| Interview
with the Writer/Director
Where did you get the idea for HE LOVES ME,
HE LOVES ME NOT…?
When
I was at the Ecole Louis Lumière, I chose the theme of madness
in cinema for my thesis. The idea for this film sprung from that
experience. I wrote an initial draft, which I spent the next four
years revising. I completed six drafts before even beginning the
dialogues. I wanted the screenplay's structure to be perfect, believable
and as flowing as possible. I then submitted the script to Charles
Gassot, who felt a few areas needed further work. He introduced
me to Caroline Thivel, who helped refine some of the dialogues and
better define some of the characters.
Can you tell us more about the story's three
parts?
In
the initial draft, the first part about Audrey was quite long, the
second part concerning Samuel was short, followed by an even shorter
epilogue. I realized a better balance between the first two parts
was needed in order for the film to truly be "bi-polar,"
like two sides of the same coin, knowing the two parts were quite
different.
How
did you maintain the balance of these two parts while you were filming?
Each
part presented unique difficulties. In the first part, which could
have been called "Angélique or Passion and Energy",
all the clues to the intrigue had to be incorporated in such a way
as to not make them too obvious to the audience. No one knows yet
if this is a suspense film. The risk in using this approach was
having the beginning of the film be too classical, almost like a
banal love story, because we don't understand the importance of
each element. The solution to avoid that was to make it very lively,
very fast, to allow me to slip in my clues.
What
about the second part ?
The
difficulty in the second part was to reshoot certain scenes, with
the risk of a possible boredom and a dangerous systematism. I had
to find new angles, because even though those scenes were the same
they were shown from Loïc's perspective.
Why
did you choose this specific narrative structure?
I wanted
to make a suspense film, a thriller, and not just an ordinary love
story. Romantic passion is at the foundation of the intrigue. When
I saw THE SIXTH SENSE two years ago, I loved the final twist, which
allowed the audience to see the film from a different point of view.
I love the concept of a film, which shows very little, in which
the audience imagines they see much more.
Did
you research your subject before writing the screenplay?
I read
several books by Lacan, Freud, Benoît, Dalle and Clerambault.
I also consulted many psychiatrists.
This
film reminds us of François Truffaut's LA FEMME D'A COTE
(THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR). What are your cinematographic references?
Strangely
enough, my references have little to do with my film. My three favourite
filmmakers are Roman Polanski for ROSEMARY'S BABY and REPULSION
Tim Burton for EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and Jane Campion for THE PIANO.
I was also influenced by Hitchcock's PSYCHO for its theme of manipulation
and the final twist.
You
paid close attention to details such as colors and fragrance.
Yes.
Audrey has great imagination, and I felt it important to develop
various details, which reflect this, such as the desert plant under
glass. The plant doesn't really exist, but in the film it represents
Angélique in all her moods. As for my choice of colors, I
wanted the costumes, lights and sets to have a certain harmony,
a red world for Angélique, and a blue one for Loïc,
her passionate universe versus his very medical, scientific one.
I didn't want this to be superficial symbols, and I strove to justify
the effects I chose.
Why
did you want Audrey Tautou to play Angélique ?
At first I thought I would play Angélique, but I quickly
realized that would be too complicated, especially as this was my
first feature film. I wanted someone who projected the opposite
of what they really are, that's to say violent, harsh, at times
even unlikable. I immediately thought of Audrey.
When
did you contact her?
I offered
her the role while she was on an international promotional tour
for "Amelie from Montmartre ". The role frightened her,
but she couldn't get it out of her mind and she eventually accepted.
Why
did you make Angélique an artist?
Because
she paints what she imagines, what she'd like reality to be.
Why
did you want Samuel le Bihan to play Loïc ?
I saw
him in the stage adaptation of "A Streetcar Named Desire",
about three years ago, and thought he was fantastic. This was before
he was in "Jet Set" or "Brotherhood of the Wolf".
I wrote the role of Loïc thinking of him.
When
did you contact him?
