A chilling tale

One of the better fan-obsession movies to come out in recent years, Roman Polanski’s 2017 drama “Based on a True Story” is, as the title implies, adapted from the real-life trauma suffered by French writer Delphine de Vigan following the publication of a highly personal novel devoted to her mother. The work is a best-seller but also brings out the trolls, who write her anonymous letters accusing her of having thrown her family to the lions. Depressed and suffering from writer’s block, Delphine is charmed when she meets Elle, an intelligent and sympathetic young woman who seems to understand her better than anyone else. 
With a screenplay by Olivier Assayas, who was behind the hit movie “Personal Shopper” and starring Polanski’s partner in real life, Emmanuelle Seigner as Delphine and Eva Green as Elle, the film was made in just  12 weeks and premiered out of competition at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.

Polanski spoke a little about the film before its release yesterday in Bangkok.

How did you get involved with this project?
Emmanuelle handed me Delphine De Vigan’s novel and told me, “you have to read this, this could be a film.” She was right! I reached out to Wassim Beji, the producer who retained the book rights. We met for the first time days prior to Cannes last year and everything unfolded incredibly quickly from that point on.

What appealed to you about the novel? 
The characters and the peculiar and unsettling situations they find themselves in. These are themes I explored in “CuldeSac”, “Repulsion” and Rosemary’s Baby”. This is also a book that tells a story of a book, not unlike “Ghost Writer”. 

How did Olivier Assayas become involved? 
Olivier’s last two films were about women. I was familiar with his work, I knew that he had written for other directors, and that he was effective. So I was sure he would be able to deliver a great shooting script right out of the gate. 

Did you always have Emmanuelle Seigner in mind to play the novelist?
Initially, we debated which role Emmanuelle would be best for, but as soon as we started writing, it became apparent that she was the perfect choice to portray the novelist. We therefore needed to find her counterpart, someone very unsettling. Eva Green immediately can to mind and you only need to see the film to understand why. I had been blown away by her performance in Robert Rodriguez’ “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For”. It was a wonderful experience working with Eva, but even more so working with Eva and Emmanuelle together. From the onset, Eva and Emmanuelle got along extremely well – which isn’t always a given between actors. Their friendship was a godsend.  

Do you find it hard to direct the woman with whom you share your life?
It’s easier than … living together! [Laughs] What surprised me, with one much like the other, was how prepared both actresses were. And yet, they would receive the script piece-meal, which we were still tweaking whilst in production.  Emmanuelle and Eva were both consummate professionals and came to the table with excellent ideas. Emmanuelle was specifically interested in constructing a character which was a departure from her past roles. 

What made you think of casting Vincent Perez as François, Delphine's partner?
I have long been looking for an opportunity to work with Vincent Perez, he’s a friend. In the role of Francois, I wanted someone who resembled Delphine De Vigan’s real partner in life [François Busnel] who reminds me of Vincent. I thought of him immediately. We met and he quickly accepted the role. He instinctively knew how to balance the kindness and the distance that the character required. 

You also cast Josee Dayan, Brigitte Rouan and Noemie lvovsky – who are all directors. Was that a coincidence?
I enjoy working with directors, as they are often very good actors and also generally very easy to work with. When writing a screenplay, I have a very clear idea of what my characters look like. So once we start casting, I seek actors that most closely resemble the image in my mind. Josee reminded me of a ‘tough’ book editor that I had once met. With Brigitte Rouan, it took longer. The actresses that we met with for this role didn’t fit my exact vision. One day, I fell upon a photo of Brigitte that perfectly corresponded with what I had in mind. 

Have you met Delphine de Vigan?
Yes, of course. I met her as soon as Olivier and I started working on the adaptation. And then again, towards the end of the shoot. We wanted to shoot during the actual Paris Book Fair, and in order to do so we had to wait until March to capture these scenes in question. Whilst we were there, the organizers invited Delphine, Olivier and myself to meet with the readers. We experienced a warm welcome. The panel was very well attended – there were a lot of people – and when we asked who had read the book, two thirds of the room raised their hands, mostly all women. Delphine de Vigan wrote a story that spoke to women and it was not only important but also satisfying for me to create a film for them.