» A Complete History of My Sexual Failures
Chris Waitt talks to Latest 7 on his confessional film A Complete History of My Sexual Failures
How did you think this would work out as film project? I expected it to be really, pretty simple, that’s probably because I’m stupidly naïve in these things, just as I am in relationships as well.
Did the reality of making the film match your expectations?
I thought it would be simple. Speaking to ex-girlfriends, finding out what was wrong. I thought they’d be pleased. It was way, way more difficult.
Is it one big ego trip?
I thought, ‘What the hell am I making this for?’ I either thought it was deeply self-indulgent or it must be some absurd ego trip, or it was just a bad idea. Although I think there may be elements of that in the film, in the end it turned out to go way beyond what I expected. It did end up being very important in my personal life, it was cathartic.
Was it difficult persuading people to invest in this as an idea let alone a film?
Both me and the people putting the money into it thought it was an absolute disaster. The funding was withdrawn twice. And you know, what you see in the film is a call from the head of the film company, which was an actual call, you actually hear him saying he was going to shut the film down.
How did your family respond?
They laughed at some sections, but it’s not a normal family movie. The trouble was, a lot of the material in it was a lot of stuff they didn’t know. It turned out to be kind of like a huge convention; my aunts were there, my uncles, my cousins – they were all there.
Why do you think the relationships you’ve had end up so extreme?
I’m very good at the beginning of a relationship, I start off with big visions. I’m going to be a film-maker, and you’re going to be married to the hotshot film guy! And I’m going to cast you in a film! But pretty soon all that stuff loses its edge and they find out that I’m unreliable and useless.
What new perspectives have you gained from the experience?
I think I have enormously improved on a practical level. A number of things the ex-girlfriends talked about, you know my tidiness, my lateness, my personal hygiene, even my sexual performance, they’re things, you know, I’ve addressed quite a lot since the making of the film. And I think I’ve improved massively.
