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damndaehyung · 3 years

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Fours a crowd

JTMD Au ll Part 2

“Is it wrong that i am a little nervous,” Emily asked as they stepped into the Kappa Alpha Theta house. It was Emily’s first college party and technically Daniel’s as well. On the way here she had been more than excited constantly telling Daniel that she didn’t need him to look after her but now she was a little more nervous.

“No,” Daniel said with a shake of his head and a squeeze of her hand... “But you don’t need to be, I am here to make sure you make it through your first college party unscathed,” and untouched he thought, the only reason he came along was to make sure no boys got brave. He sighed surely a sorority party would have fewer men at them.

“Emily,” In seconds a girl yelled out from the other side of the room, Daniel and Emily turned to see a light brown haired girl waving at them with a wide smile. Beside her was a dark-haired girl who looked like she was looking at Daniel like she was trying to telepathically blow him up.

“Your friends?” Daniel asked raising an eyebrow fixing his own glare at the darker haired girl. Emily nodded, grabbing Daniel’s arm along. “Emily i don’t remember agreeing to meet your friends,” he whined as she pulled him through the crowds. “I am only interested in Sungjae, not these ones,” he complained.

“Soomin, Mimi,” Emily giggled as soon as they got to the pair, pulling each of them in for a quick hug. “This is my cousin, Daniel, Daniel, these are my friends Soomin,” she nodded the bright smiling one and “Eunmi,” she said the girl who was still glaring at Daniel.

“Wow is everyone in your family pretty,” Soomin pouted. Daniel snorted starting to ask if they had seen Jessica only to get an elbow to the ribs from Emily.

“Aren’t you a little too old to be hanging out with freshmen?” Eunmi said. “Don’t you have any friends?”

“Mimi don’t be rude,” Another girl said, arms linked with a boy, Daniel was ready to snap at him if even looked at Emily. . “Hi you must be Daniel, we’ve heard so much about you,” the girl spoke as Daniel turned to Emily wondering what exactly she had been telling these people. “I’m Nora and this guy is David,” she said nodding her head to the boy beside her. Daniel turned to his full attention to the boy, raising an eyebrow at the way he squirmed under his gaze. Oh, he thought, a smirk making its way onto his face he didn’t worry about David at all.

“Right well it was nice to meet you Soomin, Nora and David,” he said, winking at the younger boy who flushed. “I am going to leave you guys to do whatever it is you do,” he said turning to Emily. “What were the rules?” he asked Emily who groaned.

“Don’t drink any drinks that aren’t in an unopened bottle, don’t go anywhere without a friend and if a guy gets handsy with me knee him in the groin and then curb stomp him while he is done,” she repeated as Daniel nodded along proudly, he had taught her so well.

“Perfect, I’ll be around if you need me,” he said, pecking her cheek and glaring at that Eunmi girl one last time. He didn’t know what her problem was but it was now a mutual problem, he’d be having a talk with Emily about getting better friends. Maybe she could hang out with Sungjae outside of work, that would make things so much easier, no more having to go to that cafe every single day and only getting a few minutes of Sungjae’s attention.

He made his way to where the drinks were, grabbing a bottle of Heineken from the cooler, shaking his head as he downed it. He wasn’t a fan of beer let alone light beer that couldn't even give him a light buzz. Daniel stood against the wall, the scowl on his face hopefully made it clear that he wasn’t interested in interacting with anyone.

“I am sorry I’d really love to chat with you but i promised my friend over here a dance,” A girl said coming to stand next Daniel patting his arm as her male accomplice looked him up and down an unimpressed look on his face. Why this guy thought he had any right to be unimpressed by Daniel when he was literally wearing a Ralph Lauren polo shirt to a party. He turned to the girl ready to tell her off for including him in whatever silly game she was playing until their eyes met and he could see the desperation in her eyes.

“Yes i am sorry,” Daniel said dryly, “my friend pinky promised so i guess she will just have to miss whatever witty conversation you were going to have,” he said rolling his eyes. “If you’d excuse us,” he said holding his hand out for the woman, she slid his hand into it laughing as Daniel twirled around her. “We have a dancefloor waiting for us, by-ee,” he said wink as he lead the girl onto the dancefloor.

