Interview: Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers on the Award Winning Short Film ‘Just Me & You’

Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers has a producer, writer and director. She has directed over 16 short films, that screened worldwide. Beside her personal projects, she worked for the Wapikoni mobile and taught at Concordia University. She is now writing her first feature, that she intends to direct. Sandrine talks to us bout her work on ‘Just Me and You’.

‘Just Me and You’ is about an 8-year-old Eva and her father go to Mexico aboard an 18-wheeler. What was supposed to be a father-daughter road trip becomes an eye opening experience and an unexpected journey of deception.

indieactivity : Give a background of your personal experience with the story, writing, and production?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : For Luis Molinié (the scriptwriter), the whole process of writing started when an acquaintance told him her story. As a kid, she used to spend time with her father as he was doing something she suspected morally and legally condemnable. He shared that story with his friend and producer Johannie Deschambault. She saw in that story something relevant in which people could relate and encouraged him to develop it. They approached me after seeing Larguer les amarres, a previous short film I directed. I read the script and didn’t hesitate: that story needed to be told.

What’s clever is the point of view that Luis uses. We follow Eva, 8 years old, as she’s going on her first holiday alone with her father. At first, we are drawn to their relationship… The subject of immigration comes later. Seeing the story through the eyes of the child who only wants to have a great holiday really offers us another view on that important and complex issue that is immigration.

To me, the key to that film was the nuances. I decided to stick to Eva’s point of view. We don’t give all the keys of comprehension to a child and the viewers are in the same position. They have makes sense of the small clues that Eva witnesses. Also, I wanted to portray the character of Stefan as a good father to contrast his reprehensible acts. Therefore, there’s no good or evil, there’s just the struggle, the questions, and the nuances. Having been raised in a very multicultural neighborhood, lots of my friends confide how they struggle with language as kids when they first arrived in Quebec or the “ordinary” racism they still face daily. It is so important to see those stories in their complexity and singularity.

indieactivity : Did you start writing with a cast in mind?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : Luis Molinié is the screenwriter of the story. He didn’t have a cast in mind. Yet, it was important to him that the main characters were immigrants to address the difficult decisions immigrants have faced. He described them as Romanian, but we opened the casting to anyone with another mother tongue than French, English or Spanish. Another requirement: the father had to really drive the 18-wheeler truck while acting. We went to a lot of places and events (such as the truck stops in Ontario and Schools talent shows).

Tania Arana (casting director), Johannie Deschambault (producer) and I ended up with a long list of potential talents that were both professionals and non-professionals actors. We were lucky to find Florin Peltea (who had both an acting background and a new truck permit) and Dalia Binzari (who was 8 years old and a half then). It is really hard for a kid to act disappointed with an adult. At this age, it’s not natural. A kid can be angry or reject an adult out of anger. But to truly understand that your parent is not your hero anymore and that he or she truly deceives you… It’s not a feeling kids want to access. This usually comes later. Dalia Binzari was very intelligent. She wanted to understand the situations and she was able to access these feelings.

indieactivity : How long did you take to complete the script? (Do you have a writing process?)
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : I didn’t write Just Me and You so here’s the answer of Luis Molinié, the scriptwriter: The first 3 versions came out really quickly, in a month. Then I didn’t touch it for a long time until we were in the production process. The script presented a lot of production challenges, I had to change some things and adapt others to face production reality. So, the global process took about 4 years but the core of the story was there from the beginning, in the first versions. I don’t have a specific writing process. It all goes really organically.

indieactivity : Why was ‘Just Me And You’ a perfect title for this short?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : At first, it was a line that Luis Molinié wrote in the dialogue when Eva realizes that they weren’t going in Mexico by plane, but in her father’s 18-wheeler truck! Luis was attached to the grammatical error that a kid could’ve done (saying « me and you » instead of « you and me »). We finally edited out the line in the film, but the title was still relevant. The film is about a trip from Montreal to Mexico in which the relation of young Eva and her father Stefan will change forever. During that trip, Stefan will make a mistake and Eva will be confronted (a bit too young!) to adults’ matters. The title « just me and you » only appears at the end of the film because, only then, we understand the weight of these words and what happened between Eva and her father during that life-changing trip.

