Matthew Libatique and director Darren Aronofsky are a filmmaking dream team. With frequent collaborations that include critically acclaimed hits like “Requiem for a Dream” and “Black Swan”, the duo has now ventured into new territory with their latest crime film, “Caught Stealing”.
In the movie, a former baseball star named Hank Thompson (played by Zoë Kravitz’s real-life partner), now a bartender in New York City, gets pulled into a dangerous world of gangs after his punk-rock roommate (Matt Smith) asks him to cat-sit. The film dives deep into the heart of New York, a city that Matthew knows well, having been born there to Filipino immigrant parents.
A veteran cinematographer, Matthew has shot everything from music videos for artists like Taylor Swift and Tracy Chapman to award-winning feature films. In a recent interview, Matthew shared his insights on their creative process, the challenges of filming in a dynamic city, and his advice for up-and-coming Filipino filmmakers.
Photo from Columbia Pictures
A New Chapter for an Unconventional Duo
Matthew and Darren are known for their bold, cinematic vision, and “Caught Stealing” feels like a fun, new genre for them. “What I love about working with Darren is that it always starts with curiosity,” Matthew explains. “Neither of us is interested in repeating ourselves, so the idea of doing a crime film excited us both. It’s familiar territory for cinema, but it’s unfamiliar for us.”
For “Caught Stealing”, Matthew shares that they wanted a visual style that felt “lived-in and raw”. The goal was to portray the East Village not as a movie set, but as a “breathing character”. To do this, they focused on using strong contrasts – light and shadow, stillness and momentum – to create a visual language that felt both gritty and lyrical. This approach allowed them to show the beauty that exists even in a chaotic and violent world.
The City as a Character
Choosing the right locations was crucial to the film’s authenticity. Instead of simply finding plausible backdrops, the filmmakers sought out places that held emotional weight. “The East Village carries its own scars and stories. It’s layered with memory,” Matthew explains. “We wanted the corners, the alleys, the bars that still have ghosts in them.”
According to Matthew, the film’s location choices were about more than just setting the scene. They were about mapping the protagonist’s psychology onto the environment. By doing this, the city becomes an essential part of the story, making it feel “inevitable that they live and breathe in that world”.
Photo from Columbia Pictures
The Challenges of Filming in the Real World
Shooting action sequences in a real-world setting can be a major challenge, especially in a city as unpredictable as New York. For Matthew, the car chase through Flushing Meadows was the most difficult sequence to film because the team had to battle the ever-moving daylight and the chaos of the city to maintain continuity over four intense days of shooting.
What made the scene truly special, however, was their commitment to authenticity. The sequence was filmed with no second unit, meaning they were right there in the thick of it, working directly with the actors. The real-life obstacles, such as traffic, unpredictable weather, and the sheer scale of the location—, ave the scene its unique, electric energy.
“The challenge is what made it electric. You can feel it in the frame, You can feel it in the energy of the actors running as fast as daylight would let them,” Matthew passionately notes.
Wisdom from a Master
As an acclaimed cinematographer, Matthew also has a few words of advice for aspiring Filipino filmmakers, encouraging them to nurture their curiosity over their ego. He points out, “The scale of your project doesn’t matter. What matters is the question that the camera is asking.”
He also stresses the importance of celebrating one’s background and roots as they provide a unique and authentic voice. On a technical level, he advises finding a balance between lighting the story and lighting the space. “The strongest image won’t always be the prettiest,” he concludes, “but it’ll be the truest.”