Once they were out of view Daniel immediately dropped the girls hand spinning around to glare at her raising an eyebrow. “What was that about?” he all but spat. “If that was some scheme to try and get in my pants boy do i have news for you,” he said sarcastically.

“No shit sherlock,” The girl said with an eye roll. “I figured my server lack of penis would be a deal killer,” she snorted as Daniel looked at her incredulously. “Look i didn’t mean to drag you into anything but i am so tired of frat boys trying to chat me up while also attempting to feel me up,” she snapped. “I only came to this party since its my last year here and I really just wanted to have fun,” she said.

“That was an acceptable reason I suppose,” Daniel said tilting his head to the side. “Why you decided to come to this party to have fun doesn’t make sense but who am I to judge you,” he shrugged.

The girl laughed. “Okay fair but i do get the feeling you are judging me to the moon and back,” she said as Daniel shrugged with a sheepish grin. “And long story short i am a part of this sorority but i haven't been to this party since i was a freshman so after many bottles of red wine nostalgia hit me and i agreed to come but my friend ditched me for one of the Sigma boys,” she said. Daniel nodded pretending to understand and care about what she was saying.

“That’s a pity,” he commented. “Well since we are going to be the hottest couple at this party you might as well know my name, I am Daniel, you can call me Daniel - Only Daniel,” Daniel said, he already had people ignoring his no nickname rules he didn’t need anyone else thinking they could, he shuddered at the idea of being called Dan or Niel. Disgusting.

“Mia, also just Mia,” she laughed. “So Daniel, only Daniel, should i be worried about a boyfriend coming, finding us dancing and flipping out?” she asked as she pulled him towards the dancefloor.

“Not that i know off but who knows, I can’t help it if people fall in love with me,” he shrugged. “Do i need to be worried, are the frat boys going to gang up on me later?” he asked.

“Well if they do I’ll beat them up,” she snorted, “this legs can do more than make this dress look pretty,” she said as Daniel looked down. Her legs were doing a lot for her Bulgari dress. “And no my boyfriend is not like that at all, he looks tough but deep down he is a teddy bear,” she said, Daniel tried not to gag at the way she seemed so smitten. “But he is sadly out of town,” she pouted.

“Lovely,” Daniel said dryly. ‘I mean … sorry?”

“Right,” Mia snorted, “Maybe less talking more dancing?” she offered, Daniel had no choice but to accept because he was over awkward conversations.

As much as he hated to admit it, dancing and interacting with Mia was a lot easier than Daniel expected. So much so when she invited out next week he agreed almost instantaneously. Things were going a little too well because over her shoulder he noticed a rather horrifying scene. Boys. Near his cousin. Boys, as in plural. He had expected one might become interested after all Emily was a pretty girl but two! He would just have to pit them against each other and then destroy the winner.

“What has got you grumpy? Your crush show up with someone else?” Mia teased as he spun her around mindlessly.

“Don’t be ridiculous Sungjae would never be here,” he said before pausing, realization hitting him like a ton of bricks he never actually mentioned having a crush to Mia and be the smirk on her face he wouldn’t be hearing the end of it any time soon.

“Sungjae you say,” She hummed. “I need to look into him,” she giggled. “Get you hooked up and then we can have double dates,” she joked.

“Shut up we need to go over there,” he said pointing in the direction Emily was currently standing.

Mia rolled her eyes but let him pull her along. “Daniel, do you think maybe you might be embarrassing her if you do something?” Daniel scowled, he may like Mia enough but he wasn’t going to be told how to look after his cousin by her. He was about to give her a piece of his mind and remind her that they weren’t anywhere near close enough for that when she was pushed to the side, landing awkwardly in a nearby strangers chest. Daniel’s annoyance changing targets to an oddly familiar-looking blonde girl who quickly apologised to Mia before she turned her attention to a group of three other girls. Daniel let out a laugh as he realized that the other three were Tyler’s other girlfriends.

