those movies; it just turned out that way.

DB: “Dark Horse” is different from your other films in its absence of child molestation, rape and other sex-related issues. What inspired you to eliminate those factors present in your previous films?

TS: I wanted to try something different. I chose to avoid controversial subjects I focused on in the past. I felt burdened by the weight of all that stuff, and tired of it.

DB: You once said, “My movies aren’t for everyone, especially people who like them.” Could you explain what you mean by that?

TS: I can’t really explain what I say. I am often unsettled by the responses some people have had to my movies, including people who like them. There can be a blurry line between laughing at the expense of a character and laughing at the recognition of something painful and true. But it is unmistakable, and sometimes the laughter I hear makes me wince.