Who: Brice Cauvin is first a scriptwriter, then a director’s assistant, B.Cauvin became a director in 2005 with the multi-awarded film Hotel Harabati – awarded by the American magazine Variety and listed as one of the 10 best films of the year by Sight & Sound-. His second feature film The Easy Way Out, an adaptation of Stephen McCauley’s novel is already featured in many festivals’ selections (La Réunion, Istanbul, San Fransisco, Moscou, Kiev, etc).
What: His feature film The Easy Way Out, will be screening as the closing film at this year’s Cinefranco 2015 festival , running from April 10 to 19 in the city of Toronto.
Why: An exploration on the reasons and motivations behind maintaining relationships.
L’art de la Fugue is based on the book, “The Easy Way Out” (1992) by American author Stephen McCauley, what was it about that particular literary work that caught your attention?
What i liked in the book was the complexity of the characters. I think a good film is only made with good characters. If characters have depth and enough ambiguity, they create interesting situations. I adapted the characters into a french context and it has create changes. Many situations are new and don t exist in the book but I think its the best way to adapt. It s More important to be faithful, respectful to an atmosphere than to a situation. Because you don’t show characters in a film like you do in a book.
I tried to keep the themes and atmosphere I felt when reading the book
The film focuses on the myriad of ways people, in this case 3 brothers as they attempt to find a balance between the compromises they need to make to maintain their relationships, and their more urgent needs and desires, do you find this to be a general commentary on the way people relate to each other in the western world?
For me truth only exists when there is a contradiction. If things are clear or neat it I’ll die or disappear soon! Most people want to live like in a still picture. I think it s a big mistake. When things are complicated it means they are alive
Most of the characters are like this in the film. What Antoine learns at the end, is to accept this idea of fragility. That’s why he is able to leave. Maybe he comes back but the idea that he was able to leave is more important.
It is better to do things and to realize it is a mistake than never to do nothing
What are you working on next? Does it relate in any way to the themes in your previous work?
My next project is the portrait of one couple through many couples. Different actors will play the same couple
I don’t know if my previous work is related to this film. I just know I am interested by the idea of doubt. I feel alive with doubts now that i accept them. I also like to mix styles: comedy and drama. Comedy has to be born out of drama. În France a critic called my work “melanchomic”.
L’art de la Fugue Trailer:
Links: