For The Spectacular Now, based on Tim Tharp's novel of the same name, director James Ponsoldt was inspired by the nostalgia of films like Dazed and Confused and The Last Picture Show, films that have a strong sense of nostalgia and a firmly rooted sense of place. Growing up in Athens, Georgia, home of R.E.M. and the B-52s, and a blue dot in a very red state, Ponsoldt remembers that feeling of not quite fitting in, and he's used that in a lot of his work. Ponsoldt talks to Elvis about the challenge of human connection in an era where every moment is post-able, plus, how he found a kindred spirit in fellow Southerner Walker Percy.
Banner image courtesy of A24