06/09/2021 - VENICE 2021: We met the rising British filmmaker on the occasion of her second feature’s premiere at Venice, where she expounded on shaping performances as well as a kicking soundtrack

(© La Biennale di Venezia - Foto ASAC/Giorgio Zucchiatti)

In recent years, the Venice Film Festival has always seemed to find a place, a little nook in the programme, for British features from promising directors – especially with a female-focused bent. Among these were Prevenge [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by comedienne Alice Lowe and Rare Beasts [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Billie Piper. The Orizzonti-selected True Things [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Harry Wootliff
film profile] is Harry Wootliff’s first film to world-premiere at a major festival, after Only You [+see also:
film review
film profile] was widely acclaimed at home but didn’t travel very far. True Things goes to Toronto and BFI London’s official competition in the coming months. Wootliff spoke to Cineuropa on the Lido.

Cineuropa: Can you explain how this project, and Deborah Kay Davies’ originating novel, came to you?
Harry Wootliff: The book came to me through Ruth Wilson; Ruth was working with Jude Law – he'd read the book and shared it with Ruth, and they both wanted to develop a project. I met with Ruth, as she was looking for a writer-director, to write, develop and direct the film. I presented to her what I loved about the book, what I didn’t like, what I thought would work – the idea of how to make it cinematic. And we really clicked, and then very quickly moved on from there.

Could you talk about how you engendered such truthful and affecting performances from the lead actors? Do you have a specific method that feels unique to your process? It’s a particular attribute of British filmmakers, like Mike Leigh or Ken Loach – this detailed work with the cast, prior to shooting.
I’m always looking for actors to see what they have. It's like a Venn diagram where they have a bit in the middle: I like to see what bit of them they share with the character. I enjoy casting against type, like I’d argue Tom is. I think it adds an immediate complexity and depth to the person because they’re hiding a lot. I think we, as people, never reveal our whole, true selves; we’re chameleon-like, as we’re different people on our own and different people with other people. I liked working out what Tom wants to expose of himself, that maybe he’s reluctant to expose. And it’s the same with Ruth, I think. What I wanted with Ruth was to really extract what I saw in her. I want to observe them as real people. Ruth laughs a lot; she’s not as strong as she appears. She’s got a lightness and a sweetness to her. I encouraged her to bring that out. I don't think she’s comfortable playing that – I don’t believe she’s used to pulling that out of herself.

One could describe this film as being about a delayed or belated coming of age, and finding out who you are, once you’re very much part of adulthood and professional life. Is that close to your vision for the film’s themes?
Definitely: I guess we live a different version of ourselves. Who was that version? That wasn’t me, but that was me. And I guess we keep evolving; we find our true selves and our genuine selves. I don’t think you do that when you’re 25 – I think it’s something you do throughout your life. Experiences make you realise who you are.

You make very pointed use of music in your films. Do you think hard about what makes a good “needle drop”, when it’s such a big factor in contemporary cinema?
I love music and image; I definitely try to work out how I can make space and have music in the film. I feel music is so immediately transportive and is such a direct connection to my emotions. For Elvis Costello in Only You, and the PJ Harvey in this, they were both really instinctive choices – they were a gut feeling. There was something about PJ Harvey, with that beat that starts, that took me into the feeling of Kate being in Spain. And Ruth asked what I was going to play for her to dance to, and I suggested this... She first told me it was undanceable, and then kind of got into it! We might’ve considered changing it in the edit, and then it just stuck. Once I find it, I just know.