Simon (Hakim Jemili), Adélaïde (Camille Lou) and their children leave their Parisian life and buy a house in the countryside. The prospect of a peaceful and green life collapses when they discover that their garden is also… a hunting ground! And, worse, the season is open? For this film, the two directors brought together Didier Bourdon (who recently opened up about his authorship), Thierry Lhermitte, Chantal Ladesou, and even David Salles. A mixture as chaotic as it is harmonious which, it seems, appealed. 1,924,712 people went to French cinemas to discover Private preservebroadcast Saturday November 16, 2024 at 9:06 p.m. on Canal+. But what gave the idea for this totally crazy film to its two directors, Antonin Fourlon and Frédéric Forestier?
How was the idea for the film born? Private preserve ?
“I wrote this story during the confinement that I spent with my two young children, in sixty square meters in Paris. I wanted wide open spaces, I fantasized about moving into this house that I was describing. Around me, many friends were leaving.explains Antonin Fourlon in the press kit for the film. Then the idea of this clash of cultures between city dwellers and hunters was born. But if the film sometimes seems a little hysterical, the message intended by the directors is of a positive nature. “It's more of a film of reconciliation between the hunters I met who are often mocked and themselves who ridicule the neo-rural people who know nothing about the countryside, the wild. Both camps can be equally ridiculous in showing that, on both sides, there are great people”. And to play each other, in the main roles, they chose Hakim Jemili, Camille Lou (in the casting of Cat’s Eyes) and Didier Bourdon. Which was not easy to convince. “It wasn’t immediate. He met us several times, he took the time to think about it. And little by little he felt at ease,” explains Frédéric Forestier, while his co-director specifies: “We reworked his character a little. He didn't want to make a joke, he wanted it to be documented and true. What was decisive, I think, was when I told him: Bernard exists, I know, he's my cousin”. Also questioned, the person concerned admits: “I wanted to break away from the sketch that had become famous about the hunters that the Unknowns had created in 1991. I wanted the film to be more in the measure than this sketch was.
These difficult scenes to shoot for the directors of the film
Once everyone was convinced, the directors of Private preserve had to face difficulties on the set. The banquet scene, in particular, caused them a lot of trouble. “It took us two and a half days and still it was just right. When there are a lot of characters you think that you never have enough time to film everyone well. The set was extremely noisy, populated by numerous extras, the stifling heat of August Between each shot everyone went out, it took time for everyone to return to their places.explains Frédéric Forestier. But it's not the only one. Because who says hunting film, says animals. In greater or lesser numbers, and above all more or less real… To simplify the task, the directors had to make choices. “The scenes with the cat were rather difficult. For the rest, there are a few wild boars but mainly animatronics and digital effects. As much as you can train a dog, it's more complicated with a wild boar or deer”admits Frédéric Forestier. Despite the difficulties, the film managed to be put together, released around the end of year holidays in 2023 and above all to find its audience. A double success, the same year, for Didier Bourdon who also played in Cocoricoan original film to say the least, bringing together 1,956,846 spectators.
