Retrospektiv: Olivier Assayas / Retrospective: Olivier Assayas

Olivier Assayas: Talking 'bout his generation

With over twenty films to his credit as a director, there is no categorizing an Assayas-film. Each film stands alone, yet is still definitively a bit of a larger puzzle. A possible common denominator could be sensual, intelligent, or for that matter, intellectual. It has been said that his work is informed by a restless elegance; no matter which genre he has undertaken – contemporary relationship drama, period costume drama, playful satire, chamber piece, global action thriller, concert film – he challenges the conventions with style.

How then do justice to such a diverse body of work with a selection of only six films? As it turns out, the theme would have to be music. Says Assayas: «When I began making films, I was inspired in part by the desire to share what I feel when I listen to rock music… I tried to show how it was music more than cinema that gave me the most intense artistic emotions.» For Olivier Assayas, music is more than a soundtrack, more than a backdrop, more than a mood – music serves as a model for his approach to filmmaking, and a catalyst for his idea-driven scripts.

We would suggest that music can serve as an introduction to the films of Olivier Assayas for those who don’t know them. For those who do, the function and the use of music in his films is worth a study of its own. It is also the study of a musical generation. Meanwhile, a musical overview of the sidebar:

disorder, the story of the dreams and trials of the members of a post-punk band, features the music of The Woodentops and New Order as well as the romantic strains of Academy Award-nominated composer Gabriel Yared. cold water is set in 1972, and the music of those turbulent times (Janis Joplin, Nico, Roxy Music, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan, among others) also characterizes the emotional turmoil of the young teenagers at the center of the plot. In irma vep Sonic Youth turns up for the first time in a film by Assayas, and so do Luna («the best band you never heard of», according to Rolling Stone) doing Serge Gainsbourg’s hit Bonnie and Clyde, contrasted later with Ali Farka Touré and Ry Cooder with the beautiful love song Soukora. Sonic Youth are back in demonlover with an entire soundtrack articulating the tension of this techno neo-noir global thriller.

Then comes clean, starring Maggie Cheung as a heroin-addicted rock vocalist with a dead husband, a small son, and a jail sentence. The music is by Brian Eno and the song that Maggie sings in the film is written for her by Mazzy Star’s David Roback. (Roback appears in the film as himself, as do Tricky and Metric.) Finally there is noise, basically the documentation of a festival evening curated by the director himself, with performances by Mirror/Dash (Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore), Text of Light (Steve Shelley and Lee Ranaldo). Jim O’Rourke isn’t far away. Then there is Metric, Jeanne Balibar, Marie Modiano, Afel Bakoum, White Tahina…

In the end, a list of names says almost nothing about what music really means for this filmmaker. But like the trail of bread crumbs laid out for Hansel and Gretel, perhaps these names will lead the way to surprising film experiences in the company of one of the most exciting progressive directors on the scene today.

INSTITUT FRANÇAIS AND CINEMA

The Institut Français is the agency for the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs with responsibility for cultural activity outside France. It works to promote artistic exchanges and dissemination of the French language, books and knowledge. It also complements the role of UniFrance Films by promoting French patrimonial cinema, the non-commercial screening of recent films, and showcasing its professionals. The Institut Français supports world cinema through the «Cinémas du Monde» pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival, the Cinémathèque Afrique, and Fonds Sud Cinéma for the funding of films, which the Institut français manages alongside the National Centre for Cinematography and the Moving Image.

ClEAn

FRANCE 2004

REGISSØREN

Olivier Assayas fikk sin inntreden i filmverdenen som kritiker i magasinet Cahiers du Cinema. Han skrev flere filmmanus før han regi-debuterte med DISORDER i 1986. Filmene hans tar ofte for seg det komplekse og omskiftelige ved livet i det moderne, globaliserte samfunnet.

THE DIRECTOR

Olivier Assayas worked his way into the film world as critic in Cahiers du Cinema. Working first as a screenwriter, he directed his first full-length film, DISORDER, in 1986. His films often deal with the complexities and shifting boundaries of life in the era of globalization.

