Castagne, suspense, twists and turns, but not only that. With blazing sunJérome Pham Van Bouvier, director based in Dreux, pays homage to the “testosterone” films of the 80s while adding a touch of psychology. A punchy work!
Of Rambo to Expandableof Crystal Trap has Terminatorof The lethal weapon has Mission ImpossibleJérome Pham Van Bouvier is a fan of action films from the last 40 years. “Actually, I’m a movie buff, I like a lot of genres and periods,” he corrects. No wonder the Drouais wanted to start making it happen in the spirit of those who made him dream so much. blazing sun is his latest (lasting 40 minutes), succeeding Tin soldier. There are some good action scenes there., shot like choreographies that could be applauded by Sylvester Stallone himself or Tom Cruise himself. blazing sunco-produced with the Drouaise association of Cités Royales, will be visible from Monday November 11 on YouTube. Its director tells us more, in preview.
Where does this taste for castagne films come from?
Being a child of the 80s and video clubs. I grew up with this interest in forbidden VHS, of a certain transgression, while my parents were more into art films in the style of Satyajit Ray*. I had to find other outlets.
Anthony Darche hero of the film Private partners
A need to escape through books and films of course. I turned to the imagination, to film magazines (Premiere, The Fantastic Screen, Mad Movie,…) and films. I was nourished by Stalonne and the others, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger,… I also have an appetite for other registers, Italian cinema, genre cinema, horror.
Nassim Azrou (left) listens to the advice of the director, Jérome Pham Van Bouvier.
Are you the son of a big producer to have the means to make a film?
No way. I would have liked to study cinema, but my parents, from a medical background, did not see it favorably. My father, a dental surgeon, would have liked me to succeed him… It's true that making films is a childhood dream. I will remember all my life this French teacher in college who had the same style as Robin Williams in The Circle of Dead Poets. This old friend of Jodie Foster revealed to me that I was a big movie buff and encouraged me to follow a film career. Finally, I studied law.
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“I didn’t want to just make an action film, but to immerse the viewer in the journey of three characters”
You work in a liberal profession in Dreux which seems light years away from the world of cinema. Not frustrated?
I have always liked contrasts. I started by being the manager of a metal band while doing a job far from the light. The work is the concrete side.
blazing sun is not just an action film.
I wanted to immerse the viewer in the journey of three characters. As if they were imbued with some curse. The first has sunk into alcohol, the second is bored with his professional life and the third comes out of prison and is unable to reintegrate. It's a bomb ready to explode that will make the wrong choices. This film highlights the acting, I wanted him to do acting.” We go further into psychology.
A town of Dreux at the heart of a film.
No need to have seen Tin soldier to understand?
Of course. I had fun following these three trajectories which ended up colliding with a shocking scene. It's a bit of a continuation of Tin soldier and its three main characters, Mickaël, Niko and Tony. We wanted to know what had become of them. There are just references that specialists and film buffs will note in particular to the Italian thriller of the 70s. There is a transgressive, nasty, cruel side. While keeping the black humor.
“There is a wealth of landscapes and settings in the Dreux region”
The film was shot in Dreux and its region. Is this cinematic territory?
Of course. There is a wealth of landscapes and settings. We filmed in various locations including the green and wooded setting of the Château de Marmousse in Garnay. We also went to Fontaine-les-Ribouts, Sorel-Moussel,… and even to the premises that housed a notarial office.
Is it more difficult to shoot a stunt scene than a comedy scene?
The difficulties are different, but it remains complex despite everything in terms of staging. For an action scene, the team works on a choreography and then it's up to me to think about how to film it without it appearing fake, and also to make it beautiful, to honor the work of the choreographies that are Nassim, Yohan…. For a dialogue or comedy scene, I need to give dynamism, so as not to fall too far into the shot/reverse shot. Even if it comes up sometimes obviously, but it's all about playing with framing, on camera inputs, different focal lengths, etc. On the other hand, for a comedy, a dialogue scene, you have to pay attention to the acting of the actors, knowing how to find the right note/tone. Casually, I would say Draw, everything is difficult!
What do you expect from blazing sun ?
May it please as many people as possible and provoke reactions. I hope to get as much feedback as possible. We are already thinking about a sequel, Leaden sleep.
Which actor would you like to work with?
Actor and director Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, Looper, Star Wars, Le flic de Beverly Hills,…) but also Christian Bale. Among the French, I would say François Civil. I have the beginnings of a script with the director Thibault Turcas where I imagine the roles with Pio Marmaï, Kad Merad, François Civil, etc.
Do you have an ambition for Sun of Lead?
Which movie would you like to live in?
Susie and the Baker Boys is a film directed by Steve Kloves starring Jeff Bridges, and Michelle Pfeiffer. If I could see her sing for a whole evening, that would be wonderful. She is the shock of my adolescence.
Satyajit Ray is an Indian filmmaker (The Visitor, The Hero, The Golden Fortress, The Branches of the Tree, …)
Blazing sun. De Jérome Pham Van Bouvier. Scénario Anthony Darche, Jérome Pham Van Bouvier and Thibault Turcas. Avec Nassim Azrou, Yohan Jore, Anthony Darche, Jérôme BEenoit, Kioko Barral, Gwenael Pigat,… Launches on Monday 11 November at 11 am, on Youtube.
Olivier Bohin
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