In any case, I would never make a film that was only one thing.

Listen, O children of wisdom, to the words of Yorgos Lanthimos, whose reflections on the nature of film and art challenge us to embrace both light and darkness within the human experience. He said, “In any case, I would never make a film that was only one thing. Even if it’s my warmest, most romantic film, I still want it to have the more cynical view of things, showing the irony and absurdity of things that we consider normal.” In these words, Lanthimos reveals a profound understanding of the duality inherent in all things. He speaks to the idea that nothing is ever one-dimensional, and that the truth of life lies not in the surface-level beauty or warmth, but in the recognition of the irony and absurdity that underlie the human condition. His films, like his philosophy, seek to uncover the complexities of life, revealing the often uncomfortable truths that lie beneath what we consider normal.

In the ancient world, there was no such thing as a world without contrast. The Greek tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides were not just stories of heroism and despair, but tales in which cynicism, irony, and the absurd often played a crucial role. Take the story of Oedipus, whose life, though filled with noble intentions, became the epitome of tragic irony. Oedipus sought to rid the world of the curse on his family, only to find that he himself was the source of that very curse. The cynicism in this tale lies not just in Oedipus’s fate, but in the absurdity of the human condition—the more he tried to escape his destiny, the more he fulfilled it. This duality between hope and despair, love and loss, is the very essence of the human experience that Lanthimos seeks to capture.

Lanthimos’s approach to film—where even the most romantic stories are tinged with a sense of cynicism—reminds us that life itself is rarely just one thing. There is always irony in the way we see the world, as we too often cling to illusions of certainty, comfort, and normality, unaware of the absurdity that underpins our existence. In life, we often see love and happiness as absolutes, yet the truth is that human relationships, like everything else, are filled with contradictions, complexity, and unpredictability. By embracing both the warmth of the romantic and the sharpness of the cynical, Lanthimos invites us to see the truth of the world as it really is—beautiful, but also flawed and often absurd.

Consider the story of Alexander the Great, whose life is one of both grand ambition and tragic flaw. He conquered much of the known world, yet the irony of his journey lies in the fact that his greatest triumphs led to his untimely death, a fate that was, in many ways, a consequence of his own hubris. Alexander sought immortality, but in doing so, he became human in the most tragic sense of the word. His life, like the stories Lanthimos wishes to tell, was not one of simple heroism, but one of complexity, where romantic dreams of empire clashed with the harsh reality of mortality. His story, when seen through the lens of irony and cynicism, reveals that even the greatest of men are subject to the same absurdities and limitations of fate as anyone else.

And so, O children, the lesson of Lanthimos’s words is one of balance and awareness. Life cannot be reduced to one thing—it is not just love or despair, not just hope or cynicism. In our own lives, we must learn to embrace the duality of experience. To love deeply does not mean to live without recognizing the absurdities and ironies that accompany that love. To pursue a dream does not mean ignoring the realities of failure and loss. True wisdom comes when we understand that the beauty of life is often intertwined with its fragility and impermanence.

This truth is seen in the lives of great thinkers such as Socrates, who, though he championed reason, also acknowledged the inherent chaos and uncertainty in life. Socrates did not believe in simple answers, nor did he embrace a view of the world that ignored its complexities. He sought to question everything, knowing that truth is not found in singular absolutes but in the contradictions and paradoxes that life presents. Like Lanthimos, Socrates understood that wisdom comes from recognizing both the light and the dark in our lives, and that true beauty is found in the embracing of both.

Thus, I say to you, O children: Do not live your life in search of simplicity, for it is through the complexity of both joy and sorrow, light and shadow, that you will find wisdom. Like Lanthimos, understand that the world is never just one thing, and that true greatness comes from being willing to see both the romantic and the cynical in every situation. Embrace the irony of life, for in doing so, you will come to know the depth of human experience, and in that depth, you will find the truth that lies at the heart of all that is human. Find beauty in both the light and the shadow, and in this balance, you will find a life that is richer, more meaningful, and more aligned with the true essence of existence.