After having investigated the interceptions carried out by the state in the remarkable ‘Testigo’, Thomas Kruithof returns to the complex universe of politics with ‘Promises in Paris’. Political drama and thriller with Isabelle Huppert and Reda Katebthe film shows the complex balance that a mayor must have, “a figure who is at the center of politics”. “On the one hand, he knows the voters personally, but on the other, it depends on the central state to solve some problems and must transfer the decisions that may affect it to other levels”says the director.
‘Promises in Paris’ tells how Clémence (Huppert), mayor of a village near the French capital, faces her biggest challenge: deciding whether to accept a post as a minister in the government or keep her promise to retire after being re-elected for a second term. Veteran politics, Clémence has always addressed the most disadvantaged and tried to get the city out of poverty and unemployment, she did it together with her right arm, Yazid (Kateb). However, this proposition will disrupt her plans, to the point where she finds herself at the crossroads to keep her commitment to her constituents or hear the siren songs of her ambition for power.
After “Witness”, Kruithof wanted to further deepen the political world, entering fully with this proposal. “I wanted, rather than making a film about politics, to make a film about theory, about what political value means. I had the idea of making a story in which the characters are between a rock and a hard place, between courage and cowardice. . There, together with co-writer Jean-Baptiste Delafon, we came to the conclusion that to demonstrate that we had to talk about local politics and that meant having a mayor as the protagonist. “, the director shares an interview for eCartelera as part of the France is on Screen event, organized by Unifrance in collaboration with the French Institute of Madridwhich took place from 9 to 12 June, with the aim of increasing public participation in French-made audiovisual productions.
The mayor’s office, amid pressure from the municipality and the central state
“The mayor or mayor is at the center of politics. He knows the names of his constituents, the problems they have, he may have affinities with certain neighbors or vice versa. But it also needs the central state. What’s more, for resolve some issues, they must delegate functions to other bodies or administrationswhich means that what will happen in terms of satisfying needs does not depend on them in some cases “Kruithof explains.
“That is why the mayor figure is at the center of the city and the central state, which means he has pressure from both sides. We thought it would be interesting to address this topic. Also, we wanted to make a film that is different from other productions, which are about the conquest of power. In this case, yes, we talked about ambition but, above all, what interested us was what the practice of power means and the challenge of keeping electoral promises”Keep it up.
For Kruitoff, “Keeping and keeping promises is the most complicated part of political life”. “In the film, we see how the characters fight within the system for conflicting interests, even with their own weaknesses. You see to what extent this can be a struggle or a cross to get something done. Everything, in the end, happens. both through a confrontation and through a negotiation “he claims, observing him the political game ends up being, “Metaphorically speaking”a “battlefield”.
“There is a lot of strategy behind it, it’s like risk or how to play chess. There are different political profiles, those who defend ideals, those who listen to the demands of the people, those who are pragmatic, those who think only of rising to power; This is what makes consensus so difficult and getting everyone to agree. “exposes, observing it “The layers of politics that are shown are different and this is also reflected in the fact that the perception of problems is also different”which hinders, even more, the famous and desired consent.
The decay and abandonment of popular and popular districts
In that aspect, Kruithof points out that, many times, differences or frictions, even between members of the same party or government, derive from something much more concrete than ideologies, than money. “On several occasions, it’s not ideas that make a deal impossible, but something as tangible as money. In the end, what people want is to pay their bills and make ends meet.”To add. “So the psychology of political figures seems exciting to me, because they are crossed by many contradictions”details.
Therefore the ideal scenario is a city on the outskirts, on the outskirts. For this reason the film was shot in Clichy-sous-Boislocated east of Paris and belonging to the department of Seine-Saint Denis. “It was a completely natural choice. The mayor of this city, Olivier Klein, was one of the councilors we met when we started this project. We discovered the unsanitary problems of the housing complex in some villas”comments Kruithof, pointing out that the problems that appear in the film are real. “These buildings are due to be renovated next year, thanks to a subsidy, the same one requested by the neighbors in the film”points out.
One of the aspects of his feature film, is that it exposes specific problems of the residents of the area, showing the abandonment of institutions in some parts of the Ile-de-France region. “We have witnessed this social violence that exists in these popular parts, as well as the exploitation of poverty by some populist movements. It seemed natural to us to return to the city, I was also struck by the continuing problems they had in relation to the floods”grievance.