“As if Jane, Tyler would never waste his time with a girl like you,” the brunette girl from the restaurant spoke. “Just stop lying to people, we all know you are busy spreading your legs for anything with a guitar pick, ex-best friend’s boyfriends included,” she said viciously, a smirk making its way onto her face. Ahh nothing like slut-shaming real classy off her.

“Know your place Olivier don’t you dare bring that up,” the girl from the cafe spoke. “And what about you, you're lying as well telling everyone you are dating Ty as well are you kidding me? Could you be any more obsessed with him, it's really pathetic,” she said looking at the ‘Olivier’ girl with so much contempt.

“And what about you Minah? Holding onto a childhood crush really? A different blonde spoke, must be the lingerie girl.

“Should you be speaking, haven’t you had a crush on Tyler like forever, do you honestly expect us to believe he’d be interested in a little girl like you?” the club girl spoke.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Mia said as the club girl leapt on the french girl pinning her to the ground. Daniel rolled his eyes at the loud chorus jeers and cheers that came from most of the male present. “Oh,” she said, watching as the other blonde and the restaurant girl started to argue, the brunette girl slapping the other, the blonde growled grabbing her hair and throwing her back right into Emily who unfortunately didn’t have some stranger to fall into instead landing on the ground with a thud.

Daniel pushed through the crowd to his cousin noticing one of the boys from before was helping her up. “Emmy,” he said taking out of the boy’s arms with a glare. “Does it hurt? Should i call an ambulance?” he asked looking down at her ankle which was swelling up.

“I am okay,” Emily said trying to stand on her own only to a let out a wail. “Okay maybe not,” she said through gritted teeth. Her friends and the boy all crowded around her, the David boy telling the glaring girl to get her to a seat and tell miss smiley to go get some ice.

Daniel opened his mouth to protest but Emily squeezed his arm mouthing it’s okay, she said hopping over to her friends, He turned to follow but noticed Mia and a few other girls struggling to pull the fighting girlfriends of one Tyler Lee apart. He rolled his eyes going to over where Mia was trying to keep the blonde from the club off one of the brunettes, “Jane seriously calm down,” one of the other girls spoke.

“Ara this isn’t worth it,” the girl Daniel recognised said to the younger girl.

“Of course it’s not a bunch of idiot girls fighting over the same idiot boy who is probably out banging another idiot girl,” Daniel commented as Jane sneered at him.

“As if you know anything,” she commented with a sneer as the girl she had been fighting stood up as well, hair a mess and lipstick smudged.

“Yeah my boyfriend,” the Olivier girl said possessively. “Is at home resting because he has a big match tomorrow,” she said with a grin.

“Is that what he is told all of you?” he asked raising an eyebrow. “Trust me he isn’t just like i am sure told the rest of you he was busy on the night he took this one out for dinner,” he said pointing to Olivier, “Or maybe it was when he was out clubbing with Jane, you’re welcome for the drinks by the way,” he said with an eye roll. “Or when you putting on a private show at the La Perla shop?” he said slap happy blonde. “Oh don’t forget the time this one was turning me off an entire nation with the antics, oh i love when you speak French baby,” “ he spat bitterly, “but that was the middle of the day so maybe he was studying,” he laughed. “You are all so pathetic fighting each other instead of the guy that cheated on you all,” he shook his head.

“Come on Mia lets go,” he said to Mia, who looked on with amusement, he said grabbing his friend and pulling towards where Emily and friends were gathered.

“I feel like you will regret getting involved,” Mia said in a sing-song voice. “All those girls looking for revenge and you are just there as a target,” she said with a laugh.

“Oh well, what are they going to do? Pull my hair? And they should be thanking me,” he said with an eye roll not knowing that in a few hours Mia would be very right.

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unfortunate-stranger-losers · 5 years

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The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations - How to Crack the Code

Now that Season Three of A Series of Unfortunate Events has aired, I feel it’s about time to finally tell y’all the Code from The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations- for those of you who can’t get the book, haven’t read it yet, can’t figure out the code, or who just don’t wanna spend time finding it out yourselves.

