The Big Picture Summertime sadness makes its way to the screen with Durga Chew-Bose’s feature directorial debut, Bonjour Tristesse. This first-time director celebrated the world premiere of her film at the Toronto International Film Festival with the cast members she tells us were pivotal in bringing her own spin to this 1954 coming-of-age novel.
DURGA CHEW-BOSE: It's a film about a father and daughter spending their summer in the south of France at a leisurely pace. They are accompanied by their father, Raymond, and Raymond's girlfriend, Elsa, and they're just really having a good time. Then, Anne arrives. Anne is a friend from Raymond's past, and her arrival stirs things up. The momentum kind of picks up in their summer for various reasons.
Beautiful answer. Now it's time to hurl compliments Durga's way, especially considering this is her feature directorial debut here. I have a feeling there's going to be many more in her future. What is something about her as an actor's director that you all appreciated and are excited for more actors to experience down the line?
SEVIGNY: Every machine is different, and every set is different. But the consideration that Durga had, the way she looked at things, was from a different angle than most people do. She had a very profound kind of joy, attachment, and attention to just very obscure, esoteric . I don't even know what the word is. It was very unusual.
SEVIGNY: What was so interesting to me about playing Anne is that her character is revealed through the film. She's very guarded. She shows up, at first, to this party — she's an intruder, she's a disruptor. I'm also serving something in the story, a certain aspect of the story that her character has to react against. I had to work within those confines.