Steven Soderbergh, Meryl Streep talk about why 'The Laundromat' is in comic genre

Filmmaker Steven Soderbergh and actor Meryl Streep who is starring in Netflix's upcoming biographical comedy-drama 'The Laundromat', explained why the film was made in the comic genre even when it is based on Panama Papers, a serious issue.

Everyone who makes a film wishes that their work is remembered by the viewers when they step out of the theatre, and that is why makers arrived at the decision of shooting the movie in the comic genre.

"We decided that a dark comedy had the best possible chance of remaining in the minds of the viewers and also gave us the opportunity to use the complexity of this kind of financial activities almost as a joke, almost as the setup for a punch line," The Hollywood Reporter quoted Soderbergh as saying during the Venice Film Festival.

 

While sharing his inspiration behind the film which he quoted to be Stanley Kubrick's classic 'Dr. Strangelove', the director added, "It took a very serious subject that turned it into a very, very dark comedy."

"We felt that, otherwise, people would feel that they were being educated, as opposed to being entertained," he continued.

However, the upcoming feature is based on Jake Bernstein's book 'Secrecy World', which exposes the dark corruption behind how the world moves money.

Meanwhile, Streep who was also present at the event reminded audiences that although the film was comic, the issues are indeed life-threatening.

"This is a funny way of telling a very, very dark, black-hearted joke, a joke that's being played on all of us. It's a crime, not without victims. And many of them are journalists," she said.

Sharing the motivation behind playing Ellen Martin who lost a great deal of money to Panamanian law firm partners Jurgen Mossack and Ramon Fonseca, she said, "I guess grief is a great motivator. The parents of the children shot in the Parkland High School, the parents of the children shot in Newtown, Connecticut. Those people don't stop. They don't stop trying to change the world. If it's personal, you don't stop."

The film is set to hit select cinemas on September 27, 2019, before it premieres on Netflix on October 18. The flick will debut at the Venice International Film Festival on Sunday.