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From the "People" Archives:
by Jacque Lynn Schiller (indieWIRE/ 11.12.01) -- With "Everything Put Together" (now playing) and the upcoming "Monster's Ball," starring Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry, 2001 Independent Spirit Award winner Marc Forster proves he certainly is a filmmaker worth watching. "Everything Put Together" is a riveting, unflinching examination of the frail bonds that exist between friends and family. When young newlyweds Angie (Radha Mitchell) and Russ (Justin Louis) lose their first baby to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, the circle of friends (all with new families of their own) they have relied on for social and emotional support abruptly withdraw. The Swiss-born Forster's keen observation for small details elicits the depths of Angie's anguish to such a degree one feels as if they are experiencing a panic attack. Existing alongside this story of ultimate misfortune is also a clever, biting satire of the calm, comfortable and conformist wold of suburbia. indieWIRE's Jacque Lynn Schiller spoke with Forster about loss, celebrating life and the importance of waking the audience. indieWIRE: You shot on digital video. Was this for budgetary or stylistic reasons?
Marc Forster: When we wrote it, at first we didn't have that DV vision in mind. But then I saw "The Celebration," and it was so inspirational. I said, "Oh my god. This script would be perfect to tell in this visual manner." At the same time, it would have been hard to raise the amount of money, like two or three million dollars, to make this on film. I knew there were two producers who would give me $100,000 to shoot this on DV and so we gave the script to two different producers who said they would give us the money. iW: How did the distribution deal with American Cinematheque come about? I know "Everything Put Together" is the first new American film they will release. Forster: When we were at Sundance, Trimark wanted to buy the movie, but two or three months after the festival we were still in negotiations. A few months later, American Cinematheque held a special event and said they would like to play the film there because they loved it so much. So they played the movie. At the same time the Trimark deal fell apart because they got bought by Lions Gate and so the whole thing just sort of dissolved. American Cinematheque then asked if they could release it. And at this point, four or five months after Sundance you sort of lose the momentum. Most of the distributors have already bought their movies or are waiting for Toronto or Telluride, so we said sure. It is a great opportunity to get the movie out and get a few people to go and see it. [laughs] iW: I heard one of the reasons they wanted the film is it reminded them of "Rosemary's Baby" and "Safe" - impressive comparisons. Who are some of your influences? Forster: There are a lot of directors I am influenced by. I love Kubrick, Buñuel and Truffaut. I like Bergman and John Huston. There are so many filmmakers I do like, but for this particular project, I definitely was influenced by Polanski. But absolutely I looked at "Safe" as well. If you do a work that might have certain similarities to films that have been done before, you better look at them to make sure that you're not doing something the same. You can also be inspired. iW: You have an amazing skill at extracting gutwrenching performances from your actors in both "Everything Put Together" and in "Monster's Ball." What's your secret? Forster: There's no formula; you have to apply it case by case. For instance Radha works very differently from Halle Barry. Radha comes from a more analytical place and Halle comes from a much more emotional place. Directing different individuals, you basically try and absorb their needs and feel their sensitivities. It's not about what I need. Overall it is what my vision should be, but also how can I create and support a certain environment and a particular feeling. And it doesn't start with what I say or how I direct them. It begins with the gaffer and grip and DP, so they have a feeling of trust and of being free on the set. There's nothing to distract them; they must feel they are in good hands. I may be the director, but I have to make sure everyone else gives them the same support and strength. I try to have that structure from day one. You can be as good as any director or actor, but if the environment is not right, you'll never get that performance out of them. iW: Did you have rehearsals before the shoot or did they just come to the set and jump into character? Forster: In both cases we never had rehearsal. In "Everything Put Together," I couldn't ask Radha because everything was just soŠ15 days, no money. I just was happy to get who I got. [laughs] iW: In both films, you managed incredible casts. Forster: The same with "Monster's Ball," the cast did not get paid their normal salaries. Basically, Billy Bob arrived at three in the morning and we started shooting at six. Heath Ledger, I met for the first time at 11pm the next day. Halle came two days before, so at least I could show her the house, take her to the location and introduce her to the lady who owns the house and actually had a similar situation in her life -- a single mother, very poor and living in a black neighborhood. I wanted her (Halle) to spend the two days with her as a kind of rehearsal. I said, "You're the only actor here early." Peter Boyle also came in last second, and I just asked her the favor of spending two days with this woman. iW: I don't want to necessarily set up a comparison between the two films -- they're certainly separate entities -- but both do deal with the theme of loss, specifically the loss of a child and its effect on the parents. Was that part of the attraction with "Monster's Ball"? Forster: I was interested in "Monster's Ball" because it dealt with so many different issues. Especially as a foreigner, when you come to this country you observe things that you're not actually aware of until you come and live here. It