Un Lac (Philippe Grandrieux, 2008)

I am immensely curious how Grandriux will come up with this new project. I haven't been able to find out much information about it yet, but I grabbed the only available portion through Grandrieux' own web site which seems a little frustrating with all those jumping pop up windows. Hence, I am putting all the information up here...


«UN LAC »

Feature film

Shooting: November, December 2007 and February 2008 / Screenplay Philippe Grandrieux
With Dmitry Alexandrovitch Kubasov, Natalie Rehorova, Alexei Nikolaevitch Solonchev, Vitali Eduardovitch Kishchenko,
Simona Hülsemann, Arthur Semay
Production Mandrake Films / Coproduction Arte France Cinéma / Rhône-Alpes Cinéma
With the participation of Centre National de la Cinématographie / Canal + / Distribution Shellac






SCREENPLAY (extract)
…
The next day.
Alexis is alone with the horse in the forest.
He chops away with his axe, attacking the base of a tree.
He knows his job.
His face is without shadows. Of pure heart.
The camera is near him.

He stops an instant.
He looks around, then raises his eyes.
The treetops and sky stretched out over a canvas of a grey light.
The wind rustles the foliage.

Now Alexis looks at his horse.

Alexis starts chopping again.
With the same fervour, a force that naught can diminish.

His sister stands before him. Her great face before him.
She watches him cutting down a tree.
She observes her brother's powerful, muscular body.
He is happy that she is there.
He stops, puts down the axe and approaches his sister.

She gives to him cool water to drink.
He drinks with joy.
It's good drinking when you are thirsty.
Yes.
She watches him drink.
His head thrown back, gazing up at the sky, trees and light.
She holds out to him bread and cheese.
He eats, without speaking, smiling at her, watching her, smiling at her.
You were hungry.
He nods.
Hege nears the horse.
She puts a hand on the stiff hairs of its mane.
Alexis approaches his sister and lifts her like a feather.
He puts his sister astride the horse.
She laughs.
He laughs too.
He takes the horse by the bit and leads it off.
Alexis runs and the horse quickens its pace.
The horse is heavy. A draught animal.
Alexis looks at his sister, at the good face of his sister against the light, against the sky, and he laughs, and we hear his laughter echo throughout the forest and she laughs as well.
Alexis still runs, we hear his ever-faster breathing mixing in with the panting of the horse.
They emerge from the forest. They are in the high grass.
…

NOTES



The story takes place in a country about which we know nothing. In the north.
The light is devoid of strength.
The sun never climbs high in the sky. It remains on the horizon.

Everything happens with great suddenness.
Nothing prepares it.
It just happens.
The scenes are somehow connected underground, by deep currents invisible on the surface.

Few dialogues.
Lines delivered rapidly.

The film is a tragedy.

The power of cinema is that it enables to us live within a world, as the dreamer lives within his dream.
Thus, we walk in the image.


here is a peek from scouting:

http://www.grandrieux.com/content/lac_rep_video_01.php?lang=en

the music video he made for Marylin Manson:

http://www.grandrieux.com/content/news_summer07_video_01.php?lang=en