08/07/2021 - CANNES 2021: The French director presents an intimate drama film about a young man struggling with his inner demons

(© Catia Martins)

At this year's edition of the Cannes Critics’ Week, French director Vincent Le Port tells the disturbing story, set in 1905, of a 17-year-old boy who committed a murder and subsequently left journals describing his motive for it. We talked to the director about Bruno Reidal, Confessions of a Murderer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vincent Le Port
film profile], his rather unique protagonist and the biggest challenges he encountered during the production of the film.

Cineuropa: Why was it important for you to tell the story of Bruno Reidal?
Vincent Le Port: When I learned about this historical character – who, by the way, is actually named differently – I was intrigued by him. Then I discovered his texts and I thought they would make a good film. They tell of a complex character and allow another view of him, which is a far cry from the public one, as they see Bruno as a monster. I wanted to show what lies inside Bruno. I liked the idea of being able to portray him without judging him.

Bruno’s voice is omnipresent. It's him who tells us about his life. Why was that important?
At first, I thought that it would be his doctors who would tell us about him, but it felt too cold and too analytical. Using Bruno himself, we had two levels: he has the capability to analyse himself, which is already a more distant and colder approach, but it also makes it very personal.

How extensive are Bruno's journals? How did you choose the parts to use for the film?
There is so much material, around 100 pages. In the film, we used around seven or eight pages and had to reduce it even more during the process. The journals contain a lot of repetitions, which I cut out. There were some elements that we had to leave out because they would have been too expensive to stage.

Did you adapt the language that the original Bruno used for the script?
I didn't change a word. I liked the slightly old-fashioned and very polite tone of it. It shows that Bruno was a very good student.

How did you find the actors who play Bruno?
We held a casting session for non-professional actors, since we wanted to find them in local, rural surroundings. But in this way, we only found the youngest of the boys, who plays Bruno at the age of six. Through the actor Jean-Luc Vincent, who plays the role of the main doctor, I met Dimitri Doré, who is Bruno at 17. He resembles the original Bruno in terms of his looks; he has a high voice, which makes him seem much younger than he really is. However, Dimitri is more of an extroverted type. Once it was clear that we would be working together, we searched for someone who would fit the bill as Bruno aged 12.

Was it difficult to reconstruct the period in which the story is set?
Actually, since we had a very tiny budget, we were not able to reconstruct anything and had to search for a location that would be suitable. But that, too, was very difficult – to get a spot where there were no electricity lines, for example. And the sound was a problem, since there were planes passing by, or cars. But we were lucky, and were able to shoot what we wanted. Of course, with a bigger budget, we would have been able to delve into a few more details.

Did your personal perception of Bruno change during the making of the film?
Actually, at the beginning, he was more of a historical character, but then he became a fictional character to me, and I now see him as the result of my work and fabrication. There was a sort of appropriation that happened.

You focus on Bruno, while the other characters are confined to the sidelines. Does Bruno not speak very much about them, or was it your choice to concentrate on him?
We had some more scenes with his family, for example, and other characters as well. But it reduced the intensity of the film. Moreover, in an early part of Bruno's journal, he speaks of others, but soon, he concentrates on himself. He is obsessed with some topics, such as his studies, religion and sexuality. He seems to be in some sort of tunnel, where the others don't exist any more. This is what we wanted to reproduce as well.

How did you work on the visual concept of the film?
I had already made a period film, and it was in black and white. For this movie, I was sure it had to be in colour, since the seasons and nature, with their idyllic character, had to form a contrast to the story. For the rest, I wanted to have a simple and classic form, without any fast cuts, for example. However, the more straightforward form shouldn't distract the viewer from the voice-over. I wanted the audience to be beside Bruno, and not in his head. The viewer needs the necessary distance and space to reflect on what he sees.