indieactivity : What was your first project?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : In my life? When I was 16 years old, I did a 90min documentary on the teenagers’ dreams (their hopes in life, not their nighttime dreams!). Then, I studied film directing at Concordia University and acting in London at the Drama Center. It is now my 16th short film as a director. None of my films have the same aesthetic; I love to try new things. But I’ve always been very interested in intimate narratives and one’s experience. For an audience, to acknowledge and witness the intimacy of a character can hopefully bring empathy towards a point of view they wouldn’t have experienced if it wasn’t from that film. Luis’s script was promising in that sense. Just me and you was a very beautiful gift. It was immediately very striking to me. I believe in films that have a human impact and an interest in empathy.

indieactivity : Which scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : Choice A – Shooting with an 18-wheeler truck, in general, was the hardest thing we’ve done. The technical aspects that surround the truck when shooting wasn’t the problem… It’s the organization that was very tricky! Sometimes, when shooting with a car, you can do it in a subtle way and not ask for all permits… It’s not the same with an 18-wheeler truck! A truck isn’t subtle! It’s like crossing a border with an elephant and hoping the custom officers won’t see it. Luckily, we had an amazing fixer in Tijuana and location manager in Montreal that found ways to make miracles!

The resets are also much harder (a truck doesn’t do U-turn in the middle of the desert or in a high-way as easily as a car!). Because we were limited on time and we wanted to make sure we had the human story first, we decided to shoot hand-held even in the truck. Luckily, Mathieu Laverdière (the Director of Photography) is really good with natural light and a hand-held camera. It’s very beautiful what he got, he was always seeking to capture a moment the most naturally possible, swaying between a rough and tender image. So, I mean, the truck made the cut and that was our miracle because without it we wouldn’t have the film! 🙂

Choice B – In a more precise scale… it’s not something that went wrong, but there’s a moment that was a very magical moment to me that made the cut. I needed to have footage of Dalia smiling in the truck. These happy moments were to contrast with the disappointing moments that were to come. It was very simple shots, yet I didn’t have it yet. On the second day, we were moving toward the beach in Tijuana for a very important scene. We had to shoot it at dawn; we would be tight with the light, etc. During the change of location, we were shooting Dalia in the truck, hoping to have a genuine smile. When we arrived towards the beach, Dalia (the main actress, 8 yrs old) saw some horses on the beach. Dalia LOVE the horses. And we captured her reaction when she first sees them! This obviously made the cut. It is a very small moment, but I love it. We also filmed her caressing the horses; she was so happy. That was a really nice improvised moment.

indieactivity : What worked better in this latest production that mightn’t have worked so well in the last one you did?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : In my previous short film Cast of, I portrayed a kid that was idealizing the island he was living on, therefore I worked with an aesthetic that was placed and a bit more plastic. For this one, I chose to try a very naturalistic aesthetic to capture “the moment”. I wanted to work on getting truthful and genuine moments seen through the kid’s point of view. I was very prepared, yet I knew my work plan would maybe go off-board because I was seeking for was those spontaneous moments. I had to let go of any type of control and trust the process. I wanted to take advantage of the opportunities, just like on a road trip. I worked with Mathieu Laverdière (director of photography) and Richard Comeau (editor – known for Oscar’s nominated film War witch, directed by Kim Nguyen). They were both really happy with that decision, as they love that aesthetic. They were both very precious creative allies, along with Anette Bellay in the art direction and Manon Brodeur for the costumes.

indieactivity : Is there anything about the independent filmmaking business that you struggle with?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : This short film is also a calling card for a feature I write on a similar topic. So… It’s not a real struggle yet, but the next step would be to get the money to produce a feature. It’s really what I am hoping for right now.

