Jessica Hausner on Fairy Tales, Existentialism and Exploring Working Life in Her Next Film

Austrian auteur Jessica Hausner (Membership Zero, Lourdes, Little Joe) is attending the 77th version of the Locarno Movie Pageant this yr as the pinnacle of the jury that may determine the winner of the Pardo d’Oro, or Golden Leopard, within the worldwide competitors part.

For the filmmaker, it marks a return to the Swiss competition, which takes place Aug. 7-17. In any case, it was the primary worldwide competition the place her work turned heads when she received the primary prize within the Pardi di Domani part, which showcases brief and medium-length movies targeted on experimentation and modern types, for her brief Flora in 1997.

Earlier than the 2024 version of Locarno, Hausner talked to THR about how she picks themes and matters to discover primarily based on emotion, her influences, why her movies’ endings are likely to trigger debate and why she likes to “create a sure absurdity.”

How thrilling is it so that you can return to Locarno — this time as president of the worldwide competitors jury? And the way do you strategy this position?

I’m wanting ahead to this expertise very a lot. Locarno is a competition that’s actually targeted on creative movies, arthouse movies, movies that pursue an fascinating fashion in filmmaking. So it’s not solely about entertaining but in addition unique movies. That is one thing I’m wanting ahead to very a lot.

The dialogue with the opposite jury members will, I believe, be very fascinating. My expertise from being on juries is that each particular person sees a distinct movie. So it’s at all times about discussing why I like this, why I don’t like that, what did I see in any respect, what did I make of a movie? I’m wanting ahead to that.

Is that why your individual movies sometimes have endings that will be interpreted in numerous methods? How necessary is it so that you can be ambiguous and depart issues open to interpretation?

I wish to put it this fashion: I believe there’s an instantaneous emotion in a movie, which works very quick, very direct. While you see a toddler crossing the road and a automotive is approaching quick, you’re afraid, you are feeling for the kid. That may be a very quick, direct emotion of empathy. However I believe there’s one other kind of emotion when watching a movie, which comes later and comes from understanding one thing about us as human beings. It is a extra advanced emotion that’s extra linked to reflection and one thing that you just can not simplify. It’s a advanced factor. Us human beings are torn. We wish to be necessary, however we’re not. We should be completely happy, however we’re not at all times. We wish to do good however typically trigger evil. We have now so many contradictions in our lives. This second reflective emotional understanding is what I’m making an attempt to do with my movies.

Some folks discover your work very provocative. How do you begin out with movie concepts and do you look to trigger debate or do you simply discover a matter that you just wish to discover?

The latter. I begin from an concept that I discover fascinating. More often than not, it’s fairly a easy concept. It’s typically only a very small plot logline or so. And from there, I develop the story. But it surely begins from a easy concept that I discover intriguing and mysterious or daring. I then begin to examine and do a number of analysis and attempt to discover out what it’s that actually pursuits me about it. But it surely doesn’t come from an mental perspective. It comes from a really emotional second. At first, I don’t know why I wish to make that movie.

Would you agree that your visible fashion has change into extra pronounced or extra emphasised? It appears to me that there are much more colours, and also you appear to make use of music extra. How way more necessary have these items change into as you’ve grown as a filmmaker?

I believe you’re proper. I might say that the colours, the costumes, the music have change into much more synthetic or excessive or surrealist. The primary movies had been just a little bit extra naturalistic in fashion, however not very way more. (Laughs.) Perhaps I understood that this fashion of visible storytelling helps me to additionally create a sure absurdity. What I’m additionally searching for is humor that comes from these bizarre, absurd moments. I don’t know, say, somebody could be very unhappy, however sporting a loopy pink hat. This contradiction is one thing I like. As a result of it’s not straightforward to say that is proper, that is mistaken, or that is good, that is dangerous. So I create combined feelings.

I wished to ask you about your influences, whether or not in movie, theater, different types of artwork and even philosophy. I typically am reminded of the theater of the absurd after I watch your movies. And to get much more philosophical, I typically marvel if they’re an existentialist train. Do you discover any influences?

Now that you just say it, I’ve at all times been desirous about existentialism. As a youngster, I cherished to learn [Jean-Paul] Sartre and [Albert] Camus. The surrealist motion additionally impressed me. I often point out the filmmaker Maya Deren, a surrealist filmmaker within the U.S. within the Nineteen Forties, who impressed me loads. Her movies and the best way she edits her scenes create a bizarre dream-like feeling of time and house. That could be very inspiring for me. She additionally labored with the composer Teiji Ito. In my movie Little Joe, I additionally used music by that very same composer.

I learn that your subsequent mission could also be referred to as Poisonous and that you could be be within the means of writing it. Are you able to give us just a little replace on whether or not that’s nonetheless within the works and what you’ll be able to share about it?

