Night cap with Alphonse s’égare

Interview with Catherine Buffat and Jean-Luc Gréco, directors of Alphonse s’égare

 Why were you interested in social relations among young people, and in this case boys, at the precise moment when they are transitioning toward autonomy and adulthood?
It could have just as easily been girls. The frustrations and impulses are identical. It’s a time in life when everything is heightened: feelings, rejections, worries. We were interested in this critical time near adulthood, because it’s the time when one questions the future and it can become heavy. It’s a time for decision-making, but one feels powerless and lost….

 How did you choose the items around which to construct the social relations: tobacco, alcohol, school, the police, girls…?
These clichés of youth came to us without too much thinking. But we wanted to use them to incite emotion. They allowed us to replace the heavy drama with humor. That was important for us. This way, we could “respectfully” talk about this boy who was “not quite grown”.

 In Alphonse s’égare, you speak about the relationship between boys and their desires, especially with Alphonse’s imagined projections as opposed to reality. What interested you in these imagined projections meeting with reality?
The imagined world allows Alphonse to be active in times when he is physically unable (when he’s drunk or passed out…) For instance, he creates his own fiasco by imagining Milou floating on water. These two worlds, his thoughts and reality, mix together and create a dark atmosphere that we wanted for this film.

 The pictoral style you’ve chosen is quite particular and creates something troubling. How do you work on animation usually and how did you work specifically on this film?
When we animate, we usually like to leave room for spontaneity while shooting. We prepare what’s needed for the set and characters and quite often we do things at the last minute underneath the camera. And on this film, we did that even more than we had ever done on our previous films. We chose black and white because it is quicker to work with, but also it is reminscent of old films and the idea of fictional narratives. We adapt our graphic aesthetic to each of our projects in an instinctive way.

 And what about the soundtrack? Sometimes, it seems to smother the characters, even taking them by the throat. Was that a conscious choice?
It was the first time we did sound ourselves, and we weren’t too sure of ourselves. We worked very intuitively. When we try things, we can be very surprised, and we can discover a feeling connected to a specific sound that we hadn’t ever imagined. Our intention was to heighten emotions, and also to give the film rhythm and energy.

 Any cinematic coups de cœur in the past year you’d like to tell us about?
Julieta by Almodovar, Kaili Blues by Bi Gan, Paterson by Jim Jarmusch.

 If you’ve already been to Clermont-Ferrand, could you share with us an anecdote from the festival? If not, what are your expectations for this year?
The first time we came to the festival was with our first film. We attended a screening incognito where La bouche cousue was programmed with mostly darker films. The audience relaxed when our film came on, laughing a lot. We have a very nice memory of that.

Alphonse s’égare is being shown in National Competition F3.