On page 188 of The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations, the key to cracking a code sprinkled throughout the book is provided:

WARNING → THERE IS A SECRET MESSAGE IN THIS BOOK

You may have noticed a cross-referencing technique that appears throughout these pages, looking as such: (See: Notorious Researchers, pg. 30). This device is a helpful way to direct readers to relevant information that can be found elsewhere in a text.

It is also a handy way to send a secret message.

Every librarian knows that books contain secrets, and hiding a secret message in the pages of a book is a frequent VFD tactic. Volunteers who cleverly cross-reference will discover the message, while their enemies, who rarely finish a book, remain unaware.

If you have read this far, you may be wondering how to discover this message yourself. First read the book carefully, making note of any parentheticals shaded an unusual hue. This is no printer error; it is a key informing you that part of the message can be found on the suggested page. Follow the references and locate the letters colored a corresponding hue. These letters are scrambled, not unlike an anagram. Once you have unscrambled the word, write it on the color-coded line of this telegram. Completing the telegram will reveal the answer to a question that has stumped philosophers, police inspectors, and even Lemony Snicket:

What comes after the end of The End?

Next to this description is a photo of a telegram, which is fourteen words long:

___ ____ __ _______

____ ___ __ _____

____ ____ _____

__ _____ _____

And, indeed, each word is underlined in a different color.

Now... onto cracking the code.

As referenced, there are occasional cross-references in the text. And sometimes, the See: is in the color you need to look for.

If you follow each See to its corresponding page, you’ll find letters scattered across the text that are in the color you need to find. These letters make up each word.

Word-by-word, let’s see what we can find:

The first word, in dark purple, is on page 133: The Reptile Room. To be honest, this is the hardest word to find: the dark color is very close to the color of the actual text. There are three letters here, in the following sentences:

You always want to do something new, but at the same time, I wanted to see if there were clues I could integrate into the design.

This flips it so the priority is the reptiles, and his own living space is sort of diminutive.

And in “The Reptile Room,” [Monty]’s delighted to share his world with these kids.

otw

The second word is on page 99: Toupees for Toddles, in an orange-ish color. There are four letters, which can be found in the following sentences:

“Well, we can’t put a wig on a baby.”

It’s one of the oddest things I’ve ever done in my career, applying a little wig on a baby.

When we started the second season, Presley had grown her hair long enough that we could actually create the ponytail with here own hair, which was a relief.

ests

The third word, in a hot pink, is on page 130: Mr Poe’s Office. There are only two letters, which can be found in the following sentences:

It can be goofy, but it’s never goofy-stupid.

He’s the guy that’s literally standing between Olaf and the Baudelaire fortune.

The fourth word, on page 110: How to Dress for a Masked Ball, in a gray-blue color, can be found in the following sentences, with seven letters:

The flashback that opens “The Carnivorous Carnival” is set at a Venetian-style masked ball, where masks conceal a number of familiar faces. Cynthia Summers designed each mask with the character in mind, including Dr Orwell’s “eyeglasses,” a Medusa-inspired snake mask for Uncle Monty, and theatrical comedy/tragedy masks for the Snicket Brothers. (Jacques wears the comedy mask, while Lemony, of course, is tragedy.) The ball also marks the first on-screen appearance of the mysterious Beatrice, described in the script as “a beautiful woman dressed as a dragonfly.”

eidnrsf

The fifth word, four letters long, is on page 45: Olivia Caliban/Madame Lulu, is in gray:

A dangling thread from Season One was a certain book on secret organizations discovered by Justice Strauss - a book whose title will be familiar to anyone reading this.

Still, they liked the idea of a character finding The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations and having the book change your life, as it will no doubt change yours.

While the book’s version of Olivia is a veteran agent of dubious morality, the show reinvents her as a noble school librarian struggling against institutional corruption.

There, disguised as Madame Lulu, she fulfills her mission of passing the book to the Baudelaires - and sacrifices herself at the lion pit to save their lives.

jtsu

The sixth word, colored light orange, is on page 109: How to Dress for a Career in Food Service. The three letters can be found here:

Author Daniel Handler explains that the VFD agents we meed in the show are the types of people whom children notice by adults overlook.

