This video essay by Now You See It considers the unavoidable tension between a viewer’s interpretation of a film, and the director’s intentions in the creation of that film. Drawing examples from the work of Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Ang Lee, Mary Harron and more, it explores the ways that filmmakers can deliberately sow the seeds of ambiguity — or, perhaps, unwittingly weave in themes and motifs that they’re not consciously aware of.