How was the idea ofA bear in the Jura ?
Franck Dubosc : « I wanted to create a feature film that was a mix of genres, something out of pure comedy, but where we found my style of characters. I ended up going with this rural thriller story, because it's the kind of film I like to see in the cinema. »
What types of films do you like? ?
« Surprisingly, given my career, I don't go to see a lot of pure comedy. I vary the genres. What I like above all is character cinema, as in The Big Mouths with Lino Ventura and Bourvil, or Fargo of the Coen brothers. »
“We fell in love with the Jura”
We can't help but think about Fargo when we discover your film…
« I am not going to deny this resemblance, I even assume it ! (laughs) We have the same ingredients : snow, humor and blood ! It's logical that people compare us. »
And when it comes to snow, you have chosen the Jura. For what ?
« As the story begins with the arrival of drug traffickers, it had to take place in a border region. While doing the scouting, we fell in love with the Jura. Especially since the location of the story, a village with harsh winters, where people are a little distant but all know each other, suited the region perfectly. »
“For the first time, I felt like a director and not just a director of actors”
How you wrote your characters ?
« I tried to be as close as possible to people's daily lives because that's all I know how to do, I only know how to write reality. As the story takes place during the holidays, the scenario includes, for example, the problem of gifts that we no longer give because we don't have enough money. The main characters, Cathy and Michel [joués par Laure Calamy et Franck Dubosc, NDLR] form a couple where there are major communication problems, the birth of their son has paradoxically pushed them apart. And in the writing, each character, even secondary, had to have a connection with reality, whether social or sentimental. This is where the comedy of the film comes from, when these people, who we could take for our neighbors, are confronted with extraordinary situations. »
Extraordinary situations which lead to scenes closer to the thriller : how you experienced them as a director ?
« For the first time, I felt like a director and not just an actor's director. It was very pleasant. But I'm not going to leave my real-life characters just yet. I'm not going to start making a superhero movie ! (laughs) »
What we thought of the film
Let's immediately cut the suspense : yes, Franck Dubosc saw well Fargono, the star of Camping will not be the surprise succession of the Coen brothers. Once we have left this almost obligatory comparison, what remains for A bear in the Jura ? Well quite a few things actually. Because this film allows us to reconcile comedy and the cherished themes of Dubosc the comedian (the weariness of the couple in particular), with a new genre, the snowy thriller, to allow Dubosc the director to refresh his style.
Because apart from the somewhat hasty resolution of its third act, the police part is sufficiently robust that the humor never fails. Franck Dubosc also relies on a solid cast : Laure Calamy in a “Calamian” character as in My Inseparablereleased last week – Benoît Poelvoorde, Joséphine de Meaux and Mehdi Meskar in kindly lost gendarmes – or a colorful appearance by Emmanuelle Devos.
The only criticism that can be made of A bear in the Jurais that the bear of the title quickly disappears from the story. If that's all…
A bear in the Jura by Franck Dubosc, in theaters from this Wednesday January 1st. Duration: 1 hour 53 minutes.
