Anna and Magnus constructed a life collectively. That they had a house with three youngsters and a canine. Then they separated. That is the place The Love That Stays begins, however as time passes and the truth of their divorce units in, they’re left to maneuver via a future strained by their unraveling.
Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason’s newest movie echoes the radiant visible language of his earlier, the Nineteenth-century interval piece Godland and modern drama A White, White Day. And although its subject material is heavy, the tone right here is admittedly lighter. The aforementioned canine, Panda, even took dwelling the Palm Canine Award at Cannes this yr, which — and I’m being very severe right here — is an precise award given out. On the floor, The Love That Stays is a narrative about regular individuals with regular emotions and regular issues, like the way to increase a household whereas going via a divorce and what to do when one in all your youngsters — who’re performed by Pálmason’s youngsters — shoots the opposite within the chest with a bow and arrow. (He’s high-quality, however he’s gonna want a brand new sweater.)
Buried deep are existential questions. “Usually I take into consideration what’s the that means of all this? While you undergo life, you’ve gotten moments of doubt about simply life and issues and what’s the that means of all of it,” Pálmason tells me. “It’s so foolish, all of it.” He’s proper. It’s foolish. It’s additionally life? As we cross via the seasons with Anna and Magnus, we start to be taught what’s left between them.
The director sat down with The Verge to speak about what it’s wish to direct your personal youngsters and the way he balanced taking pictures Godland and The Love That Stays on the identical time.
Interview edited and condensed.
The Verge: I need to begin right here. Godland had such a weighty story. The Love That Stays feels lighter, however I believe they share comparable themes. Do they really feel much like you? Completely different? I’d be curious to listen to you discuss that relationship.
Hlynur Pálmason: As a result of Godland was this era movie and there’s nearly like a heaviness with every interval movie as a result of you must create all the things. You simply can’t simply take a digicam and begin taking pictures no matter. So there was this sense of desirous to do one thing with just a little bit totally different power, like extra playful and one thing that we might nearly simply exit and shoot. And likewise, simply with a smaller finances and smaller crew. I imply, it was truly very small in Godland, however even smaller in The Love That Stays.
However there’s this factor that I’ve after I moved again dwelling to Iceland, I used to be at all times making an attempt to determine a means of stretching time so I might have extra time with every undertaking, which is tough due to funds. However we form of discovered a strategy to do it by working in parallel on a few initiatives. However we’re creating and writing and taking pictures numerous issues. After which after we really feel prefer it form of has shaped and we really feel that it’s prepared and the power is prepared, we form of choose the undertaking that we transfer ahead with. The Love That Stays, in some ways, has been occurring for such a very long time. Even the primary picture we shot was in 2017.
It’s fairly an extended course of. Generally once you discuss different initiatives, they’re nearly occurring parallel. I bear in mind taking pictures scenes from Godland and the identical week, taking pictures a scene for The Love That Stays, which is loopy to consider.
You retain all these totally different threads in your head?
Yeah, I believe all of it form of… I don’t know. I really feel like, I believe some individuals would discover it detrimental if issues are speaking an excessive amount of collectively or consuming into one another, like initiatives. However I form of like when it occurs as a result of it form of shakes you and makes you even doubt issues or pushes the undertaking. If one thing is popping out actually attention-grabbing in a single undertaking, it form of feeds into the opposite one or it form of pushes the opposite one to do higher.
I’d by no means be capable to make one movie at a time, as a result of financially it wouldn’t work in any respect. And I’d solely make three movies throughout my lifetime and I must produce other works, trainer and different issues.
The title, The Love That Stays, is actually extra of a query: what love stays? Was making this movie a means so that you can reply that?
Usually I take into consideration what’s the that means of all this? While you undergo life, you’ve gotten moments of doubt about simply life and issues and what’s the that means of all of it. If I’m in a relationship for a few years after which we get separated and my fiancée would simply discover one other, what’s it? It’s so foolish, all of it.
However there’s additionally a brighter aspect: how valuable time is and the way you spend it and really, who you spend it with and who you determine to spend it with. As a result of time might be valuable as a result of it strikes so quick. You form of need to, attempt to seize what you may get or moments with ones you like. And yeah, I’ve been pondering so much about time and you’ll see that each in Godland and in The Love That Stays, the place actually, there’s an emphasis on time, on the way it strikes.
The opening sequence is actually pretty. You determine this household by holding a portrait of them on the desk. It nearly appears like a sitcom, however then the music isn’t sitcom music in any respect?
Yeah, I did suppose so much about after I filmed this picture, this picture of the roof getting ripped off of the outdated studio, that was the primary picture I filmed for the movie.
Yeah. And once I had that picture, I knew precisely what would occur afterward. And that’s usually the case once I’m working. I usually don’t know what occurs until I document a sound or I movie a picture, after which I form of simply react to the picture after which I do know what occurs. It’s form of such as you get stimulated by one thing you expertise or movie, and then you definitely write the following scene or you already know what’s going to occur. And I believe simply once I noticed this picture of the roof, not whereas I used to be filming it, as a result of I used to be not in an excellent state then, however afterwards, I knew precisely how the movie ought to begin.
We ought to be launched to every member of the family and it ought to be this heat feeling earlier than issues start to disintegrate. But in addition, afterward you start to search out out that it’s truly a fractured household, they’re not collectively anymore. And sometimes the case is once I’m making one thing, I do know what I don’t need the movie to be, however I don’t at all times know what I need it to be.
It’s enjoyable and playful, however candy and honest, too.
However when does it develop into sentimental? And that’s one thing that I don’t like. I solely prefer it in a David Lynch movie or one thing. I adore it in his movies, however I might by no means try this. So I attempted to steadiness it another way, however it’s a high-quality line.
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It’s your personal youngsters on this movie too, proper? What’s it wish to direct your youngsters?
It’s enjoyable. However I believe it’s okay as a result of I’ve so many, as a result of mainly they’ve been in all my initiatives aside from my debut and in addition my quick movies. And so it’s very pure for me to simply hold collaborating with them and spending time with them. It’s not one thing I pressure them to do. I imply, I do pay them for his or her work, however I believe in addition they simply actually like being a part of our household or the filmmaker household as a result of it’s a really, very shut group of pals and we’ve been engaged on all the initiatives collectively.
The thought of being a director and having to make many selections and on the identical time, having your youngsters within the area, I’m certain it provides some enjoyable nuance.
Yeah. I imply, generally it’s whole chaos, however I believe primary is that now we have sufficient time, that we’re not pressed on time. There’s no AD [assistant director] that’s saying, “Okay, now we have to maneuver.” It’s by no means occurred in my life. We simply movie till now we have one thing that we like after which we transfer on. What I like about our units is that they’re very calm and easy. There’s no catering, there’s no hierarchy, there’s no chairs, there’s no screens. It’s very, very primary.
The Love That Stays is in choose theaters now.
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