Chloé Zhao Reveals the Directors Who Shaped Her Vision
Oscar-winning director Chloé Zhao opens up about the three filmmakers who have most influenced her unique approach to cinema, sharing insights into how their work has inspired her creative journey.
Chloé Zhao made waves in the film world when she took out the Best Director Oscar for Nomadland, becoming the first woman of colour to win the award since the Academy’s inception nearly a hundred years ago. While she’s had a crack at the Marvel universe with Eternals, Zhao’s real strengths shine through in her more personal projects, like her 2015 debut Songs My Brothers Taught Me and the recent Golden Globe winner Hamnet. Her latest work delves into the raw impact of grief and its link to creativity, earning plenty of praise and reminding punters just how powerful film can be—sometimes uplifting, sometimes gut-wrenching, but always honest.
Over the years, Zhao has drawn inspiration from a range of legendary filmmakers. She’s mentioned being influenced by Àgnes Varda, especially the film Vagabond, and has a soft spot for Christopher Nolan’s big-picture style. But there are three directors she singles out as her main mentors, the ones she looks to most when shaping her own approach to storytelling.
Terrence Malick: Spiritual Storytelling
First up is Terrence Malick, the bloke behind classics like Badlands, Days of Heaven, and The Thin Red Line. But it’s The Tree of Life that really struck a chord with Zhao. She once described it like this:
“For me, the tree of life has the highest branches that reach to the heavens, and then you’ve got the trunk in the middle, and then you’ve got the roots that reach all the way down into the void.”
She added,
“And I think watching Terrence’s films is interesting because I can tell that he’s trying to reach up as high as possible to the heavens. You really feel the elevation watching his film. And that’s why they are so spiritual.”
It’s easy to spot the connection between Malick’s thoughtful, almost meditative style and Zhao’s own way of exploring what it means to be human. The Tree of Life, in particular, takes viewers on a journey that’s both otherworldly and deeply grounded, making us reflect on our memories and connections in a world that’s much bigger than ourselves.
Werner Herzog: Blurring Reality and Fiction
Zhao also counts Werner Herzog as a major influence. Herzog is known for walking the line between documentary and fiction, and Zhao admires how he captures the unpredictable side of life. She once said about his documentary Into the Abyss:
“That’s what the genius of Werner Herzog is, it’s always about more. It shows you how much life can shock you, and how magnificent it is to be alive in the most bittersweet way.”
Herzog’s knack for finding the extraordinary in the everyday has clearly rubbed off on Zhao, who often brings a similar sense of wonder and unpredictability to her own films.
Ang Lee: Bridging Cultures and Genres
The third mentor on Zhao’s list is Ang Lee, whose work ranges from period dramas like Sense and Sensibility to the action-packed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Zhao, who shares Chinese heritage with Lee, finds his ability to weave his background into all his films especially inspiring. She once explained,
“Ang Lee’s career has been very inspiring to me – how he’s able to bring where he comes from to all the films that he makes.”
With these three filmmakers in mind, Zhao has managed to move from small indie projects to massive blockbusters, showing that there’s no limit to where her creative journey might take her next.