He
had just completed "Brotherhood of the Wolf" and didn't
have another project right away. He accepted the role immediately.
Do
you feel making Samuel a cardiologist pushed the symbolism a bit
too far?
He's
a doctor for reasons of realism. Without revealing too much of the
film, I just wanted to point out that patients often become fixated
by their physicians. I believe making him a cardiologist, goes beyond
the obvious, it allows for the strange and scientific aspect of
the heart to be examined.
How
did you approach the camera work?
I wanted
to have a very clear and precise vision of the scenes in my head
before shooting began. I wanted Angélique filmed in a way,
which entered her zone of energy, thus the camera is always moving.
I used a lot of long lens shots, which give little depth of field,
making the background blurred and abstract, and focusing the attention
on the characters. This corresponds with Angélique's character.
It was almost the opposite for Loïc; I used much less movement,
and softer elements. I used short lens, which give a more objective,
less passionate vision, one, which is more " real ".
What
about lighting?
With
Director of Photography Pierre Aim, we tried to incorporate certain
colours in each part, without going as far as Steven Soderbergh
did in TRAFFIC with the use of orange and blue filters. For HE LOVES
ME, HE LOVES ME NOT… we wanted Angélique to be bathed
in a warm light and sunlight. We chose a colder, less direct lighting
for Loïc. To this we added a certain evolution of the characters'
environments. As the story progresses, the decor fades away. The
warm lighting found at the beginning of the film gives way to something
more unsettling. The costumes change as well.
Can
you expand on that?
Loïc
becomes progressively untidier. This can be seen in small details
like his forgetting to wear a tie to work. Angélique's clothes
go from bright red, to a more somber burgundy-purple as the story
progresses.
Was
it important for you to shoot the film in your hometown of Bordeaux
?
Yes,
it was. I wrote the scenes with Bordeaux in mind. It was a fantastic
experience to have involved my family and local technicians and
actors that I know.
Did
you shoot in order of the scenes?
No,
we couldn't because of the availability of the actors and the complexity
of the film's structure and sets. We determined the production schedule
around these various parameters.
Is
the end result what you imagined it would be?
Exactly.
And even better, thanks to the crew.
What
about your future projects?
I'd
like to continue directing and acting, but not together.
Erotomania
Erotomania
can be defined as a psychological disorder in which the afflicted
relentlessly pursues the notion that the object of his/her affection
reciprocates his/her romantic feelings and/or fantasies. This obsession
with the desired individual continues long after that individual
has asserted that he/she is not interested in pursuing a romantic
relationship with the afflicted. Consequently, erotomaniacs tend
to stalk their victims. It has been postulated that those who stalk
suffer from a basic fault in their capacity to have relationships
with others. (Lipson et al., 1998).
Though
brought to light with the Tarasoff case, Erotomania continues to
be considerably new in the literature and consequently little research
has been done to suggest any consistent hypothesis as to causality.
Characteristic of the erotomaniac (generally across the board) are
the following: irrationality, a tendency toward impulsive actions,
obsessiveness, paranoia, psychotic tendencies. Typically the erotomaniac
shares certain behavioral characteristics consistent with that of
a Borderline.
The
erotomaniac tends to begin with simple, subtle expressions of affection
to reach the object of his/her desire which later spirals out of
control and can lead to expressions of anger, rage, frustration
and violence when such gestures go ignored and the victims continues
to assert lack of interest. Strangely the erotomaniac fails altogether
to see the victim's lack of interest. The erotomaniac attributes
lack of positive response to a litany of things.
Finally,
the erotomaniac is psychotic and no longer in reality. Any reaction
from the victim can be construed as a signal of approval. Returning
to the case of my stalker, Louise believed the act of my boyfriend
taking a restraining order out against her was somehow indicative
of encouragement to continue to call and visit him and so she did
continue, persisting even after countless arraignments, community
service and jail time.