indieactivity : Where do you think your strengths lie as a filmmaker?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers :  As I come from an acting background, I think directing actors is my strength. I worked with a lot of different actors: professionals, non-professionals, kids, actors that don’t speak the same language than me, etc. I also teach acting and directing for screen at Concordia University in the Film Production department, which allowed me to reflect in-depth on that craft. On the other hand, I also love innovation. I love to dive into different realities and aesthetic. I am not afraid to explore and I think that’s also strength. But most of all, I love my craft as a director and I value the people I work with. A film can’t be done alone, it’s important to mention that it is teamwork. I want to make films that are human and lean towards empathy and, to me, it starts with the ambiance on a set. It’s a film that literally crosses the boarders and I was blessed with the people that have been on my road. 

indieactivity : How was the film financed?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : Johannie Deschambault is the producer of the film. She succeeded to get money from SODEC (Support the Development of Québec’s cultural enterprises) and CALQ (Quebec Arts Council). We were really lucky to have their support. I want to underline the work from both the Mexican and Quebec team that were absolutely professional and attentive to the needs of the film, both working really hard for the magic to happen and for the money to be put on what you see on the screen. It was hard work for everyone and we made it only 5 days.

indieactivity : What do you hope audiences get from your film?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : I hope people go out reflecting on the issue that Eva has to face and see that some situations are not right or wrong, black or white, … Some viewers also came to me, saying the film confronted them to their own judgment.

Surely, they ask themselves if the father and daughter will reconcile. And if the daughter will recover from that experience… but thinking about that recovery makes us reflect on the hard decisions some immigrants have to face. I hope people go out of the movie, sharing their thoughts on the subject, confronting their ideas, sharing their experiences. That’s what the audiences have offered me after the screenings and it was humanly very interesting. I hope the discussion continues.

indieactivity : Describe Just Me And You in one word?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : Disillusionment

indieactivity : What else have you got in the works?
Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers : I’m now working on features and hope for the funding to be secure soon. Just Me and You won the Crystal Bear at the Berlinale, the Grand Prize Vision Award in Rhode Island, Grand National Prize at Regard along with much more worldwide selections. I feel blessed and humbly honoured. I take very seriously this tribune that I have now to talk about important matters such as immigration. I also love my craft so much; I just want it to continue. 🙂

---

Awards

• Berlinale – Generation Kplus, 2019 *Crystal Bear – Best short film
• Regard | Saguenay International Short Film Festival, 2019 *National Grand Prize
• Palm Springs ShortFest, 2019
• Norwegian Short Film Festival, 2019
• Cinemagic International Film Festival for Young People based in Belfast, 2019
• Filem’On – International Film Festival for Young Audiences, 2019 *Class Jury Award
• Ulju Mountain Film Festival, 2019
• Odense International Film Festival, 2019
• Rhode Island International Film Festival, 2019 *Flickers International Vision Award (Grand Prize)
• Buster Film Festival, 2019
• Giffoni Film Festival, 2019
• International Short Film Festival of Bueu, 2019
• FANTASIA Festival, 2019
• FotoFilm Tijuana, 2019
• NewFilmmakers LA, 2019
• Les Percéides, 2019
• Sapporo International Short Film Festival, 2019 *Best Editing
• Hamptons International Film Festival, 2019 *Best Narrative Short Film
• Thessaloniki International Short Film Festival, 2019
• Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, 2019
• Miami Short Film Festival, 2019
• Anchorage International Film Festival, 2019 *2nd Runner-Up for Best Narrative Short
• Sulmona International Film Festival, 2019
• International Young Audience Film Festival Ale Kino!, 2019
• Arctic Open International Film Festival, 2019
• Cinema on the Bayou, 2020
• Rendez-Vous Québec Cinéma, 2020
• Gala Prends ça court!, 2020
• North Europe International Film Festival: London Edition, 2020
• iShorts, 2020
• Canadian Screen Awards, 2020 | Nomination – Best Live Action Short Film

---

Tell us what you think of the interview with “Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers” What do you think of it? What ideas did you get? Do you have any suggestions? Or did it help you? Lets have your comments below and/or on Facebook or Instagram! Or join me on Twitter @oladapobamidele

Follow Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers on Social Media
Website
IMDb
Facebook
Instagram
Vimeo