FIlMOGRAPHY (UTvAlG/SElECTION)

1986 DÉSORDRE / DISORDER 1994 L’EAU FROIDE / COLD WATER 1996 IRMA VEP (TIFF 1997) 1998 FIN AOÛT, DÉBUT SEPTEMBRE / LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER (TIFF 2000) 2002 DEMONLOVER 2006 NOISE 2008 L’HEURE D’ÉTÉ / SUMMER HOURS (TIFF 2009) 2010 CARLOS (TIFF 2011) Med unntak av enkelte seinere gjesteopptredener er rollen i clean ikke bare Maggie Cheungs siste på lerretet, men også kronen på verket i hennes filmkarriere. Hun fikk prisen for beste kvinnelige skuespiller i Cannes for sin prestasjon som Emily, en sanger og rockeenke som prøver å komme seg til hektene etter ektemannens død og seks måneder i fengsel for besittelse av heroin. Emily får hjelp av sin mutte svigerfar og av sin beste venninne, spilt henholdsvis av en uimotståelig gråstenkt Nick Nolte og den uforliknelige Béatrice Dalle.

Resultatet er en fortelling om avhengighet og frigjøring som på samme tid er intimt nærværende og globalt utadvendt. Det nærmest hypnotiske lydsporet er levert av nyveiv-bandet Metric, Brian Eno, Tricky og David Roback fra Mazzy Star. Sistnevnte har også skrevet låtene Maggie Cheung framfører i filmen. Indie-rockescenens er såpass viktig for filmen at Assayas selv har sagt at den ikke handler om dop: den handler om musikk.

This searingly intimate yet globetrotting story of addiction and redemption is built firmly around a career-crowning performance from Maggie Cheung. Cheung’s final film before retiring from the screen (cameos apart) landed her Best Actress at Cannes. She turns in indelible, trilingual work as Emily, a singer and rock-and-roll widow piecing her life back together after the sudden death of her husband, and a six-month jail sentence for heroin-possession. She’s aided by her gruff father-in-law – Nick Nolte at his most irresistibly grizzled – and her best friend, played by the inimitable Béatrice Dalle.

The result is a film of hard-won delicacy, consistently elevated by a hypnotic soundtrack from new wave band Metric, Brian Eno, Tricky and Mazzy Star’s David Roback – who also wrote the songs that Cheung so magnetically performs during the film. The independent rock scene plays an important role in the film – in fact, Assayas has said that the film isn’t about drugs, it’s about music.

ColD wATEr

l'EAu froiDE

FRANCE 1994

Olivier Assayas fikk sin inntreden i filmverdenen som kritiker i magasinet Cahiers du Cinema. Han skrev flere filmmanus før han regi-debuterte med DISORDER i 1986. Filmene hans tar ofte for seg det komplekse og omskiftelige ved livet i det moderne, globaliserte samfunnet.

THE DIRECTOR

Olivier Assayas worked his way into the film world as critic in Cahiers du Cinema. Working first as a screenwriter, he directed his first full-length film, DISORDER, in 1986. His films often deal with the complexities and shifting boundaries of life in the era of globalization.

FIlMOGRAPHY (UTvAlG/SElECTION)

1986 DÉSORDRE / DISORDER 1996 IRMA VEP (TIFF 1997) 1998 FIN AOÛT, DÉBUT SEPTEMBRE / LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER (TIFF 2000) 2002 DEMONLOVER 2004 CLEAN 2006 NOISE 2008 L’HEURE D’ÉTÉ / SUMMER HOURS (TIFF 2009) 2010 CARLOS (TIFF 2011) Paris 1972: Christine og Gilles elsker hverandre, men finner seg ikke til rette i et voksensamfunn i identitetskrise etter studentopprørene. Da de to blir tatt for nasking, blir hun sendt på en institusjon for psykisk syke, mens Gilles trues med kostskole av sine foreldre. Men Christine rømmer og finner tilbake til Gilles, og sammen havner de etter hvert på en ungdomsfest i et gammelt hus i skogen.

cold water er opprinnelig laget til en filmserie der regissører ble bedt om å hente stoff fra sin egen oppvekst. Og som så ofte ellers henter Assayas inspirasjonen fra musikk: Sammen med bruken av håndholdt kamera skaper lydsporet, med Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Leonard Cohen og Alice Cooper en særegen stemning og estetikk. Filmen er Assayas’ hyllest til ungdomstida, og et sterkt portrett av unge mennesker på søken etter egen identitet.