You’re going to notice things that are invisible to the adults talking over your head.

Take a good look at the restaurant’s terrifying logo.

uto

On page 141: The Miserable Mill is the seventh word, in two red letters:

“The Wide Window” left us with no more stage space, so it forced us to shoot the mill at a real location, an old dock building which we then tried to make look like a stage.

Klaus comes back from the eye doctor, but he isn’t quite himself.

The eighth word is on page 97: The Real Sugar Bowl. There are five light purple letters:

According to Esme, it was stolen from her by Beatrice, and according to Olivia, it may have been the reason for the VFD schism. It’s not the first sugar bowl to play a vital role in a work of classic literature (interested parties may seek out We Have Always Lived in The Castle at their local library), but Daniel Handler muses on another possible inspiration: “There a whole sugar scene in the movie Midnight (See: Snicket, Jacques, pg 44) that must have seeped into me when I was a child. Somehow I think that was one of the sugar bowls of literature that ended up sneaking in.”

The existence of four identical sugar bowl [props] may be of interest to Esme Squalor, or at least her actress, Lucy Punch, who requested to keep one when the series wrapped. “My character was so desperate for it,” says Punch. “It seemed appropriate.”

eahrc

The ninth word, in blue, is on page 172: The Carnivorous Carnival. There are four letters:

There’s literally no program you can watch that’s any wierce.

The aesthetic of carnivals and circuses is naturally creepy and absurd to begin with. And then you add the overlay of our material, where everything is filtered through the Baudelaires, so the sets are designed to be seen as if you’re a vulnerable child glimpsing this horrible world and trying to maintain hope.

Count Olaf arrives at Caligari Carnival, where he hopes the fortune-teller can help him.

wlli

The tenth word is on page 89: The Many Faces of Barry Sonnenfeld. There are four green letters:

and in “The Vile Village,” he’s the fire chief posing with his Dalmatian int he firehouse-turned-saloon.

A common ancestor to our series’ interconnected families?

Barry birthday is April Fool’s Day, and for his birthday, I decided to knock off a painting with him in it.

We’re shooting the Hotel Denouement right now, and the whole hotel isi based on the Dewey Decimal System, and each floor is a different subject.

eetm

On page 64-65: The Sinister Songs, you can find five magenta letters for the eleventh word:

“I was a huge fan of the books in my twenties, and I was also a huge fan of Barry Sonnenfeld, so to see those two come together and actually be a part of it was unreal.”

Count Olaf introduces himself to the Baudelaires with this song and dance - ignoring the fact he’s already met them. Handlers says, “Singing is perfect for Count Olaf because he imagines himself so wonderful.”

All of the dance numbers were choreographed by Paul Becker, who pulled double duty in the first half of “The Carnivorous Carnival”.

She’s had quite an exciting / Time on the road

agina

On page 24: Violet the Inventor, there are two gray letters for the twelfth word:

But now those inventions, like the Baudelaire mansion itself, are gone.

She promised her parents she would always look after them, and while Count Olaf’s schemes have put that promise to the test, Violet’s managed to stand strong in even the most unfortunate situation.

Pages 116-117: Deciphering Code: Using the Dials of the Spyglass, has five purple letters for the thirteenth word:

As a volunteer, you already know why and when the spyglass was created (See: Motion Picture, Pg 10) but we will briefly recap its history here.

A permanent mark has its advantages, since even the most absent-minded member rarely leave the house without their ankle (See: Peg Leg, pg 86), but it has its drawbacks too, particularly if the organization undergoes a schism, so that the same symbol that once stood for comradery and literacy suddenly represents treachery and pyromania now that it is inscribed on the ankles of your enemies.

But just as a movie might be more than a movie, a spyglass can be more than a spyglass.

Critics called these films terrible, which was the point: Sebald wanted to ensure that no one would want to see them besides other volunteers, who would be more interested in their secret messages than their artistic value.

