Nathalie Emmanuel ‘Had to Have a Strategy’ Before Entering the Criterion Closet

The "Megalopolis" star uses the riches of her Emersonian mind to select films such as "The Red Shoes," "The Worst Person in the World," and Steve McQueen's "Small Axe" series.

When it comes to the Criterion Closet, preparation is key.

Thank goodness “Megalopolis” star Nathalie Emmanuel knew this going in and came ready and raring to make her selections.

“I had to have a strategy when I came in here, because I know just by the vast collection, I would be immediately overwhelmed and then be indecisive,” said Emmanuel. “So I’ve decided to have some ideas of what I’m looking for.”

For her first pick, Emmanuel chose one of Francis Ford Coppola’s many inspirations for “Megalopolis,” the Powell & Pressburger musical piece “The Red Shoes.” The film follows a young ballet dancer who comes under the tutelage of a tyrannical director, sending her on a psychological whirlwind that makes her forget where she begins and the dance ends.

“I have such fond memories of this film. I have a dance background, ballet background, and the metaphor in the movie is the passion for the craft and the art and how it can drive you insane or like to desperate, desperate lengths,” Emmanuel said.

Taking a set off the shelf that’s close to her heart, Emmanuel went on to grab the “Small Axe” series from Steve McQueen, which consists of five films dedicated to the experiences of the Black community in the UK during the mid-20th Century.

“This one has a very…significant and important connection for me because it’s about Windrush Britain, the Caribbean community coming to the UK after the World War to rebuild the motherland, or whatever,” said Emmanuel. “And the experiences of those people that came. And I am a direct descendant of those people who came, and it was really important that somebody told these stories. And Steve McQueen has an amazing, clear mission to tell stories from people and communities that we don’t often get to hear from. And so I felt so seen by this.”

After selecting Gina Price-Bythewood’s “Love & Basketball” and the seminal NYC ballroom documentary “Paris Is Burning,” for Emmanuel’s final choice, she went with the 2021 romantic dramedy “The Worst Person in the World.”

“I absolutely loved this film,” she said. “I think women are often socialized to have such a limited view of what we can be or what our lives can be. And I just love this woman who’s got so much agency and so much, like… she makes choices for herself. Whether they’re right or wrong, she has the courage to just make them, and…she deals with the consequences of them, but…there’s a real courage that I really loved.”

Watch Emmanuel’s full Criterion Closet visit below.