Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘Crève la gueule ouverte’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
I made my first movie when I was 17 with a group of children and a good friend of mine. At that time, I was working at a summer camp and had developed the desire to create films. So I just tried it, wrote a script, made a storyboard and worked with them on the dialogues. Actually on the day of the shoot, they all knew their text by heart, which was really impressive. The story was about a prince who didn’t want to become a king. I wanted to make a tale for kids, but reworked with an Alice in Wonderland vibe.
My relation with the arts started when I was a kid, like them. I had been going to painting and drawing classes for six years, and regularly went to the museum of my city while exploring all kinds of arts. I saw a lot of paintings, some of them actually scared me and are still somewhere in the back of my mind. So the goal of this first movie called “Fantaisie” was also to transmit this love and freedom for the arts, like some did for me when I was young.
After this, I joined a cinema course to have the opportunity to direct more things, and I worked on a lot of projects. I learned how to make films by watching a lot of them, listening to conferences, reading books on the subject and by trying, and failing. My last project was an Ad for IKEA were the pieces of furniture of the house turned into human bodies, which was really fun to do. A bunch of people in underwear represented the furniture, some of them are actually good friends, and I asked them to embody a chair, a table or a lamp…
Tell us about ‘Crève la gueule ouverte’. How do you describe it?
CLGO's universe stems from a reflection on the relationship between human beings and their impulses, a desire to deal with the animality that lies dormant in human beings and against which we are forced to fight; a perpetual inner battle to control our instincts in a civilisation that is subject to ever stricter standards.
The future of our species seems uncertain, even threatened, and the film extrapolates from the problems of the present: in a world where ecological conditions have become lethal to human, what is left ?
The film offers a possible answer, as the characters are returned to their original condition : their bestiality. The Agent is shown wandering alone and silently, witnessing the decadence of his environment, just like the viewer. His rare attempts at communication end in violence, and become the territory of manipulation and displays of force.
As we discussed his personality with his interpreter, Thomas Carbonnel, the shape of his personality became clear: both ghostly and primitive. Le Passeur, a spokesman for a distant new world, controls him with the threat of an impossible renewal. Finally, Atsuko embodies the Agent's past humanity, using the power of the senses to dominate him and keep him a prisoner of his impulses.
In the different stages of the development of the story, it was crucial that the portrayal of the BDSM milieu in the film be controlled and respectful of the values of its community. When I met the members of this world, I was able to observe their openness, the importance of sharing, the in-depth discussions that punctuate their games and the respect for everyone's hidden desires. Communication was key, and this is what the conclusion of the story is about.
Since human beings are selfish by nature, and everyone defends their own interests, they are doomed to destruction and the theory of incommunicability.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
I was always inspired by genre films, even if I am open to all kind of styles, so I would say that I love to mix and use different aspects of them to create my own stories.
My first love would be for David Lynch and Alejandro Jodorowsky for their strong visual styles, they show you that everything is possible in terms of storytelling and that you’re not forced to follow the same patterns used in the majority of movies.
I’m a big fan of Westerns, so I also love Sergio Leone who, according to me, is the best director ever in term of shot selection and rhythm. I am also deeply touched by his use of music to highlight the emotions of the characters or build the scenes.
The movies of Henri-Georges Clouzot & Jean-Pierre Melville are major inspirations for their treatment of the detective genre, dialogues and melancholic endings. Their work relies on well-written scripts and strong characters who are often described by long moments of silence or deep introspection. It’s an approach which I feel strongly connected to.
Finally, I would also say that I love Italian cinema, especially Federico Fellini or Michelangelo Antonioni, for their work on rhythm or strong subjects (81/2 is probably one of the best movies I ever saw), Michael Haneke & Werner Herzog for their brilliant approach of “mise en scène” and actor direction, and extreme horror movies such as Martyrs by Pascal Laugier or Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which showed me that cinema could also explore something different from what you usually see.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
I have a lot of projects in mind, so a good budget would be a possibility to make them happen. I already wrote a feature film based in France after the Second World War, about a female detective hired by a famous screenwriter to find his wife. It actually talks about the emancipation of women at that time and explore the difficulty to reconstruct yourself and the relation to others after such traumatic events.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
To me preparation is key. I always work with a storyboard on which I have everything planned, it gives me the possibility to change and adapt very fast. I think the more prepared you are, the more space it gives you to create new things on set, change or delete shoots to stay on schedule.
Actually Crève la gueule ouverte was shot in four days with a really small budget, so a lot of things had to be reinvented on set because of the lack of time & money. Especially for a science-fiction short-film, you have to be very creative and adaptable to create a believable world without spending enormous amount of money. So I think this project was a good start as far as learn to adapt.
What was the hardest part of making ‘Crève la gueule ouverte’.
The biggest difficulty was to get in contact with the BDSM milieu and create a bond with them to have them in the movie. I had zero experience in it and no contact so it took me a year of exploration through Parisian clubs and parties. It was a really fun experience and I learned a lot of things doing this. The most interesting part is the shifting point of view it brings, because at first it was intimidating and scary, and now I’ve become friends with a lot of them.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work ?
Right now, I’m in the process of contacting production companies to find money to do a short detective movie, and eventually make my first feature film. I’m also in discussion to direct a teaser for a theater company play, who will be Sartres’ Huis Clos. In the meantime, I’m always working on new ideas on the side, new inspirations, new projects.
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