- excerpted
from www.angelfire.com
Biographies
Audrey Tautou - Angélique
Audrey's
work includes AMELIE FROM MONTMARTRE ;VENUS BEAUTE INSTITUTE (César
2001-Most Promising Young Actress); VOYOUS VOYELLES; MARRY ME; THE
LIBERTINE; THE BEATING OF THE BUTTERFLY'S WINGS; DIEU EST GRAND:
JE SUIS TOUTE PETITE; HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT; HAPPENSTANCE;
L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE; LES MARINS PERDUS; DIRTY PRETTY THINGS
Samuel
Le Bihan - Loïc
Samuel's
work includes DIRTY LIKE AN ANGEL; SUMMER STROLLS; PLACE OF ANOTHER;
THREE COLORS: RED; A FRENCH WOMANCAPTAIN CONAN; LE A VENDRE; BARBARIC
YEARS; RESTONS GROUPES;VENUS BEAUTE INSTITUTE; NEW DAWN; TOTAL WESTERN;
JET SET; BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF; HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT;
A PRIVATE AFFAIR; SHOOTING STARS; LA MENTALE
Isabelle Carré - Rachel
ROMUALD ET JULIETTE; LA REINE BLANCHE; BEAU FIXE (Nominated for
1993 César of Most Promising Young Actress); THE HORSEMAN
ON THE ROOF (Nominated for 1996 César of Most Promising Young
Actress); BEAUMARCHAIS THE SCOUNDREL; THE BANNED WOMAN (1998 Romy
Schneider Prize, Nominated for César of Most Promising Young
Actress); LES SOEURS SOLEIL; LA MORT DU CHINOIS; SUPERLOVE; CHILDREN
OF THE MARSHLAND; THE CHILDREN OF THE CENTURY; LA BUCHE; TOMORROW'S
ANOTHER DAY; L'ENVOL; BELLA CIAO; SE SOUVENIR DES BELLES CHOSES;
HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT… She has also performed on stage,
winning the 1993 Arletty Prize (theatrical performance) and 1999
Molière for Best Performance in " Mademoiselle Elise.
"
Clement Sibony - David
EMMENE
MOI; PORTRAITS CHINOIS (Shadow Play); FRENCH KISS; DEJA MORT; SENTIMENTAL
EDUCATION; A MAJOR INCONVENIENCE; COURS TOUJOURS; DEEP IN THE WOOD;
L'ENVOL Interprétation Prize at 2000 Moscow Film Festival;
LE VEILLEUR; HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT…
Sophie Guillemin - Héloïse
L'ENNUI
(1999 César Nominee for Most Promising Young Actress); ON
FAIT COMME ON A DIT; WITH A FRIEND LIKE HARRY; (2001 César
Nominee for Most Promising Young Actress); TOMORROW'S ANOTHER DAY;
DU COTE DES FILLES ; HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT…; INTRUSION;
CHUT.
Laetitia Colombani - Writer/Director
HE
LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT… is Laetitia's first feature film.
She studied at
Ecole Louis Lumiere for three years and wrote and directed two short
films produced by: "Le Dernier Bi " in 1998 and "
Mémoire de Puce " in 1999. Laetitia Colombani has also
been a theatre actor and has studied at the Conservatoire of the
10th district in Paris.
Charles
Gassot - Producer
MORTELLE
RANDONNEE ; LA VIE EST UN LONG FLEUVE TRANQUILLE ; LES MARIS, LES
FEMMES, LES AMANTS; TATIE DANIELLE; MECHANT GARCON; LA CITE DE LA
PEUR; PRIEZ POUR NOUS; AU PETIT MARGUERY; LE BONHEUR EST DANS LE
PRE; BEAUMARCHAIS , L'INSOLENT; UN AIR DE FAMILLE; MAUVAIS GENRE;
CEUX QUI M'AIMENT PRENDRONT LE TRAIN; LE POULPE; MERCI POUR LE GESTE;
LE GOUT DES AUTRES (Taste of Others); INTIMITE (Intimacy); TANGUY;
HE LOVES ME, HE LOVES ME NOT…
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