Sook-Yin Lee's no stranger to dealing with sexuality on film. Her explicit scenes in John Cameron Mitchell's Shortbus initially upset her bosses at the CBC, where she's host of Definitely Not The Opera. But that hasn't stopped her from writing and directing another erotic story, Year Of The Carnivore, about a girl (Cristin Milioti) who thinks the only way she can land her man (Mark Rendall) is by getting a lot more sexual experience.
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Lee's debut feature opens TIFF's Canada First! program. She talked to NOW about writing, casting and storytelling.
There appears to be nothing that can keep you from pursuing your erotic interests in film, even after the controversy over Shortbus.
There was some heat, sure, but there was a lot of communication, too. People who got scared overcame their fears and came to embrace the movie. Even my CBC masters told me they enjoyed it. It was one of those things where you have to stick to your truth.
What's the source of Year Of The Carnivore's story about a girl who needs to go out and get some sexual experience before she can become romantically fulfilled?
I try to tell stories that mean something to me. I was always returning to the idea of my early attempts at finding love, of being disconnected from my body and not knowing how this all works and how I was supposed to be. So I turned back to early loves who taught me a lot, who broke my heart but also brought me lots of joy.
How did you figure out that you'd landed the right actors for your leads?
Cristin and Mark had never met, and we had a quick turnaround time to rehearse. At one point, I wanted Mark to feel what it was like to be a street musician playing for an apathetic crowd. So I asked him to play guitar on a Robson Street corner. Unbeknownst to him, Cristin had arrived, and I told her she should go up to him and introduce herself. What happened was a three-hour improvisation with me watching and coaching them along. As soon as they interacted, it was like fireworks.
Mark Rendall and Cristin Milioti connect in Carnivore.
What's the best thing about directing?
Getting into the world of the set and playing with the actors, trying to create an environment that's conducive to art-making, a place that's free-flowing where I can challenge the creative people so we can play and take risks.
The least fun?
Getting the funding together. The huge economic collapse made it tough to close financing.
With your new filmmaking career, are you tempted to leave the CBC?
No. All the forms really sharpen my ability as a storyteller. My ability to write dialogue was sharpened by writing DNTO over at the CBC. I had to write in the vernacular. I had to learn to write as if it were the spoken word.
I tell stories every week, and I'm just scratching the surface of storytelling. I want to learn where I can, be it on radio, making music, writing screenplays, dealing with people and hearing their own stories. It all makes me a better storyteller, so I feel that everything's coming together in regard to that.
Red carpet outfit planned?
I was just in Berlin and bought a pair of jeans and a jean jacket, and I felt like Werner Fassbinder. I haven't been able to take it off since. Maybe I'll just put Fox on the back of it, like [Fassbinder's film] Fox And His Friends and wear that.