As easy as it is to dunk on Quibi, the app was a bit ahead of its time … by about three years. Last year I wrote about how TikTok has fundamentally changed the way an overwhelming number of people consume media, with plenty of people willingly watching TV shows and movies in bite-sized segments, or a 50-part series where a woman talks about her pathological liar of an ex-husband. “The Stranger” was originally released on Quibi in 13 segments, with each episode representing an hour of the rideshare travel time. The new feature version is being released with a runtime of 1 hour and 37 minutes. Veena Sud released a personal statement with the announcement saying:
“For artists and creatives in the industry, the right to own one’s work has been a decades-long struggle. […] Copyright ownership allows the artist to continue to advocate for projects we’ve poured our blood, sweat, and tears into when others, such as studios and distributors, have moved on. It keeps the work alive in the face of a ‘market’ that is focused on making as much money as possible and sacrificing quality artistic storytelling.”
If Quibi did one thing right, it was offering creatives the copyright ownership of their projects, which is why we are now able to see “The Stranger” long after Quibi’s demise. “Filmmakers and creators who are able to tell stories that may not survive a fickle marketplace must have alternate ways to get our work out in a world that’s hungry for it. And, the world is hungry for good material,” Sud wrote. “Although the courageous and cool Quibi experiment didn’t work, I know my film is important to get out there. It’s a story about justified female rage and vengeance in this current moment where we as women have so much to be angry about. A fitting story for today’s world.”
“The Stranger” arrives on Hulu on April 15, 2024.
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