a nicolas silhol film - unifrance€¦ · snowball effect. and i think that goes far beyond the...
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A NICOLAS SILHOL FILM
Starring
Céline Lambert Stéphane Violaine SALLETTE WILSON DE GROODT FUMEAU
Runtime:1:35–France–2016–1.85–Dolby5.1
FRENCH RELEASE DATE: APRIL 5TH
INTERNATIONALSALESIndieSalesCompany
Sales–NicolasEschbach(neschbach@indiesales.eu),ClémentineHugot(chugot@indiesales.eu)
&SimonGabriele(sgabriele@indiesales.eu)
Festivals&Sales–MartinGondre(mgondre@indiesales.eu)
SYNOPSIS
EmilieisabrightyoungworkaholicmanagerinHumanRessources,workingforahugeFrench
agro-foodcompany.Ambitiousanddedicatedtoherjob,sheisagoodsoldier,readytoput
ruthlessmethodsofmanagementintopracticetomeetthehigher-ups'requirements.
But,oneday,oneoftheemployeescommitssuicideatthecompanyinfrontofher.Afflictedby
theterrificdeathofhercolleague,shewilleventuallyrealizethatthecompanyhastotakeits
responsibilitytoo.
While an investigation in underway, stuck between her traumatized colleagues and under
pressureofapowerfulhierarchy,shewillhavetogetbyonherown.
INTERVIEWWITHNICOLASSILHOL
WheredidyougettheideaforCORPORATE?
I’vealwaysbeeninterestedinhumanrelationshipsinthecorporateworld.That’snotreallyan
accident, becausemy father teachesmanagement at a business school and works as an HR
consultant. I’ve spent longhours talking about these issueswithhim.My first short filmwas
alreadyaboutarole-playingexerciseatafuneralhome.Itwasmoreofacomedyanditportrayed
thecompanyasatheaterwhereeachindividualplaysaroleandsetsasidehisorherpersonal
feelings.
Then, like many of us, I was deeply shocked by the spate of suicides at France Télécom. I
discovered that “management through terror” can truly destroy lives and individuals. The
cynicismofFranceTelecom’sCEO,whosaiditwastimetoend“thesuicidecraze,”particularly
shockedme.Asifemployeeswereresponsiblefortheirownsuffering.
CORPORATEisn’tlimitedtoitssubject,itdealswithalargerissue:personalresponsibility.
Yes,fromthebeginning,whatreallyinterestedmewastheissueofresponsibility.Shouldthose
whodothedirtyworkbeheldresponsible?Shouldtheybeblamedforthedeathofanemployee
they were trying to break? The complexity of these legal and ethical questions was what
motivatedmetowritethefilm.
ThecharacterofEmiliewasbasedoninterviewswitharealHRmanager.Aftertellingmehowshe
hadverydeliberatelypressuredemployeestoleavethecompany,shesaidpointblank:“Iwon’t
beapartytothisanymore.”Tomeitwasaverycompellingandbravethingtosay. Itwasan
affirmationshewasbreakingwiththesystem.Ithinkthiskindofindividualpositioncanreally
shakethingsup,becauseinadditiontoliberatingyourself,youliberateeveryoneelse, ithasa
snowballeffect.AndIthinkthatgoesfarbeyondthecompany.
Butatfirst,Emiliebucksthesystemoutofpersonalinterest…
Thefirststepshetakestowardthelaborinspectorisaclearattempttosaveherownskin.Emilie
isproactive,andwhensheseesthesituationturningagainsther,shetakesthingsintoherown
handsandtriestonegotiatethetruthwiththeInspector.ThelastthingIwantedwastotellthe
storyofabadpersonwhoisrackedbyguiltandseeksredemption,orsuddenlyseestheevilof
herwaysandchangessides.Ididn’twanttheretobeclearlydefinedgoodguysandbadguys.In
CORPORATE,theissueismoreanethicalthanamoralone.Idon’twanttojudgeanyone.
What’sinterestingdramaticallyisthat,toturnonthecompany,Emilieendsuphavingtoturnon
herself.Attheendoftheinvestigation,theonlyproofshehasagainstthesystemisthisvideo
thatweighsonher.
Thefilmalsotellsthestoryofanemancipation…
At first, Emilie is indistinguishable fromher function and her uniform.As a human resources
manager, her job is to manage. She embodies the values of her company. Hence the title:
CORPORATE.Butbecauseofthepressurethecompanyputsonher,shegraduallyletsgo.Cracks
starttoshowinhermask.Shestartstoreconnectwithherownemotions,herbody,herfeelings.
