Michel Gondry talks “Thorn in the Heart”

MakingOf: Tell us the inspiration behind “Thorn in the Heart.” What compelled you to make this beautiful documentary?

Michel Gondry: I think we mostly see the life on TV, on the big screen, we see the life of people who achieve something important which in a negative way or a positive way. Like people who have great achievement, like great scientist, great writer, great painter, famous actor, or people who abuse their kids or kill somebody, but there is never time allowed to watch the life of people who are like everyone. To me I’m trying to say it’s more important the way you look at people, that their achievement, so because if you educate yourself to look at people who are around you or even they are not around you. If you meet them, and you think they are as much interested as the people who make the front page of a magazine, then you start to look at all the details of life and what makes life really special.

MO: Was there something you set out to accomplish when making “Thorn in the Heart” other than to show the compelling life of someone who’s ordinary?

(MG): Well, every time I do a project the first goal is to finish it. It seems like a very benign statement, very mundane, but it’s very important. When people ask me for advice, it’s the only advice I give. When you start something you should finish it, it’s really important. So, my goal was to finish it, and it wasn’t easy because when you have no financing and I have to do it with my own capacities and my publisher was a good help too. But, I mean, we invested money and we never get it back basically. So, that was my first goal, just to finish it and be able to show it to her. Not spend so much time for us and not see a result. Then I knew I had hurt her when I decided that this movie would be about her and her son, it was not our first agreement. So, I thought I had to make it all right to her and explain to her why I did that. So, my goal in doing this movie, I don’t know it’s a challenge. How am I going to make it a movie? As well, it was important for me to understand what influences she had on me that led me to be a filmmaker, and for me to trace back those roots within the contexts of the film. It makes sense because I’m doing film because I was exposed to her when I was younger. I guess by coincidence, it’s sort of a loop that wrapped itself nicely. So, I’m just trying to understand things about her, about myself, and the exploring process is presented to the audience could be contested. But I think myself, I enjoy watching this type because if I like the director I really enjoy to see his personal stuff, and maybe it’s not for everyone. It’s interesting some people complain because how they project their personal life to everyone, but they criticize me thinking as if my movie was shown in 3000 theaters, but it’s mostly shown in 1 theater. This copy is touring around different cities, so I don’t think it’s very invasive. So if you want to see, then go and see, but if you feel its too much then don’t go and see it, but don’t tell me I’m in your face because I’m taking one slightest portion I could possibly take away from them, so I don’t think there is reason to complain about that.

MO: It’s such a personal movie to you and there are so many beautiful scenes are there 1 or 2 that stand out in your mind that are your favorites?

(MG): Well, I like very much Suzette talk about her husband, her late husband, it’s very sad. And then there was a moment when she talks about her son being weak, like she was strong, she was raised to be strong, she was educated to do stuff she didn’t like to do. And I ask her “what for instance” and she couldn’t find anything. And the only example she could find was “to take care of my son.” And then we cut to this silly scene where Jeanne was trapped in the bathroom and I enjoyed to see that because he screamed like a newborn. It’s on the verge of insanity, and I think it’s brilliant entertaining. I know some people will think it’s too, I just find it funny. Especially, were on each other with this small camera, and it’s projected onto this big screen it’s pretty awesome.

MO: Talking just specifically about documentary techniques, are there any techniques that you think, that you used while making this documentary, you found particularly useful?

(MG): Well, I started with video and I didn’t like the look because the countryside was very important to the story, and if the light is too bright or light in video it looks horrible on video, so I had to go back to film. But then when I started to shift the subject into more, the relationship between of mother and son, I had to be able to capture moments when she became very emotional because she was very guarded. So, then I had to switch back occasionally on video. So, really I could tell that the medium dictated by where the documentary was taking us. That’s why it looks a little random, so I wanted to incorporate the super-8 film with little animation sequence city-scapes because that’s what inspired me with my style for animation for instance. So, there is lot of reason for film for style. Why I selected this project other than another one, it’s very hard to say, it’s complex process. Sometimes I read a screenplay and the first half I try to like it and the second half I try to not like it. I want to find a project I like, I want a script I like, so I can direct it, I’m hoping to like it, and first half I don’t like it, and I’m continuing to read it and I’m continuing to be able to make a decision, so I’m hoping I don’t like it at all because if I had a doubts. It’s random. I can’t really explain why I do this or Bjork or me to do a film with her and I feel “Oh, I have too many things I have to do already.” But then I go “ I have to do it.” And I have to but my brain to that, so it’s very random. I don’t have one person as a contact to choose my project and that’s a part to the complexity as well. I have different persons, so they all say, “oh, yeah this is good for you to do.” And it’s very conflictual.