Kaleem Aftab dares director YANN SAMUELL and actress MARION
COTILLARD to tell him about their new film LOVE ME IF YOU DARE.
‘We are effectively destroying our self by violence
musquI'm/mg as low" — RD Laing. The Politics of
Experience.
he idea of love has plagued philosophers.
artists and street cleaners ever since Eve ate
the apple. No one can ever agree on what is at the heart of love. Love Me if You Dare. starring the delectable rising star of French cinema Marion Cotillard (pictured). sets out to contradict Scot RI) Laing and prove that we destroy our self by love masquerading as violence.
Love begins and ends this story. Director Yann Samuell's life was changed by love. ‘When 1 met my wife I was mainly an illustrator at the time. She asked me what I did. I said. “I‘m a film director." She said. “Show me your movies." I had nothing to show. 1 had studied film but I had done nothing except drawing because I lived quite well with drawing and had a lot of contracts. She said. “So. you are a draftstnan and not a director." I said. "you're right." So I put all my stuff in a box in the attic and l have not touched it since.‘
Samuell (inset) then set about making short films including film festival favourite Muno-u-Mum). but he still did not feel that he could officially call himself a director until he made his feature film debut. The trouble was that Samuell's life as a graphic artist had inspired him to write fantastical scripts that needed extravagant budgets. ‘So I tried to write something that would fit the budget for a first movie. So I picked love. everlasting childhood. friendship and I put all these elements together.‘
Samuell‘s film details how best friends Sophie and Julien. two unhappy children. invent a game that will allow them to escape the shackles of their own
10 THE LIST 19—26 Aug 200-:
‘I NEED TO LIVE THE DAY THAT IS NOT LIKE THE DAY BEFORE'
existence. livery titne they exchange a symbolic tin box. the one who takes the box must also accept a challenge. The fantastical idea is perfectly complemented by the bold colours and mythical backdrop of their world. Samuell explains: ‘.\ly reference was Alive in llinuler/uml. Sophie looks at the adult world not understanding the meaning of it: for her the adult world is fttll of habits that don‘t mean anything. It is just a matter of being what people expect you to be. but not being you.‘
This was the idea that grabbed 28-year—old actress Marion (‘otillard. She recently made her llollyw'ood debut playing Billy (‘rudup’s girl in Big I'i’s/z and is best known as the sassy bombshell Lilly Bertineau in 'Iiu'i. That was a performance that garnered her a nomination for the ('cser .-\\\;tl‘tls (the French equivalent of the Oscars). She told me: ‘I became an actress to escape. but I realised that it was the exact contrary. it was the only way to meet my true self as I could not see who I wasf
(‘otillard had a bizarre childhood. Her parents were members of a travelling circus and the young budding actress thought ‘witches had placed me on earth‘. As she puts it. the bohemian lifestyle meant ‘I could not have done a job which made me do the same thing every day. It would have killed me. I need some fresh things every day. I need to live the day that is not like the day before and not like the day aher‘
It is an attitude that ensured that ('otillard and Samuell were the perfect match as director and star. Proof that some good relationships have nothing to do with love.
Love Me If You Dare is on selected release from Fri 20 Aug. See review.
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F/lm news from Dvce to Dumfr/es. ..
YES, IT‘S THAT TIME OF YEAR again - to tell you all about the most important event of the Film Festival. It‘s The Lisf's Surprise Movie. and this year it is on Thursday 26 August at UGC. Renfrew St. Glasgow and UGC Fountainpark in Edinburgh. If you are interested in freebies see the Offers page in both magazines. The Glasgow event will be introduced by the film editor of The List. Dr Paul Dale.
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INTERESTED IN HIGH definition technology? Then don‘t miss the Sweet HD Festival in Edinburgh 26 August-30 August. See www.sweet-hd.net for more details.
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on DVD! Originally pulled from theatrical release in this country due to controversy over the delicate subject matter of Martin GoldenEye Campbell’s romantic thriller (Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen fight against poverty and hunger through humanitarian relief work from Cambodia to Chechnya). Now is your chance to judge for yourself. The DVD is out now to rent or buy on Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment and we have five copies to give away to the first List readers to send an email to promotions@list.co.uk by 26 August. Usual List rules apply. Go to www.fox.co.uk for more information about the film.
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