Byacceptingresponsibility,shereconcileswithherself.I’vealwaysbeenfascinatedbycharacters
imprisoned by their functions, who struggle with their own role. I had already explored this
dialecticofprideandself-hatredinashortfilm,throughthecharacterofalow-browcomedian
chasedbyabloggerwhoendsupexposinghimselftoher.
Here,thecharacterisfemale…
Mysense is thatwomendoabetter jobat soul-searching thanmen,so I trust themmore to
change.Inanycase,Iwasinterestedinexploringwomen’sroleinthecorporateworld,andthe
waybodiesinteracttoo.Emiliehastriedtofitintowhatisstillamale-dominatedworldbyplaying
theroleexpectedofher,thatofthesexyandvirilefemaleexec.
Didyouresearcharealcompanywhenwritingthescript?
Theissuesareaboveallethicalandlegal,andhavelesstodowiththedailyoperationsofthe
company.MostlyI interviewedlaborinspectors.ItwasthroughtheireyesthatIdiscoveredall
thesemanagementtools–thestagesofmourning,forcedtransfers,behavioralevaluations.How
canyouproveacausallinkbetweenanemployee’ssuicideandhisorherworkingconditions?
Theyhavetodealwithverycomplexissues.Whatqualifiesasproof?Howcanmanagementmake
itdisappear?Ialsowantedtodojusticetothisprofession,whichgetsabadrapeventhoughtheir
workisnecessaryandfascinating.
I gota lotofenjoyment fromcreating thecharacterof the Inspector,MarieBorrel. She isan
outsidersetloosewithinthecompany.Likeabullinachinashoporagustofwindthatslams
doorsshut.Shegoeswherevershewants,sayswhatevershewants.Shepretendstobenaive,
she makes people uncomfortable… My co-writer Nicolas Fleureau and I often thought of
Colombo!
TalkaboutthemirroreffectbetweenherandEmilie…
First,Ithoughtoftheirrelationshiplikeaduel,aface-off,whichaccentuatestheirdifferences:the
HRDirectorvs.theInspector.Atfirstglance,thesearetwodiametricallyopposedwomen:Emilie
has a very controlled and sophisticated femininity,whereasMarie is spontaneous, generous,
provocative.Shehasalsomadehermarkinamaleworld,butinamuchfreerway.Still,beyond
theirdifferentuniformsandfunctions,Iwasinterestedintheirsimilaritiesandhowtheymanage
to forma team.Theyare the sameage,have similarpersonalities. They couldeasilybecome
friendsandgooutfordrinks.Thatdoesn’thappen,butthereisaconnectionbetweenthem.Each
recognizesherselfintheother.
Howdidyouapproachthevisualstyle?
IworkedcloselywithmyDP,NicolasGaurin.Inthecompany’soffices,wewantedtodissectthe
characterswith tight frames, toconfine themtopartitioned,glass spaces.Theyare restricted
metaphorically and figuratively.Wealsowanted to shiftpointsof view, to feel theweightof
everyone’seyesonEmilie,notablyinthefirstpart,whichissteepedinparanoiaandtension.For
the exteriors, which have more energy and life, we used handheld shots to create a more
naturalisticstyle.Wewantedthisoutsideworldtomakeitswayintothecompanythroughthe
characterofMarieBorrel.AsEmiliechanges,sodoesthefilmmakingstyle.Itbecomeslivelier,
moredynamic,Emiliebreaksoutoftheframe.Thefilmalsotakesabreakfromitselfwithvideo
andaudio footage. I loveusingothermedia tocreateakindof film-within-the-film,which I’d
alreadydoneinmyshorts.Thisraw,hyper-realisticfootageisliketheultimateproofofthetruth
behindthecharacters.
Whataboutthemusic?
Themusicisusedintwoways.Insidethecompany,fordramaticunderscoringtocreatetension
aroundtheinvestigation.Andoutsidethecompany,themusicisfreer,closertoAlexndreSaada’s
jazzyinspiration.It’sgentlertoo.
Emilie’shusbandisEnglish.
I seequitea fewbinational couplesaroundmeand thepossibilities intriguedme. It givesan
internationalscopetoEmilie’scharacterandbringsanothermentalitytobearontheworldof
work. Emilie’s husband isn’t particularly disturbed by events: “Shit happens,” he says. His
pragmatismandindividualismareveryBritish.
Andanyway, I like thatEmilie speaksEnglishathome.Herotherness isalsoembodied inher
relationshiptolanguageandwords.
WhatwereyougoingforwiththecharacteroftheHRDirector,playedbyLambertWilson?
I didn’t want him to be a stereotypical jerk. It’s the position he takes, that of evading all
responsibility,that’sshocking.Heisthecharacterwhomostforcefullyembodiesdenial.Lambert
has elegance and charisma, and at the same time he is likable to audiences because of his
sincerity.It’samixtureofsophisticationandhumanity.Plus,hisvoiceisamusicalinstrument.
WhydidyoucastCélineSalletteintheroleofEmilie?
Iimmediatelythoughtofherfromtheearliestversionsofthescript.Sheimpressedmeinallthe
rolesI’dseenherin.It’saboveallhereyesthattouchme.Theyexudeacombinationofsadness
andpower,apowerfulsadness!Ialsolikedthechallengeofnotchoosingsomebodyobviousfor
therole.Emilieisacoldwomanwhoiscutofffromheremotions.Shedoesn’treallyfittheprofile
of Céline, who is a very expressive actress and woman, very free, very empathetic. It was
stimulatingforthebothofustobuildacharacterwhowasverydifferentfromher.Mysensewas
theperformancewouldbemorepowerfulifCélinekeptheremotionsbottledup,andweonly
sawtheminhereyes.
AndwhydidyouchooseViolaineFumeautoplayMarie?
UnlikefortheroleofEmilie,Iwantedalessidentifiableactressforthispart,onewhocouldbe
believableinherjobandtiedtotherealworld.IhadalreadyworkedwithViolaineonmyshort
films.ThepartoftheLaborInspectorwasperfectforher.Shebringsmodernityandlifetothe
role:indignation,freedom,sensuality.ShespenttimewithreallaborinspectorsandIthinkshe
forgedaverypersonalconnectionwiththeirstruggle.ThoughCélineseemedquitedifferentfrom
thecharacter,ViolainewasperfectlycastastheInspector!
WhataboutStéphaneDeGroodt?
HehasanotherviewofEmilie,onethatissofterandkinderandshefindsthathardtobear.We
immediatelygrasphishumanness,heissweetbutawomanizer.MeanwhileIsawCharlyAnson,
whoplaysEmilie’shusband,inDowntownAbbey.Heisatthesametimesubtleandplayful.Very
British.Actually,CORPORATEbringstogetheractorsfromverydifferenthorizons.Thisvarietywas
importanttome.
Thefilmisprettyoptimistic.
Emilieisn’toutofthewoods,shedoesn’tgetvindicated,butshe’smadeastrongchoicewhichI
wantedtoapplaud.Herpathiscircuitous,complicated,butIwantedtosetapositiveexample.
Tome,she’sarealheroine.
FILMOGRAPHY–NICOLASSILHOL
2008TOUSLESENFANTSS’APPELLENTDOMINIQUE(20’)
ShortlistedfortheOscars2010,PrixFranceTélévisionl’Express2009,GrandPrixauFestivalde
Toronto2009.Thefilmwasalsoselectedatcloseto20internationalfestivals.
https://vimeo.com/52555161-Mdp:psychologique
2010L’AMOURPROPRE(35’)
SelectedatCannes’Critic’sWeekin2010,theshortwontheLutin2011forBestActorinastarring
role for XavierGallais. Itwas also selected at the Festival International du FilmdeClermont-
Ferrand2011,FestivaldufilmdeVendôme2010,FestivalduFilmcourtdeVilleurbanne(Prizefor
BestScript)in2010.
https://vimeo.com/52155860-Mdp:daniel
CASTEmilieTESSON-HANSENCélineSALLETTEStéphaneFRONCARTLambertWILSONVincentStéphaneDEGROODTMarieBORRELViolaineFUMEAUSophieAliceDELENCQUESAING
CREWDirectorNicolasSILHOLWritersNicolasSILHOLNicolasFLEUREAUCinematographyNicolasGAURINEditingFlorenceBRESSON
ProductionDesignSidneyDUBOISCastingTatianaVIALLESoundAntoineCORBINJulienROIGEmmanuelCROSETOriginalMusicMikeetFabienKOURTZERAlexandreSAADAProducerJean-ChristopheREYMONDKAZAKPRODUCTIONSAssociateProducerAmauryOVISEKAZAKPRODUCTIONSCo-ProducerAUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPESCINÉMAFrenchDistributionDIAPHANADISTRIBUTIONInternationalSalesINDIESALESAKazakProductionsandAuvergne-Rhône-AlpesCinémacoproduction,withtheparticipationofCanal+,Ciné+andtheRégionAuvergne-Rhône-AlpesinpartnershipwiththeCNC,inassociationwithManon 6, Cinémage 10, Cofinova 12, with support from PROCIREPand ANGOA, scriptdevelopedwithsupportfromtheCNC,Cinémage6Développement,Ciclic-RégionCentre-Val-de-Loire
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