Gilles and Christine are a young couple exploring their own and society’s limits. When the two are caught shoplifting, Christine’s father sends her off to a home for emotionally disturbed children, temporarily separating her and Gilles. Luckily for them she escapes and the couple contemplates running away together. They wander off to a big party in a house in the woods with other teenagers.

cold water was originally commissioned as part of a series in which directors went back to their adolescence. Assayas shot it using a hand-held camera, and the many of the scenes, especially the marvelously sustained party sequence, are inextricable from the music, by Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Leonard Cohen and Alice Cooper. A moving account of young love, rebellious youth and of finding one’s own path.

REGISSØREN

DEMonlovEr

FRANCE 2002

REGISSØREN

Olivier Assayas fikk sin inntreden i filmverdenen som kritiker i magasinet Cahiers du Cinema. Han skrev flere filmmanus før han regi-debuterte med DISORDER i 1986. Filmene hans tar ofte for seg det komplekse og omskiftelige ved livet i det moderne, globaliserte samfunnet.

THE DIRECTOR

Olivier Assayas worked his way into the film world as critic in Cahiers du Cinema. Working first as a screenwriter, he directed his first full-length film, DISORDER, in 1986. His films often deal with the complexities and shifting boundaries of life in the era of globalization.

FIlMOGRAPHY (UTvAlG/SElECTION)

1986 DÉSORDRE / DISORDER 1994 L’EAU FROIDE / COLD WATER 1996 IRMA VEP (TIFF 1997) 1998 FIN AOÛT, DÉBUT SEPTEMBRE / LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER (TIFF 2000) 2004 CLEAN 2006 NOISE 2008 L’HEURE D’ÉTÉ / SUMMER HOURS (TIFF 2009) 2010 CARLOS (TIFF 2011) Diane driver industrispionasje i et fransk firma. Oppdraget hennes er å skaffe informasjon om forhandlingene med et japansk firma, og sabotere dem om mulig, slik at et tredje firma kan overta avtalen. De som går seirende ut, vil kontrollere store deler av det meget lukrative markedet for animasjons-pornografi. Diane tror først at hun bare har å gjøre med vanlige forretningsfolk, men etter hvert viser det at noen av dem både har skjulte sider og skumle hensikter.

Etter en rimelig streit start tar demonlover en krapp sving mot det sære og ser seg aldri tilbake. Få klare svar kan trekkes ut av denne idé-drevne teknothrilleren, men en rød tråd er at globalkapitalismen synes å være uløselig knyttet til uhyggelig distansert vold. Sonic Youths suggerende soundtrack kan beskrives som finstilt, raffinert, rått og ristende på samme tid – og passer dermed som hånd i hanske til en utfordrende film som krever sitt av tilskueren.

In demonlover, we follow a French company currently trying to secure some business deals and get new overseas partners. One Japanese enterprise, looking for investors, is particularly important in these transactions: The company that is able to close the deal with the Japanese, will get the upper hand in the distribution of borderline legal animated pornography. Operating on behalf of the French, Diane actually works for a competing company, trying to sabotage the deal. She soon finds out that the high-stakes world of international porn, where not all people are what they pretend to be, might be more than she can handle.

After a fairly straight-forward start, the film takes a radical turn for the weird and doesn’t look back. Global capitalism would seem to be indelibly linked to disturbingly desensitized violence – though this mind-bending idea-driven techno-thriller offers no easy answers. Sonic Youth’s score is both finely tuned and harsh, thus a perfect fit for a film that insists on your full attention.

