Olivier Assayas and LES DESTINEES: The Hollywood Flashback Interview

(Olivier Assayas, above.)

(I interviewed French filmmaker Olivier Assayas in early 2002 for his film Les Destinees over coffee in Beverly Hills, for this short article which originally appeared in Venice Magazine. Assayas went on to quite a decade with international hits such as Demonlover and Summer Hours.)

Les Destinees
With his new film, French filmmaker Olivier Assayas takes a trip back in time to examine the nature of love.

by Terry Keefe

“It was intimidating, but that’s what moviemaking is about. It’s really exciting to discover something new, something you have no experience of, and to just confront yourself with things you don’t know how to do,“ says French filmmaker Olivier Assayas in regards to the massive production of his new film Les Destinees, a big departure in terms of scale and setting from his previous work. In past films such as Cold Water (1994) and Irma Vep (1996), Assayas became famous for his skill with stories of modern relationships in contemporary settings. He hasn’t abandoned his interest in human relations in his new film, but he’s framed them this time in an epic romance which takes place over three decades, including scenes in turn-of-the-century Limoges and Paris, in addition to World War I. Assayas pulls it all off with aplomb, creating not only a wonderful love story but also some of the most beautiful and realistic period filmmaking ever.



Based on the novel Les Destinees Sentimentales by legendary French writer Jacques Chardonne, the story centers around Jean Barnery (played by Charles Berling), whose family owns a prominent porcelain factory in the famed Limoges region of France, and who starts out in life as a Protestant minister married to Nathalie (played by the ever-luminous Isabelle Huppert). Suspicions of infidelity cause Jean to separate from Nathalie and fall in love with the younger Pauline (Emmanuelle Beart). When the family’s porcelain factory begins to flounder, Jean is forced to take it over, and he becomes absorbed with trying to perfect a brand new color of porcelain which may save the factory.

Les Destinees spans three decades in the lives of Jean and Pauline, during which they both go through many changes. The film is a powerful essay on the nature of love over the course of a lifetime. Says Assayas in regards to this theme, “Like in real life, they (Jean and Pauline) become different people, different characters over time. And the question becomes ‘do those different people still remain in love? Are they able to fall in love again or find love again in their relationship?’”

(Assayas directs Emmanuelle Beart, right.)

It also happens that there is a strong parallel between the actual production of Les Destinees and the plotline of the film. As we watch the character of Jean painstakingly attempt to invent a new color of porcelain over the course of the story, an idea emerges: attention to small details is necessary to achieve a larger greatness. That’s also a motto which Assayas himself took up during the making of Les Destinees. The film feels extremely authentic right down to the smallest props, more like a living photo from the past than a movie set. Says Assayas of these design efforts, “By doing the most precise possible of documenting - using the paintings, using the pictures, using the people who remember - you end up creating something that’s true, that’s believable. And all of a sudden, you or the actors walk onto the set and you think you’re living in another time. Because it’s true. It’s not a movie set. It’s real chairs, real tables, real porcelain, real glasses. It’s absolutely what makes the difference in what makes something believable.”

Up next for Assayas is Demonlover, which he’s currently in post-production on and which stars Connie Nielsen, Chloe Sevigny, and Les Destinees’ Charles Berling. Says Assayas of his new film, “It’s a modern, abstract, kind of disturbing thriller. I had an urge to go back to the modern world. (laughs)”