REPRISE
Q&A with Joachim Trier		 Search all of phase9.tv






Movie interview by Neils Hesse

Interview at The Covent Garden Hotel in London

So I guess you’ve been doing this all day!

It’s only been three today so this is the final one, the one that I will enjoy!

So was the art of film your second or first love?

I have made films since I was a kid. Like many other people I grew up with super 8 cameras. I made animations before I could write and did videos with my friends and stuff like that, but I didn’t understand that I could sort of try to make a living out of it. I grew up in a film family, my parents work in film, so I guess it’s the first love.

So are you happy with the end result of REPRISE or is there anything now that you’ve watched the film that you would like to change?

That’s a hard question. Film is such a process oriented art form. There are so many millions of elements that come into play and are constantly changing. You have to try and keep focus on your intentions somehow. Half the time you don’t really know what you’re doing. You are aiming for something but everything is up against you. You have very little time as you have the process to consider, even just the weather - you want sun in your shot and you get rain! It’s always the art of compromise, so I guess I’m pleased with the final shots. What’s important to me now is what it means to an audience. I’m sort of done with it, I’ve wrapped it up and I’m setting it out there. I hope fingers crossed that it’ll mean something to someone.

Did you get any pointers from Lars Von Trier?

No he’s not a close relative, he’s further out in my family.

If you were in my position, if you were critiquing this film, what genre would you put it in?

I would have a big problem putting it in a genre. I am not a big believer in genre. We are leaning up against a classical coming of age drama you know, in a way like a bunch of guys in a small city, traditionally like in I VITTELONI by Fellini but also in America like AMERICAN GRAFFITI, as well as THE LAST PICTURE SHOW or DINER from the eighties. Even AMERICAN PIE in some strange way is a part of that group friendship dynamic thing. I do however hope that we transcend that. I hope that we have done something that’s new.

Do you intend to explore your acting side any more?

As an actor, no. I’ve been forced in front of the camera by being in film school, we had to direct each other.

Do you have a dream project?

I’m doing that next

Are you happy to talk a bit about what you’re doing next?

No Not yet

Is there any favourite character in this film or any other films that you would say is comparable to yourself?

I think that you put a lot of yourself into your characters, at least I do. I co-wrote the film with an old friend of mine. It’s not like we are one of the characters each, I think we try to connect with each of the characters. I’ll give you an example. In the film there’s like almost an antagonist, a guy they meet at a party and he’s kind of an asshole so they don’t like him. So we thought that if we make him just stupid it wouldn’t be interesting so in fact I was actually considering playing that part myself. The stupidest person is what I thought… yes I could play that part. You need to love all the characters, understand their logic, you don’t need to agree with them but you have to understand their logic.

Seeing as skateboarding is another of your passions and you have previously won a championship in it, do you have any plans to make a skateboarding film?

I have done, when I was in my teens. I made a lot of skateboarding videos, that’s where I come from.

So you wouldn’t want to make another one?

No but I hear rumours that Wim Wenders is doing one.

Given the chance would you direct a big action blockbuster which has a weak story, fantastic special effects and plenty of money?

No, I have been approached on big studio movies and I’m not interested. I want to do stuff that I have a very personal relationship with. I am not against action movies, maybe there’s an interesting action movie to be done and I’ll try to do that one, but it would have to be something that’s a twisted version of a known genre. I am not looking to work with huge budgets because it limits your freedom in that too many people are looking to make their money back and so everyone does it safe.

Are there any British film actors you would want to work with?

That’s a good question. I think that there are many interesting people, what’s Ralph Fiennes doing at the moment? I’ll tell you who, Christian Bale, a very, very interesting actor with an amazing ability for transformation.

So why did you choose to come and study film here in the UK?

The national film school was the main film school in the world that I wanted to get into so when I got an opportunity and I got through the workshops, it was almost like a reality show, first the interview and then a workshop and I got in. I needed to train my ability to work with actors. At the time I had made many short films but I didn’t have the confidence to work with actors and I wanted to learn to work in English, so for me it was really a great opportunity to get in.

Continued on page 2



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