The cinema’s projectionist assigns the film a production code made up of a unique combination of numbers and symbols.

riynb

The fourteenth and final word can be found on page 32: Who is Lemony Snicket? There are five pale green letters:

He is currently investigating the lives of the Baudelaire orphans, though his reason for doing so is unknown, as are his whereabouts.

Mr. Snicket can be identified by his dry wit, his tailored suits, and his ankle tattoo, as well as his tendency to launch into wordy monologues containing Very Frequent Definitions.

But when developing the series for Netflix, Barry Sonnenfeld and Daniel Handler independently felt that their Snicket should be seen as well as heard.

And they both independently thought of Patrick Warburton, a frequent Sonnenfeld collaborator whom Handler had loved in a little-seen film called The Woman Chaser. Volunteers who track it down will note that it features Warburton speaking to the camera in a suit and a deadpan style that one might call Serlinig-esque - or Snicket-esque.

haebc

The Code

So now we have all the words:

otw ests of eidnrsf

jtsu uto fo eahrc

wlli eemt agina

on riynb haebc

Which do not take a long time to unscramble...

What comes after the end of The End?

Well, it turns out... the code is a couplet...

Two sets of friends, just out of reach

Will meet again on Briny Beach.

#asoue #asoue netflix #a series of unfortunate events #the incomplete history of secret organizations #lemony snicket #mine

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27timescinema · 5 years

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INTERVIEW - BIENNALE COLLEGE - KEREN BEN RAFAEL

By Victor Courgeon (pics © Kareem Baholzer)

Keren Ben Rafael is a screenwriter and director based between Paris and Tel Aviv. She studied Philosophy and French literature at the Tel Aviv University, and later entered the directing department at La Fémis.

She has an impressive career, with some of her short films selected in different festivals around the world. Her first feature, Virgins, was released in 2018, while the second one, The End Of Love, was developed within the Biennale College Cinema program this year. We met at the Villa degli Autori for an interview during the 76th Venice Film Festival.

Why did you decide to depict a long-distance relationship through Skype conversations? In what way is that connected to the economical context of production within the Biennale College Cinema?

The scheme of the film was both the first idea and a way to talk about a modern couple. What is modern love today? How do modern couples communicate? I had a similar intense relationship between two countries and I also had a baby – but I’m still married (laughs). This Skype relationship shows how day-do-day issues can be pushed to their limits. To me, this couple would have had the same troubles even if they were living in the same country. They are just facing regular couple issues: being from different countries, with different cultures, having a baby. Julie is a ‘single’ mother that must raise her child alone, while working at the same time. It is a contemporary situation. The two lovers being separated, these long-distance video calls exacerbating the tensions...

When we got in the Biennale College, they thought that it would be a cheap project, mainly because they did not quite figure how we were going to shoot it. Maybe, they imagined that we were going to record real Skype videos – but we obviously didn’t do that. Those constraints with the video recordings made it quite complex. It took us some time to figure out how to make it work. At first, I thought that I would film the two actors separately, but we came to the conclusion that it was better to let them act together.

How did you manage to do that? Because they are constantly acting in front of the camera and talking to it.

I wanted to try at first with some rehearsals, but I was in Tel Aviv, Judith Chemla was in France and Arieh Worthalter was in Belgium. The first encounter between the actors was a Skype session with the three of us. We discussed about it for a while, each of us being at home. Then, when they started rehearsing, I turned off my webcam so that I could watch them without them being able to see me. They got close and familiar really fast, and when I turned back on my webcam they were surprised by the intrusion into their “relationship” (laughs). They found instantly a very intimate connection. Then, when we did the proper rehearsals in Paris just before the shooting, we already had a true relationship between them. I even asked them to do some groceries and to cook dinner to have that feeling of being truly together as a couple. We created souvenirs of a shared everyday life.

Later, we figured out that their relationship was properly genuine when they had this Skype barrier. I would put them in different bedrooms, and they would act as if they were really far away from each other. It was easier for them to imagine that they were a couple.

In your previous feature, Virgins, the music of the ‘mermaid party’ that concludes the film was The End of Love – were you carrying this story for a long time?

I had the idea a few years ago, but I was directing Virgins at the time, and also my short film La plage (2015). At the beginning I was thinking of making an improvised movie, which today does not sound like a great idea (laughs).

