Night cap with Une chance unique [A Unique Opportunity]

Interview with Joël Curtz, director of Une chance unique [A Unique Opportunity]

What was your inspiration for Une chance unique?
The film is an adaptation of Erwan Desplanques’ short story Une chance unique. I like his handwriting, very clever, especially in the relationships between the characters. I was also inspired by the encounters I had while hitchhiking, a means of transport that I used a lot to travel in the past. When I was 17, I met a fence salesman. It was the first time he had picked up a hitchhiker. I felt him admiring this spirit of adventure. Our presence sent him back to a sensitive place inside, a place of hidden desires. Some of the film’s dialogues are inspired by this encounter.

Why did you want to tell us so little about the characters, especially the male character?
I don’t like films that try to explain too much. Understanding can occur through feelings, looks, silences. I think we understand a lot about Lazarus without having to say too much.

What did you find interesting about the age difference between the characters?
At 20, anything seems possible. As we age, we rush into everyday life and often slowly abandon our dreams. If we don’t try to realize them, as Lazarus probably hadn’t, over time, we feel regret. What Rosie and Charlotte do by hitchhiking, by taking the road to festivals, Lazare had never dared to do. Their presence brings him back to his youth, to the choices he had made, to those he would have liked to have made. So he takes advantage of this moment, of this unique opportunity.

Do you like the atmosphere of the festivals? What are your favorites?
I am especially familiar with documentary festivals, such as the IDFA in Amsterdam which I attend almost every year. For short film, Clermont is obviously one of the most interesting and warmest festivals.

Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?
Obviously there is less pressure with the short film. That said, I noticed that the journey with the commissions is increasingly long and demanding, even for short films. The positive thing is that it encourages more work on scenarios, but the negative thing is that it can lead to a certain formatting of projects because commissions may tend to favour consensual scenarios. And then waiting two or three years to shoot a short film can kill desire! Freedom comes (back) once you are on the set, then during editing.

What are your reference works in cinema and in music?
There are so many of them!

Une chance unique [A Unique Opportunity] is being shown in National Competition F7.