Cover Celine Song films a scene from ‘Materialists’ with Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans (Photo: Columbia Pictures)
Celine Song films a scene from ‘Materialists’ with Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans (Photo: Columbia Pictures)
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Tatler speaks to Celine Song about her new film ‘Materialists’ and why modern love feels more like a market than a miracle
Celine Song’s buzzy new romantic drama Materialists interrogates the transactional language of dating today. Gone are the sweeping declarations of love; in their place, we find terms like “value”, “asset” and “stock” spoken in expensive Manhattan apartments. But as Song makes clear, these ideas aren’t new. They’ve simply evolved.
“I think that financial language has always been a part of the marriage market,” the writer and director says. “Back in Victorian romances, they were still talking about a bachelor’s annual salary. The difference now is the scope—online dating means every person is compared to someone richer, taller, hotter. It’s only gotten crazier.”
It’s this insight that drives Materialists, a film that, on the surface, flirts with the tropes of a typical love triangle. Lucy (Dakota Johnson) is a high-end matchmaker caught between the incredibly wealthy “unicorn” Harry (Pedro Pascal) and John (Chris Evans), her cater-waiter ex-boyfriend. Song lets the story become a vehicle for her deeper concern: how dating culture has adopted the logic of capitalism, and the emotional fallout that comes with it.
Read more: ‘Materialists’ is Celine Song’s tactful deconstruction of modern love
Above Celine Song, writer, director and producer of ‘Materialists’ (Photo: Columbia Pictures)
Celine Song, writer, director and producer of ‘Materialists’ (Photo: Columbia Pictures)
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“We’re seeing the way commodification and objectification of human beings is happening,” Song says. “And that always leads to dehumanisation. The really awful thing is that this dehumanisation is happening in the realm of love—something that’s supposed to be sacred.”
For all its modern sharpness, Materialists isn’t devoid of tenderness. There are moments where the language of investment and optimisation fades, and something inexplicably human emerges. To that, Song relays, “A merchandise cannot love another merchandise. But a person, if there’s a miracle, can love another person.”
See also: 10 honest TV shows about the awkwardness of dating and falling in love at any age
Above Celine Song films a scene from ‘Materialists’ with Chris Evans (Photo: Columbia Pictures)
Above Celine Song, writer, director and producer of ‘Materialists’ (Photo: Columbia Pictures)
Celine Song films a scene from ‘Materialists’ with Chris Evans (Photo: Columbia Pictures)
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The tension between love as both a miracle and as commodity is the very core of Materialists. And though it skirts the familiar pleasures of the romantic genre (New York City weddings, class divides and meet-cutes), Song hesitates to let the film fall into predictability. “So much of the pleasure of watching a movie is the way it’s going to both feel comfortable and surprising,” she explains. “You cannot surprise and delight them if you don’t put them in a comfortable place. It’s always a balance of pulling in and pushing back.”
And in that push-pull lies the film’s intention: a dare to take the romantic drama seriously by not romanticising it. Materialists asks difficult questions about what we lose when we measure love like ROI. And for those still holding onto the idea of romance in a world that tells them they’re foolish to do so, Song has only one thing to say: keep holding on.
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About
Julianna has been interested in leading a literary life since she first read Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess at eight. Before working with Tatler, she was an archive intern at The Center for Fiction in Brooklyn, New York. She is a textbook Pisces who devotes most of her spare time to her crochet projects, watching classic films, and going through her never-ending pile of unread books. She studied creative writing, global literature and art history at Sarah Lawrence College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2022. Toni Morrison, Nora Ephron, Clarice Lispector and Jia Tolentino are among her all-time favourite writers.
Work
Julianna writes about fashion, beauty, sustainability, and the arts. She is always keen on conducting interviews with talented women who are changing the game in their respective fields.
For event invites and story leads, hit her up at julianna.cabili@tatlerasia.com