DisorDEr

DÉsorDrE

FRANCE 1986

REGISSØREN

Olivier Assayas fikk sin inntreden i filmverdenen som kritiker i magasinet Cahiers du Cinema. Han skrev flere filmmanus før han regi-debuterte med DISORDER i 1986. Filmene hans tar ofte for seg det komplekse og omskiftelige ved livet i det moderne, globaliserte samfunnet.

THE DIRECTOR

Olivier Assayas worked his way into the film world as critic in Cahiers du Cinema. Working first as a screenwriter, he directed his first full-length film in 1986. His films often deal with the complexities and shifting boundaries of life in the era of globalization.

FIlMOGRAPHY (UTvAlG/SElECTION)

1994 L’EAU FROIDE / COLD WATER 1996 IRMA VEP (TIFF 1997) 1998 FIN AOÛT, DÉBUT SEPTEMBRE / LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER (TIFF 2000) 2002 DEMONLOVER 2004 CLEAN 2006 NOISE 2008 L’HEURE D’ÉTÉ / SUMMER HOURS (TIFF 2009) 2010 CARLOS (TIFF 2011) Olivier Assayas’ spillefilmdebut disorder kretser rundt et fransk postpunkband som prøver å komme seg opp og fram. Den begynner med at to av bandmedlemmene, Henri og Yvan, bryter seg inn i en musikkforretning sammen med venninnen Anne, for å skaffe instrumenter. Innbruddet går fryktelig galt da innehaveren tar musikerne på fersken, og flukten fra åstedet får katastrofale følger. Filmen følger de ulike bandmedlemmene i en kort, intensiv periode og viser deres ambisjoner og idealer. Den bryter med rockefilmens vanlige spenningskurve fra-himmel-til-helvete, og er like mye et portrett av 1980-tallets nybølgekultur. Som i mange av Assayas’ filmer er lydsporet både et selvstendig element og stemningssetter, med The Woodentops og New Order blant høydepunktene.

An attempted burglary in a music shop goes terribly wrong for post-punk rock musicians Henri and Yvan and their friend Anne. The repercussions of the event threaten the delicate structure of the band, but Assayas sidesteps the rags-toriches-to-ruin plot path that is typical of the rock music film genre. Instead, the melodramatic plot encapsulates the destructive career and turmoil of the band in a short, intensive time period.

Assayas’ debut feature captures the youth scene of its time – its aspirations and ambitions as well as its self-destructive impulses. It also signals the importance of music in Assayas’ films, both as a freestanding artistic element and as pacesetter for the plot and atmosphere. The musical score in disorder, with bands like New Order and The Woodentops, is spot on.

irMA vEp

FRANCE 1996

REGISSØREN

Olivier Assayas fikk sin inntreden i filmverdenen som kritiker i magasinet Cahiers du Cinema. Han skrev flere filmmanus før han regi-debuterte med DISORDER i 1986. Filmene hans tar ofte for seg det komplekse og omskiftelige ved livet i det moderne, globaliserte samfunnet.

THE DIRECTOR:

Olivier Assayas worked his way into the film world as critic in Cahiers du Cinema. Working first as a screenwriter, he directed his first full-length film, DISORDER, in 1986. His films often deal with the complexities and shifting boundaries of life in the era of globalization.

FIlMOGRAPHY (UTvAlG/SElECTION)

1986 DÉSORDRE / DISORDER 1994 L’EAU FROIDE / COLD WATER 1998 FIN AOÛT, DÉBUT SEPTEMBRE / LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER (TIFF 2000) 2002 DEMONLOVER 2004 CLEAN 2006 NOISE 2008 L’HEURE D’ÉTÉ / SUMMER HOURS (TIFF 2009) 2010 CARLOS (TIFF 2011) René Vidal, en tidligere dyktig og ansett filmregissør, har nådd et karrieremessig bunnivå. Hans siste sjanse til å komme seg ovenpå igjen er et tilbud om å lage en nyinnspilling av Louis Feuillades klassiske kriminalfilmserie les vampires fra 1915–1916. Vidal vil ha Hongkong-actionstjernen Maggie Cheung (som spiller seg selv) til å spille den moderne utgaven av den trikotkledde, maskerte og sensuelle forbryteren Irma Vep. Cheung ankommer settet, men filminnspillingen avstedkommer flere forviklinger enn noen hadde tenkt seg.

irma vep er en elegant komedie med glitrende skuespill, røft lavbudsjettutseende og en overraskende slutt. Med sine ironiske skråblikk mot fransk filmbransje er irma vep på flere måter et ekko av Francois Truffauts metafilm fra 1973 natteffekt.