For the time being, that’s the plan. I’m engaged on a script that known as Poisonous. It’s about work life and concerning the query “can we reside to work or can we work to reside?” So it’s additionally just a little bit about overworking and about exploitation. I’m making an attempt to juxtapose a few of these positions.

Whilst you’re writing, do you consider actors or different key parts for the movie?

Typically I don’t however with this movie, it is going to be 4 episodes, so I already take into consideration actors, as a result of it makes it simpler for me to tell apart the completely different characters.

With Membership Zero, there was a Pied Piper theme. And other people have in contrast Little Joe to the story of Frankenstein. With Poisonous, did you will have any legends or fairy tales or different tales in thoughts that can assist you discover working life?

There may be one story that has at all times impressed me as a result of it’s the other of the society we reside in, the place we at all times wish to have extra and wish extra and be the higher model of ourselves. That fairy story is Hans im Glück (Hans in Luck, from the Brothers Grimm). He loses step-by-step. He loses increasingly more, and in the long run, he has nothing. And that’s when he’s actually completely happy.

Why did you determine to make this movie episodic? And can it additionally discover #MeToo and harassment within the office?

Effectively, the episodes got here from my understanding that it’s fascinating for this movie to indicate completely different experiences, completely different conditions. I had began to have it in a single place, however then I discovered one thing was lacking. I wished to indicate completely different variations of how we reside and work. In order that’s the place the thought of doing it in episodes got here from. And on the #MeToo matter: I don’t know — perhaps within the movie after this one.

While you watch issues on your personal pleasure, what sort of movies, collection or performs do you take pleasure in? Is it offbeat and arthouse fare or do you watch foolish issues too?

Oh, I’ve to say I watch each. I can take pleasure in this and that. I discover it fascinating that in each style, you will have movies which might be actually fascinating, and others which might be much less fascinating. Within the blockbuster enterprise, there are movies that don’t attain that leisure [level] that they promise and others do. The identical is true for arthouse. Arthouse movies may also be boring and pretentious however others can contact my soul deeply. So I wouldn’t say that I favor the one or the opposite. I identical to to see movies that actually evoke one thing in me.

Something you will have lately seen that matches that invoice?

In Vienna, we’ve got the Wiener Festwochen [arts festival]. And I noticed a really fascinating play by Florentina Holzinger. She’s a star within the efficiency theater scene. Her play was a kind of combination of efficiency and theater play. And it was very irritating. It was a kind of physique horror factor. I believe she actually damage herself on the stage. But it surely was additionally very feminist. So she made some very fascinating, additionally intellectually fascinating, factors. That was a really fascinating expertise.

Your movies at all times characteristic very sturdy, very current feminine characters. How necessary is it so that you can deliver a feminine presence and perspective to the desk?

Once I began as a filmmaker, that was a pure factor, as a result of my perspective is a feminine perspective. So it felt very pure to have feminine lead characters. After which, when #MeToo took place, it modified loads. In my life it did as a result of abruptly, there was an enormous understanding of the misogynist therapy of girls, which earlier than was very unreflected, even regular. And abruptly we talked about it, abruptly it turned one thing aware. So this modified loads, additionally in my very own understanding of my position in life. And since then, I’m consciously conscious of the truth that by having feminine characters in my movies, after all, I additionally contribute to the range and a change of the picture of girls.

Is it simply me or do viewers as of late extra readily determine with characters who’re completely different from them, whether or not by way of gender or age or no matter, so long as they’re compelling…

Depends upon the attitude. Girls used to determine with male characters. Now males begin to determine with feminine characters. I’ve a son who’s 14. We watched kids’s movies, and now we watch grownup movies collectively. Within the final 10 years, feminine characters have change into increasingly more lively heroines. And, that is so fascinating, he completely identifies with them. So it does work completely.

Talking of making characters: Relating to the dialogue you write, how strict are you on set and is there room for actors to vary it?

Usually, I’m very strict. But when an actor or an actress has an concept or wish to change a few of the strains, we undergo the dialogue, however we don’t try this on set. We do it weeks earlier than capturing. That is actually one thing that may be carried out upfront. As a result of on set, there are sufficient unexpected issues. So I at all times attempt to be as properly ready as potential, as a result of then I’m extra free to make selections on set.

It may be just a little little bit of a wrestle as a result of typically an actor tries to make the dialogue extra logical. And that’s after I don’t comply with as a result of that’s how I like to put in writing dialogues. They don’t make sense essentially. That’s how I — that’s how we communicate. You begin a sentence, and then you definately lose it and say one thing completely different, so I wish to hold that. I additionally use a number of repetitions. For instance, if one character makes use of a selected phrase, we discover it once more later in one other dialogue, however in a very completely different context. So I should be fairly exact concerning the dialogue.