The language spoken by politicians
“[Clichy-sous-Bois] It is an urban failure, born in the late 60s and 70s, designed for the middle classes, but the city remained very anchored, there was no transport network and not much has been done in terms of infrastructure, it is very close to Paris, but extremely poorly communicated, which gives the feeling that it is very far away”Kruithof explains about the situation of these buildings in Clichy-sous-Bois, highlighting how the decay process went further after the 2008 economic crisis.
“At the end of the 1980s, the middle classes decided to move to other suburbs with a higher social level and other populations arrived, mostly of immigrant origin. The economic crisis arrived and the buildings, many poorly designed, began to deteriorate and a sort of vicious circle was formed.in which there were infrastructures and health problems that persist to this day “adds, highlighting, yes, “the generosity of the neighbors” and how they started teaming up on neighborhood platforms to ask for improvements in homes and public spaces. “Neighborhood movements have emerged that seek to reform, protect themselves, watch over their neighborhoods, which are their home”he exclaims.
Secondly, the director and co-writer is aware that one of the problems of politics is technocracyin terms of a clear disconnect between leaders and voters, who may appear to be speaking another language. “There is a language that we see that is different according to the functions of the leaders. In France we say that this is technocracy, which is a way of talking about things, precise but empty, they are empty words, like ‘arbitration’, which is commented by one of the characters in the film Who knows what that means? Therefore, it is essential to adapt the speech to the person it is intended for.”To share.
“Isabelle Huppert and Reda Kateb were my inspirations for the film”
Hence, Kruithof is so attracted to him in the world of politics. “It’s like a thriller, from a cinematic point of view, when you meet people from the political background. It made me understand things, mechanisms, problems. What I have tried to capture with this film is the energy that is spent, the implication, the harshness, the brutality, the cruelty (in some cases) and the beauty that is also in politics “exposes.
Although politics games are the main protagonists of the film, these could not have better actors than their two main actors: Isabelle Huppert and Reda Kateb. “They were the original inspiration. From the beginning, sometimes when you start building characters, they don’t exist yet and you rely on a reference, an analogy in a reference you know in your life, a public figure like a actor. Here we think there might be Isabelle Huppert and Reda Kateb. We then tried to forget about them, in case they couldn’t be in the project. Luckily they didn’t. “comment.
“They are two incredible actors, very subtle and magnetic, they have a lot of presence and they make a good tandem. Before we talked about energy, Isabelle with her fragile silhouette and the way she walks, the strength that emerges from this tense silhouette, and Reda imagined it right behind her, straighter, a little colder than we are used to seeing. , very elegant and more cerebral “To add.
“I imagined them walking side by side. It made me wonder how these types of relationships are built. It is a friendly and professional relationship in which the boundary between one and the other is not entirely clear., great things are lived together, but not everything is said. I was interested in showing that at the center of the plot, that friendship will be fractured throughout the film, to finally oppose it “Keep it up.
Cinema in crisis
Kruithof is aware of the severe crisis that the film industry is going through both globally and regionally. While it is true that the situation of the sector in France is better than in other European markets such as Italy or Spain (where attendances decreased by 75% and 60% respectively compared to 2019), in both the situation is considered critical. , this does not mean that attendances in the Gallic country’s theaters have decreased by 55% compared to 2019 (last year before the covid) and that The CNC (National Center of Cinema and Animated Image) has raised the alarm on the risk for the financing system of the seventh art in France, of which the platforms are not really part.
“Part of the cinema financing system depends on the volume of business. The CNC asks for an entrance fee which is refunded upon creation. When there are fewer entrances, not only do cinemas close, but fewer films are produced because there is a decline. in the number of previews. I cannot give figures, but the financing of cinema in France has lost several million euros”concludes.
Directed by Thomas Kruithof, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jean-Baptiste Delafon, ‘Promises in Paris’ stars Isabelle Huppert and Reda Kateb. A Wild Bunch Distribution, Les Films du Camélia, France 2 Cinéma and 24 25 Films production. Available in cinemas from this 24th June, from Filmax.
Source: E Cartelera
