TIFF 2018 Interview: Sarah Pellerin
“As a human being, I just want to feel free to write and tell any story I want without any form of discrimination.”
Films centering on bachelor parties aren’t anything new, but Sarah Pellerin’s My Boy takes a look from a different perspective. Seventeen-year-old Louis agrees to tag along on his older brother’s bachelor party but has little interest in the drunken debauchery that ensues. As he watches the night (and his brother) spiral further and further out of control, he is forced to decide just how much macho bullshit he is willing to take.
A native of Ottawa, Sarah Pellerin is a director, screenwriter, and actress with an impressive academic background. Among her achievements are a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Quebec and a master’s degree in film studies from the Université de Montréal.
Since the end of her studies, Sarah has scripted several short films, including Le siège (2013) La Canadienne française (2014), Un peu comme Simone (2014)(which she also directed), and Tout simplement (2016).
As an actress, she has featured in in Toutes des Connes (2014), Genèse (2018), and Georges est mort (2018).
You can see the World Premiere of My Boy at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, screening as part of Short Cuts Programme 04 on September 8th at 10:15PM and September 14th at 9:45PM. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got involved with filmmaking.
Sarah Pellerin: Younger, I always wanted to express myself through art. I always had a lot of ideas and projects and spent a lot of time writing. After moving to Montréal, I felt like I was missing something. I felt like I needed to learn more to be able to communicate properly my feelings, opinions, and ideas. At that point I started a program in political science while doing a minor in feminism. All those years really helped me understand social structures, but also myself.
After my bachelor at Université du Québec à Montréal, I absolutely wanted to go back to creating. That’s when my love for cinema took more space in my life. I started writing again and got into INIS (Institut national de l’image et du son) for screenwriting. That year I met incredible people with whom I’m still working today. I spent the next years working in the industry and continued to learn a lot. Directing was the next step for me. I wanted to express myself not only through words but also through images. I shot my first short Un peu comme Simone in 2013 and felt good as a director. That first experience gave me the drive to move forward with other projects like My Boy.
Tell us about MY BOY. Where did the idea come from?
SP: Bachelor and bachelorette parties are fascinating. This idea of separating men and women for a night and permitting them to perform extreme stereotypical behaviours before getting married is really interesting to me. This ritual allows all kinds of behaviours that are suddenly socially accepted. My Boy was a way for me to question how gender and masculinity can be constructed or reinforced.
What was the casting process like for a lead role with no lines? How did you know Henri was the right fit for the role you had created?
SP: I met a couple of teenagers in auditions with two actors from the cast. I tested their reactions while the actors were improvising around them. Since there are no lines, my goal was to find a boy able to ignore them but still make us feel his frustration of being trapped in a bachelor party. I didn’t want the character to be seen as a victim. Henri Picard appeared like the perfect actor. Through his eyes you could feel so much, you could feel his vulnerability but also his strength.
Were there any drafts of the script where Louis has lines, or has male silence always been a theme you wanted to incorporate?
SP: At first, Louis had 2 or 3 lines, but while shooting we felt like we didn’t need them. It was more interesting to look at Louis as if he had chosen to remain silent. I think his silence is the only way he has to keep his distance and not take part in the bachelor party.
What was your biggest personal highlight from working on this project? Your biggest challenge?
SP: My biggest challenge was also my biggest highlight. Working with twelve actors at the same time was quite intimidating for me. Their generosity was unbelievable; they gave me so much it became easy to adapt my mise en scène on the spot when I had to.
Can you tell us about some/all of the other amazing women who worked on this film?
SP: Fanny-Laure Malo and Annie-Claude Quirion, my two producers. Both of them are extraordinary. They believed in the short from the beginning and gave everything to make it happen. Without them and their trust in me, My Boy would not have been possible.
Tell us about why you are a feminist and why it’s important to your filmmaking.
SP: For me, feminism is allowing women to express themselves and to take their equal place in society. As a human being, I just want to feel free to write and tell any story I want without any form of discrimination.
Who are your favourite women working in the film industry?
SP: I admire my friend and DOP Jessica Lee Gagné. It is great to see how she works rigorously and how she takes her place in the industry.
What’s the best advice about filmmaking you’ve ever received?
SP: Listen to others but also follow your instinct.
What are you working on now/next?
SP: I’m currently working on another short film and I am also developing my first feature film.
Finally, recommend a #MUFFApproved film for our blog readers!
SP: Bande de filles/Girlhood (dir. Céline Sciamma).
