New Europe interviewed on the Croisette in unique Ewa Piakowska, screenwriter of the movie EO which landed, ex-equo with the Belgian “Le Otto Montagne”, the jury prize award of the 75th Cannes Movie Pageant
By Federico Grandesso
The world is a mysterious place when seen by means of the eyes of an animal. EO, a gray donkey with melancholic and delicate eyes, meets good and unhealthy individuals on his life’s path, experiences pleasure and ache, endures the wheel of fortune randomly flip his luck into catastrophe and his despair into surprising bliss. However not even for a second does he lose his innocence.
New Europe:What was the start line once we have been writing the script?
Ewa Piakowska:The primary level was getting the concept to be audacious sufficient as individual was in 1965, to make the primary character of a film an animal, to see the world from the viewpoint of an animal, attempting to have a look at humanity, human conduct and the world from the angle of the weakest member of society. We’re speaking about of a being which doesn’t have a voice, who can’t specific his feelings, who can’t inform us what he feels, how he suffers, what he wish to do and to specific his anguish, ache and happiness. We thought that will give us an possibility to explain, to inform the story, to be poetic and to concentrate on the language of cinema.
NE:How was to make this animal “character” actually performing? As a result of he’s actually performing in a really delicate means. However I can think about this course of was not really easy.
EP: Yeah. Particularly as a result of we’re so cautious to not harm him in any means, to be mild with him, to not drive him, oppress him, to do something. The very first thing we love about it, was the very fact of getting an animal as an actor who doesn’t even know what performing is. He simply is and he’s all the time within the second and he doesn’t care about his intentions, director’s intentions, the critics, the movie pageant viewers. There’s no preconceptions and don’t have any afterthoughts. He doesn’t talk about and he doesn’t have inside storms about his agenda. So that is wonderful. We was excited about this rather a lot and we construct up a plan to create an atmosphere across the donkey which might enable him to naturally act the best way we needed him to behave. So principally we simply created a set of incentives, like scenario which allowed him to have a look at one thing with actual precise curiosity after which we simply had this lovely wanting him being eager about one thing.
NE:It was harder for him to work together with the people or with the animals? What do you assume?
EP:It had a tremendous relationship, we have been all blown away the best way he acts with Lorenzo as a result of each of them, the male and the feminine, simply liked Lorenzo for some causes that are unattainable to clarify. Possibly, we predict that perhaps it was the cigarette as a result of he was smoking cigarettes on a regular basis. I feel for the donkey, it was one thing completely out of this world. What you see on the display is definitely the true emotion of an animal which reacted to Lorenzo particularly effectively, perhaps he’s Italian they usually have been Polish, so perhaps that’s a distinction. I don’t know however usually, we had good and unhealthy experiences. I keep in mind in Sicily once we had a feminine donkey and we needed to have this very touching scene with Sandra, they simply didn’t like this in any respect. On the finish we really needed to have a substitute male donkey introduced in by a particular automotive within the final doable second simply to have this very comfortable scene with Sandra after they had collectively.
NE:The way it was working with Isabelle Huppert? It’s wonderful. On the finish, we have now this unbelievable look.
EP:She’s wonderful actress, very skilled, every part is executed to essentially the most minute element, she’s an unbelievable perfectionist, in command of every part just like the little finger of her toe it’s considered. She’s an absolute perfectionist. It was a pleasure to look at.
NE:There was a plan perhaps to offer her somewhat bit extra space, or it was the script already accomplished?
EP:Her position was imagined to be somewhat bit greater however then all the human components, however ultimately, we needed to insist that donkey is the primary character. so we did brief in all the human components within the closing edit.
NE:In regards to the soccer followers we see in movies, how do you get the concept to place soccer on this contest?
EP:Jerzy (Skolimowski) loves it, he is a large fan of soccer, I watch it with him very often, and he simply thought it’s an fulfilling, good, vivacious, dynamic scene. We someway had this concept of a donkey interrupting a soccer match, we thought it’s fulfilling, so we simply go for the fulfilling scenes each time we have now an opportunity.
NE:You’re employed with Jerzy for a few years. so how do you see the evolution of the work that you just did from the primary film to this one in competitors in Cannes?
EP:Initially Jerzy was all the time in a position to inform me, “I do know higher”, and now I’m combating again. Now I’ve extra probability to reply again.
NE:Do you give extra contribution now ?
EP:Maybe with the script it’s extra of me than of Jerzy however we’re collaborators, after all, the directing is his job, however I’m there with him on a regular basis, and I do attempt to squeeze my little concepts right here and there.
NE:There are some pictures in purple with the aloud music. Are you able to clarify to me this fairly intense half?
EP:There’s a lot of purple on this movie, it begins with the purple picture after which goes all through the movie, from the very starting it is a very emotional movie and purple is a really emotional shade. Then Jerzys is a the painter, so colours are essential to him then we noticed that purple can be a really good juxtaposition to all this naturalistic, comfortable, melancholic pictures that we have been having all through the movie simply have, like a powerful juxtaposition.
NE:Are you able to speak now concerning the music within the movie?
EP:The music is impeccable. It’s Pawel Mykietyn, and that is our third movie with him, we like to work collectively. He’s a genius, and he’s not a movie music composer however a correct composer, he does concert events throughout and he does additionally operas, it was only a pleasure to work with him.
NE:Do you assume there’s a particular method to coach donkeys like we do with canine?
EP:Sure, somewhat bit, however to not the identical extent as a result of they’ve way more character. They combat again so In the event that they don’t wish to do one thing they actually won’t do It. There’s no means of convincing them however after all, it really works primarily on treats. They love primarily carrots, . But it surely was humorous to see the final dance we shot with Marietta really didn’t like carrots and turned to love muffins. So I feel every of them has a specific piece of meals that they love. That how we satisfied them to.
NE:We noticed within the first half that the donkey is freed by a gaggle of protesters from an NGO. You actually needed to insert additionally this “ political “ subject?
EP:We have been eager about surprising penalties of our actions, typically good intentions results in unhealthy outcomes. it’s nearly that, to point out how little management we have now of our actions after which to persuade us to remember all of the doable penalties of even our greatest actions.
