damn

“I wanted to challenge politically the kissing scene, which traditionally either has the surprise kiss scene thanks to a rain shower for instance, or the obvious kiss scene thanks to mustard on the corner of the lips, for instance, and it is generally carefully scripted as ‘They kiss.’ Or ‘They passionately kiss.’ And then it’s on the actors’ shoulders. It seems to rely a lot on them because it’s their bodies and fluids and interaction, but it shouldn’t be. It’s fake. It’s not about finding the magic. Actors should always be part of the elaboration of an idea, especially with intimate scenes. So I wanted to craft a scene that would embody the sexiness of consent. People who are questioning the idea of asking for consent in France, they do exist. They are brave fighters for the culture of French gallantry who say that asking for consent would not be sexy, it will break the mood. Some of the French critics thought the film lacked flesh, precisely because to them eroticism is about conflict. […] At some point I came up with the idea of them having to unveil their mouths like they would undress themselves. So I put a scarf, justified by a strong wind, pressed on their lips and thinking you would see their heavy breathing through the moving cloth.”

“There is this taboo of the rule of silence in cinema, which you are helping to put an end to, and there is what is at the heart of your story, the taboo of ‘paedophilia’, which we prefer to call ‘paedo-criminality’. It has an echo because what has troubled and divided the cinema industry at the beginning of the MeToo movement in France is the case of the filmmaker Roman Polanski.”

Top 10 Favorite Films of 2019

Parasite

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

The Lighthouse

Once Upon A Time…in Hollywood

Uncut Gems

Us

Midsommar

Little Women

Booksmart

Knives Out

Honorable Mentions: