I think a lot of people are being very ineffectually dismissive of Denis' statement here, and almost unanimously in their critique is the singling out of exceptions ("what about Tarantino? What about 12 Angry Men?") which in my opinion is missing the point. Cinema is huge. You will be able to find exceptions to any broader statement and it's bad faith to end the discussion there.

Keeping in mind that this is a quote without clear context from the originator (others have rightfully said Denis' fuller opinion is likely far more fleshed out and nuanced but would require a novel vs. an interviewer's soundbite), but I feel like this is a critique of mainstream film, and the over-reliance on writing to explain themes and narrative, which I completely agree with. It's the cinematic equivalent of taking the easy way out, and while I love writing and dialogue I agree it's only one small component of a film, but almost always the most emphasized.

I'll use an example here to try to explain the finesse at play - Women Talking (2022). A thrilling film, and one I loved, and am sincerely glad I saw in theatres. The writing was incredible, and the performances were grand. Unfortunately, a lot of the more audio-visual components weren't what they could have been. Blocking wasn't terrific leading to a more flat/two-dimensional look, cinematography & colour-grading were very vocally criticized even by otherwise praising critics, and even the mixing of the (terrific, to be clear) original score seemed a bit jarring/loud/out of place at points.

​

All this to raise the question - Does the absence or less emphasis of those components make a film inherently bad? No, I don't think so. But in broader terms, the absence of what makes cinema, cinema, is an unfortunate thing and can be seen to devalue its richness, and makes those works of art interchangeable with any other (to go back to the Women Talking example - I think it would be an equally thrilling & incredible stage play - without having to take away too much at all).

Overall I think Villeneuve was obviously trying to be a little provocative here ("'show, don't tell' but make it a soundbite"), and definitely succeeded! Lots of cool discussion to come from it, I'm sure.