has less to do with the death of a child and more to do with racism; the differences between generations; what it means to be a man; breaking the circle of violence; the whole death penalty issue. All strong issues that I confront myself and have my own opinions about, obviously. It was very important to me to explore them since I live here now and the people who grew up here have been much more ingrained iW: You don't have children and are not married, so where did you gain all this insight? Forster: I had a lot of loss in my family. My brother committed suicide; my father died; and my grandmother died all in the same year. This was all back to back, like three months apart. Also, growing up, many of my friends passed away in accidents. I grew up in the mountains and avalanches occurred when we skiied. One time a friend got caught under one and died. It happened from a very early age. I was surrounded by loss and I observed the reactions of the people around me seemed very often similar. In "Everything Put Together" it was more based upon my research. It was interesting how many people have gone through that experience [of losing a baby]. Many of the mothers I talked to that went through it, it seemed like it was almost looked at as a disease. Often when you have a baby, your friends have or are expecting babies as well, and you become part of this culture, this "baby culture." You hang out mostly with other couples who have babies. When someone's baby passes away, it is almost like they don't want to invite you to a baby shower because they feel it's not appropriate to do so. It's not malicious; they just don't feel that it's appropriate. People are almost numb and don't know how to react or what to do and at the same time it's like a disease and it could effect their baby. I feel like it all comes from a root of fear, a fear of death. We've lost our death right in modern society, especially Western society. Through modern medicine we have this feeling that we can cure everything and are much more protected than ever before. iW: I noticed you particularly have an adroitness for small details. Such as the nurses carrying on, oblivious to the father signing out of the hospital after his son's death, and also the storage unit. I've always thought they looked like morgues.
Forster: In "Everything Put Together," details were key, like the wheel of the crib missing and him (the father) pouring wine down the drain. I looked for a storage place that was all metal like the morgue. It's amazing that you observed that. Nobody ever told me they got that. All the details were in the original script and I always figured I could cut them out if it was too much. There's a thin line before you overdo it and everything becomes a cliché. Right now I get away with it and it works for me, but I hope it's not too much. I think in the case of an infant's death, there's a blame of yourself even though you have nothing to do with it. Asking, "Did I do everything right?" "Did I do something wrong during the pregnancy?" All these self-blame issues come up. I felt these details would represent how you go back in your mind to these small things. They would add to the story and to the tension. Almost that it could be these details' fault. To underline them was an important thing. iW: After winning the Independent Spirit Award, did you experience anyone pulling away from you? Forster: [laughs] You know, I don't have a lot of friends. I don't go out or socialize very much. I live with my girlfriend and work, literally, 90% of the time. The rest of the time I spend with her so she doesn't feel I'm not giving her attention. She's a wonderful person and I'm happy and the friends I do have are very old friends. Either I've had them since moving to America, I moved to New York in 1990, or they're from Switzerland. All my friends, they really don't care about success. Life is too short. This is all an illusion; all success is only an illusion. If you buy into it, and suddenly think you are better or different from others because you are doing well -- you must be a total fool. iW: It sounds like you have your priorities straight. That's why you're able to communicate so well with the films. Forster: I just find it ridiculous. The nice thing about getting a Spirit Award is that you get at least some recognition to give you the energy to move on and know you're not totally on the wrong track. So there is still hope that people might support you and want to see films like mine and not onlyŠ iW: Happy, meaningless or bang-'em-up films? Forster: Although I do someday want to do a comedy. Comedies are much harder to do, really good ones. I just want to grow as a filmmaker and be mature enough to do that. My next film that I am working on, and hope to get financing, deals with another, more serious, topic. But after that I intend to do something more light. iW: The film you are working on now, did you write it as well? Forster: I'll direct, but I'm also working with the writer. It's just a really interesting piece and something I'm quite passionate about. You never know what will happen; I'm just hoping it will happen. I feel it's an important story that has something of a commercial element. It's got a conspiracy angle to it based on fact. iW: Communication is so integral in both "Monster's Ball" and "Everything Put Together." What do you hope the audience will walk away with after seeing the films? Forster: For me, both films are spiritual in a sense. In "Monster's Ball," it's ultimate forgiveness. The last shot when they're on the porch and she looks over to the graves, she understands that so much death has already happened. Confronting him (Billy Bob) that she knows he was the executioner of her husband will not change anything. The only way to move on and overcome is to forgive. The importance of "Everything Put Together" is that in the end you are aware and conscious of how you are living and what your surroundings are. I feel in a way that so many people are essentially, if their material needs are met and they have money, they are very much asleep. | |
