As the French New Wave was blooming in the 60s, director Arnaud Desplechin<\/b> was born in the small town of Roubaix, known for being the poorest town in France. During his childhood, Desplechin found his getaway from books and watching films on TV at his grandparents.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a sad child, far away from Paris. I was trapped in my house and just read books. Through them I could flee away.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ambiguity and complexity of images fascinated the young cinephile. Desplechin knew from early on that he wanted to work with films, but never thought he could achieve his dream from the periphery.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was amazed that the adult world is giving tribute to things that belong to childhood. I wanted to be a director, although I didn\u2019t know what this person does. It\u2019s still a mystery for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Against all odds and his parents will, Desplechin got to film school in Paris. Since the 1990s, he has made it as one of the most notable French filmmakers, creating cohesive and recognizable oeuvres. Desplechin depicts a certain lack of vision that has always existed, cruelty towards people who are unsure in the midst of life\u2019s abundant offerings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am hiding myself behind each of my characters,\u201d the director admits.<\/p>\n
Desplechin has gradually assembled his regular cast and crew, including Mathieu Amalric<\/b>, Emmanuelle Devos<\/b>, Thibault de Montalembert<\/b>, Emmanuel Slinger<\/b> and even his brother \u00a0\u2013 Fabrice Desplechin<\/b>. As we know from film history, this has been a necessary requirement for most great filmmakers in directing outstanding films.<\/p>\n
Desplechin\u2019s recurring character, Paul D\u00e9dalus<\/b> (Mathieu Amalric) is a similar icon to his director as Truffaut<\/b>\u2019s Antoine Doinel, repeatedly played by Jean-Pierre L\u00e9aud. D\u00e9dalus is a similar wanderer to Doinel, but from another generation: an unsure character that ponders on the existential, between education and companions. Besides having his main actors, Desplechin mixes different genres and actors from different backgrounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also love to show that we are all diverse, that we don\u2019t always fit together. I want to show that there are so many ways of being a human. Each of us has our own voice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Having escaped the small city life through cinema, Desplechin is still using the aesthetics of Roubaix in most of his films \u2013 like in his newest feature Oh Mercy! <\/i>(2019), <\/i>premiering in Finland at the Midnight Sun Film Festival.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have certain directors I think when I wake up. One is Francois Truffaut<\/b>, I was astonished by the art of his storytelling. But I\u2019m particularly proud of having lived and embraced the premiere of Bergman\u2019s Fanny and Alexander<\/i> and (Lanzmann\u2019s) Shoah<\/i>. I was there at a right age, at a right time. These films shocked and inspired me at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Desplechin mentions also Frederick Wiseman<\/b>, Claude Lanzmann<\/b>, Jean-Luc Godard, <\/b>Alfred<\/b> Hitchcock<\/b> and Ingmar Bergman<\/b> as important influencers to his filming career. But if just one movie should be chosen on a deserted island, Desplechin would choose The Age of Innocence<\/i> by Martin Scorsese<\/b>.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t take Shoah with me, because it is quite depressing… But I could take The Age of Innocence<\/i>, since it contains beautiful characters. It fulfills your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n