THE WEIGHT director Padraic McKinley joins INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE to discuss Ethan Hawke, Russell Crowe, and the making of his gripping Depression-era wilderness thriller.
Set in Oregon in 1933, THE WEIGHT stars Hawke as Samuel Murphy, a father separated from his daughter and sentenced to a brutal work camp. When Warden Clancy, played by Crowe, offers him early release in exchange for transporting stolen gold across treacherous wilderness, Murphy accepts—but suspicion, betrayal, and desperation soon begin to fracture the group.
McKinley traces the unusual path that led to his feature directorial debut. After years as an editor and television director, he formed a creative partnership with Hawke while making THE GOOD LORD BIRD. That relationship helped transform THE WEIGHT into a deeply personal story about a father determined to return to his daughter.
He also takes us inside the film’s creative DNA, from SORCERER, DELIVERANCE, THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, and SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION to the patient, character-driven American filmmaking of the 1970s. McKinley explains how editing shaped his approach to directing and how vintage lenses, restrained coverage, long takes, and an episodic structure created the film’s distinctive rhythm.
The director also recounts the punishing production in the Bavarian forest—including freezing water, unforgiving terrain, heavy packs, ticks, temperamental period automobiles, and an injury sustained by Hawke. Finally, he shares what it was like directing Hawke and Crowe together—and why, when two actors of that caliber sit across from one another, sometimes the director’s most important job is simply to make sure the camera is running.
THE WEIGHT also stars Julia Jones, Austin Amelio, Avi Nash, Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Alec Newman, and Sam Hazeldine. The film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, and opens in U.S. theaters September 18 from Vertical.
Hosted by Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge.
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00:00 Directing Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe
00:22 Introducing THE WEIGHT
01:51 Director Padraic McKinley joins the show
02:12 From editing to directing
04:43 Meeting Ethan Hawke
08:02 The origins of THE WEIGHT
10:19 Rebuilding the screenplay
12:35 THE WEIGHT trailer
14:51 The classic films that inspired THE WEIGHT
18:42 Returning to patient, character-driven storytelling
21:27 Creating the look of a 1970s thriller
22:55 Filmmaking in an age of shrinking attention spans
27:10 The emotional meaning of the teddy bear
28:25 Surviving the Bavarian forest
31:19 Shooting in unforgiving terrain
33:15 Working with Ethan Hawke
34:48 Directing Russell Crowe
37:24 Two great actors face one another
40:14 Why THE WEIGHT belongs in theaters
41:26 Closing
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