LORD OF THE FLIES director Marc Munden

Marc Munden, director of the new Netflix adaptation of Lord of the Flies, reveals how he transformed a classic tale of childhood descent into chaos into a visually stunning, psychologically layered miniseries. Far from a straightforward retelling, Munden’s version uses infrared cinematography to create surreal, hallucinogenic night scenes—because filming after dark was forbidden by child labor laws—resulting in a dreamlike, emotionally charged atmosphere where nature and psychological breakdown blur. He cast 36 non-professional boys aged 5 to 12, treating the experience as a shared journey of discovery rather than direction, and drew deep inspiration from films like If, Walkabout, and the harrowing Come and See, not just for their visuals but for their radical portrayal of youth under pressure. Munden’s choices—such as having the boys discover a woman’s suitcase and dress in drag, transforming it into tribal armor—were direct responses to real-life child soldiers in Liberia, making the story feel both mythic and devastatingly real. The episode becomes a meditation on how trauma, class, and authority shape children, and how cinema can serve as both mirror and sanctuary. What makes this episode exceptional is Munden’s unflinching honesty about the emotional toll of filmmaking with children, from the psychological strain on young actors to the ethical tightrope of depicting violence.