Interviews: Director Armin Siljkovic Talks About His Noir-Thriller Death Waits For No Man



The Postman Always Rings Twice meets Drive in writer-director Armin Siljkovic’s neon-doused indie noir-thriller Death Waits for No Man. Expected to release this Fall, it’s the unnerving and complex chronicle of a neon art collector that seduces a lone drifter into killing her abusive husband. We caught up with Armin to get the 411 on the movie.

TMS: So, the message of the movie is, ‘don’t stray from your partner’ right? It never leads to anything good!

AS: I guess you can say that's one of the messages, but the film goes deeper than that.

TMS: Though a thriller, I can’t help but think there’s an underlying message to the movie. Is there?

AS: Sure, and I think all films should have some sort of underlying message. Not in a sense that you're educating the audience or beating them over the head with "a message", but in a sense that all movies should have something going for them on a deeper level, there should be something under the surface that the audience can think and wonder about.

TMS: Why did the subject of adultery and murder fascinate you?

AS: I'm fascinated by film noirs and the worlds and characters that are featured in them. And murder and adultery is a staple of film noir, and of course, the results and consequences of murder and adultery.

TMS: Can you tell us about any inspirations for the script?

AS: I wanted to make an edgy noir thriller, a film that challenges the audience as much as it entertains them. Death Waits For No Man is a risky project, but I think when you're starting out in the film industry, or any artistic endeavor, you have to take risks to stand out.

TMS: Did you look up any real-life cases for inspiration?

AS: Not really, but I did a lot of research into the backgrounds of some of the characters. For example, the main character is a war veteran and I wanted to portray that as accurately as possible.


TMS: Why do you think these ‘handsome, stranger’ scenarios lends itself so beautiful to thrillers movies?

AS: I think the "stranger" part is way more important than the "handsome" part. We're drawn to strangers in movies because we want to know more about them, their past and so on. Discovering those secrets along the way is what makes thrillers exciting, especially if the secrets are dark and dangerous. 

TMS: And it plays more frightening because of the fact that this happens every day, right?

AS: Exactly.

TMS: What are your plans for the film?

AS: We're gearing up to release Death Waits For No Man this Fall, and then I can finally move on to my next project.