© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Your latest work Petite Maman (2021) feels like a compact and intimate movie. Did the pandemic determine its scale?
It was designed like that. This is an idea I had for years — from the time I was writing Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019). While working on it, I felt that Petite Maman should be my next. I’m an obsessive person. I never have several ideas but that one idea. I knew this project is where I would land next. It was designed to be shot in a studio with a small cast. It’s about children struggling with loss and not being able to say goodbye to their loved ones. This is something that we all collectively had to deal with during the pandemic.
Why did you keep dialogues minimal in Petite Maman?
The characters (Nelly and Marion) are very straightforward with what they tell each other. They say things that are very deep. This kind of dialogue is a form of tribute to childhood. While teaching screenwriting, they tell you that a good scene is where someone wants to know certain things but the other person does not offer the answer directly. The information that the former is seeking, however, is revealed towards the end of the scene. This kind of dialogue seems like some kind of bargaining. When two people try to connect directly, it is full of surprises. You don’t know what’s going to happen. It is a different kind of suspense and I find that exciting.
Was it a spontaneous decision to cast twin sisters — Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz as Nelly and Marion, respectively?
My question about the story was, if I meet my mother when she is eight, will she be my sister? I decided if we cast two sisters, then this idea would be there in the form of a personal secret. The film tries to subvert the chronology and abolish the hierarchy between generations. There’s also a fluidity between grandmother, mother and daughter. That’s what casting is for me — putting an idea out there. This is my fifth film and I have worked with children before, especially in Tomboy (2011). That’s why it was easy for me to find collaborators who understand the kind of work I do.
You selected the first child actor (Zoé Héran) you met to play the lead in Tomboy. That’s how Joséphine and Gabrielle got cast for Petite Maman. What makes you take such snap casting decisions?
I trust my casting director, Christel Baras. We have done five feature films together. Nobody asks you about trusting the cinematographer regarding lighting (a scene). It’s the same for casting. There is a certain kind of romanticism about finding the right person for a role. That’s part of a culture of cinema that I am trying to depart from. It is about creating something together. Even to cast grown-up characters, I met only a few actors — two for the role of dad, one for mother and one for grandmother.
You worked with cinematographer Crystel Fournier for your first three movies. Claire Mathon has shot your last two, Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Petite Maman. What kind of collaborative process do you share with her?
Claire (Mathon) is involved with all layers of the film; we built the set together. She is there to decide what should be the look of the floor or the wall. It’s so precious when someone cares about the film as much as you do and is not worried just about the lighting and cinematography. During Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Claire was there all the way — looking at paintings and finding painters.
You are known to write your stories and scripts quite fast.
Yes, but I let the idea buffer for a very long time. I think about the film but do not write it for years. Basically, I write a list of scenes. I write it chronologically. That is weird. I could spend two-three weeks looking for the first scene. Then I go scene by scene. It is very organic. With My Life as a Courgette (2016) (which was adapted from Gilles Paris’ 2002 novel Autobiographie d’une Courgette), the first scene was my biggest challenge as it is about a child killing his mother. In the book, he shoots her with a gun (in the film, he accidentally pushes her down the stairs). Most of my reflection about this script was about that scene. Once I figured that out, I could write the film within a few days.
You have always been preoccupied with gender issues. Will your future projects reflect that as well?
I am sure it will but I don’t know what my future projects will be. Talking about gender is not something I choose. It is part of how I live. I always try to subvert convention. My work might get more radical and emotional.
You have been one of the advocates of gender parity and equality in the film world. Have we come anywhere close to achieving that?
Oh, we haven’t. We are on our way towards it. It is not an organic or natural process. It is a political will. It depends on who’s in charge and who’s taking the decisions. There has to be a strong will and effort. There are backlashes, too. We might be closer (to achieving this) than before.
