"Summer 85" should have been released during the Cannes Film Festival or in the fall, but the confinement changed the calendar. François Ozon talks about this daring date choice, his film, his next shoot and the latest Caesars.
Is going out just after the reopening of the rooms a militant act?
FRANÇOIS OZON . It is a gesture linked to the belief that the movie theater is important. It's also a poker game. We hope the audience will be there. The sanitary conditions are better and we found that people were fed up watching series on their computer… There are still few feature films on the bill, so the irony is that this “ petit »film without stars in the main roles is almost perceived as a blockbuster… So much the better!
You have wanted to make “Summer 85” for a long time…
Yes, I was 17 in 1985 when I read Aidan Chambers' book. I loved this story and I dreamed of seeing it adapted into a film. After the release of "Grâce à Dieu", which was trying because we were almost censored by justice, I wanted something lighter. I reread Chambers' novel and I was as touched as thirty-five years ago…
In this love story, homosexuality is not an issue…
This is why I liked the book: at the time, representations of homosexuality were always very negative, painful, sources of drama ... Or there was "La Cage aux folles"! There, we tell a universal love story and we don't care if it's two boys.
There is no sex scene in this film. Did you hesitate to shoot it?
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I filmed it! We said to ourselves "We're going to do our scenes at the Kechiche" (laughs) . It was a big part of giggles: we did the gay Kamasutra, that is to say that we shot still shots where we saw the actors in all possible positions. But from the shooting, I realized that it was not part of the story at all. Of course, there is something sexual between Alex and David, but the film talks about feelings first.
Just before confinement, you attended the Césars, where you were named for "Thanks to God" and where Polanski received the trophy for best director. How did you experience this evening?
I am used to it. At the Césars, I never win anything ... But I was delighted for Swann Arlaud, who saved the honor by making a magnificent speech (Editor's note: elected best actor in a supporting role for "Thanks to God", the actor gave tribute to the victims of pedophilia who inspired the film) . The Cesar by Polanski was perceived as a message when I think that, if it had not been for this rule which prevents a filmmaker from accumulating the Cesars for best film and best director, Ladj Ly would have won the two trophies . It is true that there is a base of rather old voters who voted Polanski also by provocation ... In any revolution, there is resistance, but things will change.
You are about to start your next film with Sophie Marceau…
Yes, we had to shoot in mid-March and we will finally shoot by the end of July. I can just tell you that we are going to shoot in the Paris region, in particular in a hospital, and a little in the provinces and that the film will be entitled "Everything went well". We will have to adapt to health rules, but I am delighted to find the plateau!
