New Europe interviewed on the Croisette in unique Ewa Piakowska, screenwriter of the movie EO which landed, ex-equo with the Belgian “Le Otto Montagne”, the jury prize award of the 75^th Cannes Movie Pageant

By Federico Grandesso

The world is a mysterious place when seen by way of the eyes of an animal. EO, a gray donkey with melancholic and mild eyes, meets good and dangerous folks on his life’s path, experiences pleasure and ache, endures the wheel of fortune randomly flip his luck into catastrophe and his despair into surprising bliss. However not even for a second does he lose his innocence.

New Europe:What was the place to begin once we have been writing the script?

Ewa Piakowska:The primary level was getting the thought to be audacious sufficient as individual was in 1965, to make the principle character of a film an animal, to see the world from the perspective of an animal, making an attempt to take a look at humanity, human conduct and the world from the attitude of the weakest member of society. We’re speaking about of a being which doesn’t have a voice, who can’t categorical his feelings, who can’t inform us what he feels, how he suffers, what he wish to do and to specific his anguish, ache and happiness. We thought that may give us an choice to explain, to inform the story, to be poetic and to give attention to the language of cinema.

NE:How was to make this animal “character” actually performing? As a result of he’s actually performing in a really refined manner. However I can think about this course of was not really easy.

EP: Yeah. Particularly as a result of we’re so cautious to not harm him in any manner, to be mild with him, to not power him, oppress him, to do something. The very first thing we love about it, was the actual fact of getting an animal as an actor who doesn’t even know what performing is. He simply is and he’s at all times within the second and he doesn’t care about his intentions, director’s intentions, the critics, the movie pageant viewers. There’s no preconceptions and don’t have any afterthoughts. He doesn’t focus on and he doesn’t have inside storms about his agenda. So that is wonderful. We was fascinated about this rather a lot and we construct up a plan to create an setting across the donkey which might enable him to naturally act the best way we needed him to behave. So mainly we simply created a set of incentives, like state of affairs which allowed him to take a look at one thing with actual precise curiosity after which we simply had this lovely in need of him being fascinated with one thing.

NE:It was harder for him to work together with the people or with the animals? What do you suppose?

EP:It had an incredible relationship, we have been all blown away the best way he acts with Lorenzo as a result of each of them, the male and the feminine, simply liked Lorenzo for some causes that are not possible to elucidate. Perhaps, we predict that possibly it was the cigarette as a result of he was smoking cigarettes on a regular basis. I believe for the donkey, it was one thing completely out of this world. What you see on the display is definitely the actual emotion of an animal which reacted to Lorenzo particularly effectively, possibly he’s Italian and so they have been Polish, so possibly that’s a distinction. I don’t know however generally, we had good and dangerous experiences. I bear in mind in Sicily once we had a feminine donkey and we needed to have this very touching scene with Sandra, they simply didn’t like this in any respect. On the finish we truly needed to have a substitute male donkey introduced in by a particular automotive within the final attainable second simply to have this very smooth scene with Sandra once they had collectively.

NE:The way it was working with Isabelle Huppert? It’s wonderful. On the finish, we’ve got this unbelievable look.

EP:She’s wonderful actress, very skilled, every part is executed to probably the most minute element, she’s an unbelievable perfectionist, accountable for every part just like the little finger of her toe it’s considered. She’s an absolute perfectionist. It was a pleasure to observe.

NE:There was a plan possibly to offer her somewhat bit extra space, or it was the script already completed?

EP:Her function was alleged to be somewhat bit larger however then all the human elements, however in the long run, we needed to insist that donkey is the principle character. so we did brief in all the human elements within the closing edit.

NE:Concerning the soccer followers we see in movies, how do you get the thought to place soccer on this contest?

EP:Jerzy (Skolimowski) loves it, he is a big fan of soccer, I watch it with him very often, and he simply thought it’s an gratifying, good, vivacious, dynamic scene. We someway had this concept of a donkey interrupting a soccer match, we thought it’s gratifying, so we simply go for the gratifying scenes each time we’ve got an opportunity.

NE:You’re employed with Jerzy for a few years. so how do you see the evolution of the work that you simply did from the primary film to this one in competitors in Cannes?

EP:At first Jerzy was at all times in a position to inform me, “I do know higher”, and now I’m preventing again. Now I’ve extra probability to reply again.

NE:Do you give extra contribution now ?

EP:Maybe with the script it’s extra of me than of Jerzy however we’re collaborators, after all, the directing is his job, however I’m there with him on a regular basis, and I do attempt to squeeze my little concepts right here and there.

NE:There are some pictures in crimson with the aloud music. Are you able to clarify to me this fairly intense half?

EP:There’s a number of crimson on this movie, it begins with the crimson picture after which goes all through the movie, from the very starting this can be a very emotional movie and crimson is a really emotional coloration. Then Jerzys is a the painter, so colours are crucial to him then we noticed that crimson could be a really good juxtaposition to all this naturalistic, smooth, melancholic pictures that we have been having all through the movie simply have, like a powerful juxtaposition.

NE:Are you able to discuss now in regards to the music within the movie?

EP:The music is impeccable. It’s Pawel Mykietyn, and that is our third movie with him, we like to work collectively. He’s a genius, and he’s not a movie music composer however a correct composer, he does live shows throughout and he does additionally operas, it was only a pleasure to work with him.

NE:Do you suppose there’s a particular method to coach donkeys like we do with canine?

EP:Sure, somewhat bit, however to not the identical extent as a result of they’ve rather more character. They struggle again so In the event that they don’t need to do one thing they actually won’t do It. There’s no manner of convincing them however after all, it really works primarily on treats. They love primarily carrots, . Nevertheless it was humorous to see the final dance we shot with Marietta truly didn’t like carrots and turned to love muffins. So I believe every of them has a selected piece of meals that they love. That how we satisfied them to.

NE:We noticed within the first half that the donkey is freed by a gaggle of protesters from an NGO. You actually needed to insert additionally this “ political “ subject?

EP:We have been fascinated with surprising penalties of our actions, typically good intentions results in dangerous outcomes. it’s nearly that, to point out how little management we’ve got of our actions after which to persuade us to remember all of the attainable penalties of even our greatest actions.