Night cap with Je finirai en prison [I’ll End Up in Jail]
Interview with Alexandre Dostie, director of Je finirai en prison [I’ll End Up in Jail]
How did the idea for Je finirai en prison come about?
The song Je finirai en prison, by the famous Quebec cowboy André Guitar, put me on the track of this film and in the end, gave it his title. Normally, Quebec country music is rather cheerful and banal in nature, but this rare murder ballad said something special and dark. I fell in love with the song. I wanted to tell a story like that. Then a friend of mine recounted the time his old aunt found herself driving a huge pick-up truck at high speed in the countryside. The speedometer was in miles per hour, she thought it was in kilometers. The imaged stayed in my mind. An interesting character putting herself in harm’s way without noticing it. Finally, when I asked myself what the character was doing there, I discovered that the lady at the wheel was fleeing. And that this lady was my mother.
How did you work with the actors of the film?
The filming of Je finirai en prison was really hardcore. This was supposed to be a fall movie turned into a winter film a few days before shooting. Temperature was -25 Celsius, 3 feet of snow on the ground, everyone had to get up early due to the limited hours of sunshine, our days were very intense and physical. Fortunately, the actors were ready. We worked a lot upstream so that they understand in detail the psychological mechanics of their characters and above all, that they find a personal way to access it. So we discussed a lot. For me, working with actors is above all an exercise in open heart communication, in osmosis. Some directors don’t like actors who ask a lot of questions about their characters or the story. They feel their vision is challenged… Even though it sometimes can be tough, I love these exchanges. This process always refines my vision of the movie as a director and gives power to my actors. I think it’s a win/win. In fact, I always had the impression that my work as a director started to make sense through this communion. Otherwise, I don’t even know if I would use cinema to tell my stories. I attach great importance to the creative contribution of the actors and I rejoice when they understand the soul of their character to the point of transcending the tool that is the script.
What are your reference works?
I’ve always been an avid reader. I would even go so far as to say that literature has a more important place in my life than cinema. For Je finirai en prison it is the work of Flannery O’Connor, American author of the Southern Gothic genre, which inspired me a lot. I discovered several similarities between the flawed moral framework in which her characters evolved and mine. There is also the rural background of her literary work, the importance of the territory, with which I connected a lot. Movie-wise, Badlands was on my mind at the time of writing this film. What impressed me a lot in Malick’s film was the strength of this unlikely duo that Kit and Holly formed and the neurosis they develop in a hostile world. Discovering points of reference between the universes that emerge from my imagination and the works ofother artists is an exhilarating, almost spiritual experience for me. This communion of ideas across time and space is one of my favourite moments in the writing process.
You work, among other things, as a distributor. What do you think of the visibility of short films in general?
I believe that short film never had as much visibility as today, but also that the work of short film artisans never had as much value as in our time. The public of the planet is thirsty for new content and the platforms, physical and virtual, multiply to satisfy them. On the other hand, the short film medium no longer has the “film school” aura, but is indeed the vector of integral, bold and new cinematic visions. There is therefore a very interesting bet to make, both for the public and the industry, with the talent that comes into the world through short films. Also, with the democratization of cinema tools, there is no long a border on talent and the struggle to carve out a place for yourself in the sun is global. It forces the creators to go further. To dare. To sacrifice. I think it’s a good deal.
Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?
For me, the freedom that short films bring is that of committing oneself. The short form doesn’t have to deal with the compromises of the long form. So, I love that you can risk it all. That there is not much to lose by taking the short film bet. Personally, I went all-in with what.
Je finirai en prison [I’ll End Up in Jail] is part of International Competition I5.