We chose the title when we submitted the project to the Biennale College Cinema. My producer Delphine Benroubi, who also produced several shorts and documentaries I made, decided we should apply for it. Incidentally, I really like Leonard Cohen. The title was questioned by the Biennale College: does it make sense to choose a title revealing the ending? But the clash between this title and the general mood of the film was interesting.

The mix between the two genres (comedy and drama) with that title that makes it sound like a tragedy works perfectly. Yet, you open the film with a very romantic sequence. They are making love, but we don’t really know if they are together…

It was a difficult scene to make. We tried having them in the same bed and cheat afterwards, but it did not work properly. It is like they needed a separation between them to create liberty. It is a very intimate scene, that strangely worked better when they were separated. This scene was one of the first we made.

The shooting lasted for 3 weeks, and during the first one we were in a Parisian apartment. We had created inside this apartment a bedroom that was supposed to be Yuval’s. We had two cameras and two tiny screens for them to see each other (and very small earpieces so that they could hear each other). It was an interesting experiment. They were acting simultaneously, and I could either direct them in one of the bedrooms or watch them on a split screen.

The scene also works thanks to the two protagonists. All the actors are perfectly chosen but I must say that Judith and Arieh suit particularly their characters.

They are both magnificent. For Yuval’s character, I thought I would have an Israeli actor speaking French, but it was hard to find. It was important for my producer to have an actor that speaks perfectly French. It had to be understandable, like the French I speak. I am not French, but I learnt it and studied in France (at la Fémis). Arieh is Belgian and speaks French, we just had to work on his accent.

What about Bastien Bouillon, Julie’s colleague? He is also starring in Dominik Moll’s Only the animals. Or Vassili Schneider, the babysitter…

I did not know Bastien Bouillon; it was a proposition of my casting director. I thought he was perfect as an oposite of Arieh. A man that is smoother, more French, to exacerbate the differences. We tried to do that as well with the family and the friends. If you compare Bastien to Yuval’s friends – they are really different. He brought something elegant.

Vassili is Niels Schneider’s brother. He came on the set the third day and I was struggling because it was the beginning of the shooting: we had to get used to the cameras and the equipment. His arrival was like a breeze of fresh air. The babysitting scenes he’s in are funny because of the temporality of the action, and Yuval trying to monitor the babysitter.

What is your opinion on the development of the means of communication? Do they turn into means of surveillance? From connection to disconnection…

It is a tool that is useful at first. It was created to improve our life condition. But Skype just faces the same issues as Messenger or Whatsapp. It can ruin your life at some point, and I know what I am talking about because Whatsapp is huge in Israel! The problem with video calls is that these might become an obsession: it becomes dangerous. Skype creates a mise en scène of yourself and your life. Our parents used to send letters… Nowadays, we don’t have that space left for imagination.

Sex is very present in all your films as an important aspect of a couple’s life. How so?

Sexuality is important. A woman that shoots a sex scene creates something different from what we usually see. It is a big part of our everyday life. You cannot separate love from sex. All the issues you face in life are related somehow to sex. It is as simple as that.

And those scenes are really well written. To know more about the writing of the film, could you tell us about your relationship with the Benroubi family? Delphine Benroubi is your producer and Elise Benroubi wrote the script with you.

I met Elise when I arrived at La Fémis. I was in the directing department and she was in the script department: we met the first day and stayed inseparable. We co-wrote a lot of films together, nearly all my shorts and my first feature. We like to write comedies together, that include existential problems (laughs). Even though I could not direct a slapstick! We wrote that script in two weeks and it relies on that balance between gags and existential questioning.

Delphine was also studying at La Fémis but in the exhibition-distribution department and started her career as a distributor. She became a producer working with me on my documentary A pleines dents (2013). Then we did a short film for Canal+ called L’aurore boréale (2013) – that was also written by Elise. Same for La plage (2015).

We work with family. I also work with my companion, Damien Dufresne; he is my DOP. He is French, and not Jewish – which is also really connected to my movie (laughs).

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