French Film Director Alexandre David Lejuez Reveals Experimental Film “Drunkenness”

My name is Alexandre David Lejuez. I was born in Paris on November 3, 1996. A cinephile since my childhood, I had a passion for Spiderman, Harry Potter, or even Clint Eastwood in Sergio Léone’s trilogy of Dollars. I’ve taken specialized training in audiovisual in college to high school then I obtained a license in cinema at the University of Caen. At the same time, I made several amateur short films. Since 2018, I have been independent with my collective Noctura Films and I work on different film projects.

indieactivity: How would you describe your work as a director?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): I could qualify my cinema as a psychological experience. We can also speak of sensory, madness, dream, and nightmare at the same time. There is always an unreal, abstract aspect, whether through the staging or the unfolding of the story. The idea is to re-invent the cinematographic form. I see my universe as an infernal microcosm where anything goes. The main themes that we find are schizophrenia, loneliness, addiction to alcohol, sex…

How did you get into directing?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): I was quickly fascinated by cinema when I discovered Spiderman and Harry Potter at the cinema. I must have been 5 years old. As a child, I played comedy, I did shows in my room in front of my parents. I used to make films with my mother’s camera. I knew that I wanted to become a director.

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How do you choose a project to direct?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): Most of the time, when I write my projects, I listen to Psychedelic Music and I perceive the images, the situations, the staging, and the lights. This creates strange stories with an intriguing atmosphere. This is the type of movie I’m looking for.

What uniqueness can female directors bring to Film/TV/Cinema?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): I think it’s all about ideas and originality. Avoid doing what everyone else does to stand out. I am thinking of the director, Julia Ducournau with her film, Raw, which has renewed French cinema.

Do you often take courses to increase your craft?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): I have done several pieces of training. To start in my high school, then in university. I also did internships in Paris with different technicians. But I think it is a profession that you learn every day and you have to know how to be self-taught. The director must master all the positions of the creation of a film. The best thing is to create every day and be 1000% involved in your projects. You also learn by watching films. You must have your references.

What books do you read?
Alexandre David Lejuez (ADL): I really like David Goodis’ thrillers. I also love to read books about filmmakers, it’s inspiring.

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Why would you choose an actor, writer, or producer? What do you look for?
ADL: I work independently with trustworthy people that I appreciate. I often work with the same people for each project. It gives me confidence. I want to be free in my projects and not have any constraints. It is for this reason that I finance my projects myself with my partner.

When you are offered a project, what things do you put in place to deliver a good job?
ADL: Above all, you have to be attentive to what you are offered and know how to mix your ideas with others. It is the most important.

Briefly explain your latest work?
ADL: I can tell you about Drunkenness, my second feature film. Drunkenness is set like a psychological and experimental horror film. The film was shot entirely on a subjective level, that is to say from the point of view of the main character of Dario. I wanted to create an indoor story in which the inner darkness of the main character is clearly brought to the fore. Dario’s character is depressed. He tortures his mind to ask himself all kinds of questions. He is unstable, He is afraid of life. I think that each of us could identify with this character at some point. It’s a hypnotic film meant to drive the viewer crazy!

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Explain the key challenges in your last film?
ADL: The challenge of this film was to shoot in a sequence and subjective shot with a constantly moving camera in order to show the cerebral instability of the main character. Being a cameraman and actor, I had to put myself in character and coordinate the camera movements with my gestures.

Of course, the camera navigates to different rooms, you had to prepare the lights in different places in advance. We did several rehearsals and tests of lights and staging so that everything was ready when the shot came. We shot several 20-minute long shots. All the situations and gestures of the characters were prepared. It looks quite like a piece of work or a show. The film was produced largely in February 2020 and required some post-production time due to significant visual and sound effects.

What ‘thing/situation’ helps you during production?
ADL: Good staging and good light help me shoot well. The patience of an actor also because I have attention to detail…

Explain a creative choice you took on the set of a recent production?
ADL: On most of my projects, I shoot with very little natural light. I like the dark, the half-light, it gives a mysterious side, maybe unreal. I also use warm, even saturated colors. I don’t like a perfect picture. I’m not an HD fan. I like it when there is grain. For Drunkenness, I decided to mix darkness and bright lights with strobe. This creates a special atmosphere in this large old house. I also opt for working “behind closed door” scenarios. It reinforces my idea of the cinematographic microcosm. I want the spectator leaves confused with lots of questions.

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How do you advise directors to find projects?
ADL: A director must follow his artistic instinct… Instinct leads to creativity. Painting and music are also a sure source of inspiration.

How can filmmakers finance their projects?
ADL: It is possible to make financial requests to organizations. In France, there is the National Center for Cinema which finances projects. TV channels also and multiple independent productions.

What do you want from an actor during a production?
ADL: I want the actor to always listen to what I ask him. But above all, the actor must be able to play with his presence, his body, and his gaze. I don’t like dialogues. For me, a good actor is the one who makes you feel emotions simply by looking. Ryan Gosling is good at this.

How do you prefer to work with a producer during a production?
ADL: In order for me to work with a producer, he has to trust me completely on my project and give me some freedom.

What do you think a female director can do to get into the film industry?
ADL: A director (male or female) must have something to offer. To enter this industry, you have to believe in yourself and your ideas and surround yourself with the right people.

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Who is your favorite director?
ADL: I have several favorite directors like Stanley Kubrick, Nicolas Winding Refn, Dario Argento, or Brian De Palma. But the one who marked me is Gaspar Noé.

Why?
ADL: He makes outright movies without worrying about conventions. I really like the treatment of images and sound in his films. It’s very sensory and experimental, all that I love!

What advice would you give male/female directors around the world?
ADL: We must continue to make films and innovate without thinking about the financial aspect. Cinema is above all an art, it is used to express oneself freely.

Briefly describe your career?
ADL: I created the Noctura Films collective in January 2018 and directed a psychological trilogy. Three short films (Seul le sang me to guide, Vincire and I’m Not a Psychopath) were selected in different international festivals.

In 2019, I made my first feature film, Erotic, Chapter 1: Desire & sensuality, which won several awards (Especially for the best experimental film in Turkey and India). The reviews were quite good. This film was released on VOD on August 14, 2020, on the British platform, UK Film Channel.

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Subsequently, in February 2020, I shot my second feature film, Drunkenness. Since the beginning of the year, it has been sent to festivals abroad. It got a special mention in London at London International Monthly Film Festival and was a finalist in Slovakia for the best experimental film at Kosice International Monthly Film Festival.

Currently, I am preparing a third feature film, much more narrative than the previous ones, with a more conventional script. The shooting took place in January. This is a horror film about the current health situation taken to the extreme.

I’m also working on a new erotic short film project, and a music video for the French rock band, Myselfson.

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