The career of René Vidal, a former ingenious and respected filmmaker, has reached bottom. When he is offered to do a re-make of Louis Feuillades’ classic crime series les vampires (1915–16), he sees this as his last straw. Vidal wants Hong Kong action star Maggie Cheung (here featured as herself) in the role as the sensual and elegant criminal Irma Vep. Cheung accepts, and arrives at the film set, but soon the recordings are marred by utter confusion.

This elegant comedy has a surprising ending, and is characterised by brilliant acting and a rough low budget-look. With its ironic take on the French film industry it echoes Francois Truffauts 1973 meta film day for night in more than one way.

noisE

FRANCE 2006

REGISSØREN

Olivier Assayas fikk sin inntreden i filmverdenen som kritiker i magasinet Cahiers du Cinema. Han skrev flere filmmanus før han regi-debuterte med DISORDER i 1986. Filmene hans tar ofte for seg det komplekse og omskiftelige ved livet i det moderne, globaliserte samfunnet.

THE DIRECTOR

Olivier Assayas worked his way into the film world as critic in Cahiers du Cinema. Working first as a screenwriter, he directed his first full-length film, DISORDER, in 1986. His films often deal with the complexities and shifting boundaries of life in the era of globalization.

FIlMOGRAPHY (UTvAlG/SElECTION)

1986 DÉSORDRE / DISORDER 1994 L’EAU FROIDE / COLD WATER 1996 IRMA VEP (TIFF 1997) 1998 FIN AOÛT, DÉBUT SEPTEMBRE / LATE AUGUST, EARLY SEPTEMBER (TIFF 2000) 2002 DEMONLOVER 2004 CLEAN 2006 NOISE 2010 CARLOS (TIFF 2011) Den franske alternativ rock- og kunstfestivalen Art Rock de Saint-Brieuc gir hvert år en utvalgt kunstner frie hender til å lage et helaftens program på to scener. I 2005 gikk utfordringen til Olivier Assayas. Han valgte å sette opp en eksperimentell dobbelkonsert, med musikere og artister fra sine tidligere filmer. Blant dem var Kim Gordon og Thurston Moore fra Sonic Youth som til gjengjeld ba Assayas lage visuell bakgrunn til deres sett med prosjektet Mirror/Dash. Det ga Assayas inspirasjon til å lage noise – en gnistrende oppvisning i lyd og bilde, og en videreformidling av den særegne konsertopplevelsen.

Foruten Assayas selv bidrar en rekke kjente filmskapere og fotografer bak kamera. Når Tromsø internasjonale filmfestival nå setter opp noise, er det en unik sjanse til å se filmen på stort lerret – og til å bli med på et visuelt festmåltid stelt i stand av en regissør med stort hjerte for musikk.

Each year, Art Rock de Saint-Brieuc, a fringe/experimental rock-and-art festival on the coast of Brittany, gives an artist «carte blanche» to program an evening (two stages) at the festival. In 2005 Olivier Assayas had his day at the races. He curated a cutting edge music program, presenting bands and musicians with whom he had previously chosen to work in his own films. In return Mirror/Dash asked Assayas to create something to project as a background for their set. Jim O’Rourke also delivers musically and visually. The result? An electrifying visual and aural collage now known as noise.

The footage for the film is shot by a number of cameras handled by well-known film directors and photographers, documenting an absolutely unique concert experience. This is a rare chance to see the film on the big screen and to partake in a feast prepared by a film director on a (musical) mission of love.