New Europe sat down with Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeerrsch throughout the seventy fifth Cannes Movie Competition discussing about their movie ” Le Otto Montagne “which was awarded with the Jury Prize on Could twenty eighth.
Starred by two Italian extraordinary actors : Alessandro Borghi and Luca Marinelli, the movie is a story of a friendship. Of youngsters turning into males who attempt to erase the footprints of their fathers, however who, via the twists and turns they take, at all times find yourself returning house. Pietro is a boy from town, Bruno is the final youngster of a forgotten mountain village. Through the years Bruno stays devoted to his mountain, whereas Pietro is the one who comes and goes. Their encounters introduce them to like and loss, reminding them of their origins, letting their destinies unfold, as Pietro and Bruno uncover what it means to be true associates for all times.
By Grandesso Federico
New Europe:You had the expertise of constructing a world movie out of a well-liked e book. What gave you the concept to make a film in Italy a few extremely popular vacation e book?
Felix Van Groeningen:It’s very tremendous properly written, it’s very sparse, truly. It’s not thick and it’s epic, just like the film. After making a movie within the US, it wasn’t my ambition to simply make movies there, we by no means actually moved there or something; so we had been truly on the lookout for a venture to do in Belgium once more and was engaged on one thing. At a sure time this e book got here alongside, which we read as a result of we wished to write down one thing collectively, truly, we each actually had been moved by the friendship, in fact, by these two characters who’re very pure and trustworthy then the journey, that the story unfolds, it‘s easy, but it talks about every thing that’s important and vital in life just like the household, friendship, love, future and discovering your means in life and so on.
Charlotte Vandermeersch:That’s the cycle of life and demise, the seasons in nature and in life. So we thought it simply touched upon what I stated yesterday proper after the screening, we wished to make an ode to life in all its fragility and power. That is what we felt within the e book, I believe, as a result of it’s such an enormous story advised in tiny little issues, proper? So we thought it was simply very tender and one thing price telling proper now. It has no cynicism in it inside, it’s simply an exploration of what life is then be associates, take care of loss and with demise and love and talk connecting one another to your self and to you.
Felix Van Groeningen:When the e book was offered us, the producers had the concept of constructing a world film that perhaps we might have finished in English. However for us, it was clear that the e book was so genuine and so that you felt that it was impressed by actual individuals in actual locations. Very a lot so. Personally, if we do it, it needs to be in Italian. Then we went to fulfill the author of the e book, who lives very near the place the film takes place, and we fell in love with the landscapes and the environment.
NE:How a lot time did you spend to be taught Italian?
FVG:Yeah, truly I wished to be taught Italian after which we stated “perhaps we should always simply make a film” (laughing) however however, there’s one thing loopy about this venture the place we had been in our life and what we wished simply got here collectively. I imply, we’re on the lookout for deepening and resourcing, and I suppose, being within the mountains and this film assist this course of.
NE:You stated that it was very private and really associated to your second. So are you able to elaborate on how have you ever discovered or overcome that?
CV:Properly, we’ve been collectively now for 15 years, and this venture began 3 years in the past, we had been going via some stormy climate in our relationship between us, and we determined we wished to write down collectively already. However then the lock-dpersonal got here, and it was identical to everybody else, simply sitting at house at your desk, having a tough time, however via engaged on this different life, via exploring the trail of Bruno and Pietro – What do they need? How do they impart it? Which mountains do they climb? What are the difficulties? – What’s the magnificence, via all of this speaking about these lives, we might replicate upon our personal lives, and we might speak about them and never about us instantly, which helps us actually so much. We each cherish the venture and we put it there above our personal variations or something which might be between us. So this was actually therapeutic for us to have one thing like this mountain to climb collectively.
FVG:And with this venture, the bonding is so sturdy, and perhaps we’ve got missed that through the years, being away and being busy… Yeah. On totally different mountains. Really, the writing collectively, I noticed that Charlotte introduced a lot to this story from her standpoint so the mixture of the 2 factors of views, being feminine, male and companions and associates and fogeys, we’ve got a son who’s 4 years previous, this actually is smart for this story to make it richer and on the finish of the writing of the primary draft, I felt that I wished to direct it along with her and I requested her.
NE:How do you insert the Asian aspect? Since you are Belgians, you moved in Italy and you then put Asia on the highlight?
CV:This concept actually comes from Paolo ( Cognetti) , the author of the e book, this aspect of Nepal is current as a result of he has been touring there and he’s an actual mountain individual. So if you wish to go on a mountain, you go to Himalaya proper? It’s essentially the most magnificent place for that and Nepal is simply the mountain nation. So Pietro has misplaced his coronary heart there, however he was not very specific about it in his e book. So we actually wanted to invent this for the movie. Then there’s no Nepalese love within the e book as a result of we thought that made sense. If he loses his coronary heart there, it’s to not a European lady working in an orphanage or one thing like that. We thought it made sense to actually honour the group and to convey it via his Nepalese girlfriend you then really feel that he finds a house away from house as a result of she’s house there. Right here first you’ve the alps after which we see the Himalaya, It’s actually one other degree. It’s a lot larger. I imply, the village you see within the movie is at 4000 meters, 4200 even. they usually have land there they usually develop greens, it’s wonderful, at that degree, we’ve got the glaciers in Europe. It’s an previous mountain civilization, that you simply nonetheless have there in a really unique state and which is crumbling in Europe. That’s additionally the disappearing previous world and an previous world that he finds there, which remains to be alive and in Europe, it’s dying.
