EDEN directed by Mia Hansen-Lve, written by Mia and Sven Hansen-Lve, with Felix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Vincent Macaigne and Greta Gerwig. A filmswelike release. 122 minutes. Some subtitles. Opens Friday (June 26). See listing.
After the quiet character studies of The Father Of My Children and Goodbye First Love, Mia Hansen-Lves Eden comes as a real surprise: its a complex narrative that follows a young DJ over two decades as he tries to turn his love of electronic dance music into a viable career.
Its a strange choice for her, until you understand the source: Eden is based on the life of her brother Sven, who co-wrote the script with her.
I wanted to tell the story of my brother, which I thought was a beautiful story, she says during her TIFF press day at the Ballroom, noting that she was drawn to Svens angle on the EDM movement because he wasnt a musician himself, but a DJ and producer.
I think Im moved by people who have this deep relation to some arts, but are not necessarily artists themselves. Its a position that is fragile and can be tragic, in a way, but I think thats something that inspires me a lot, this relationship to art.
Eden only slightly fictionalizes Svens time as a DJ and producer, following Felix de Givrys Paul and his friends as their ambitions rise from staging parties in clubs (who may include Daft Punk) to bringing EDM to North America.
They really do create something, and thats not nothing for me, she says. The love of music was important in my life. Music is as essential in life as poetry or painting. Some people make the choice to put music in the centre of their lives, and I have a lot of respect for that.
But Eden also acknowledges that Pauls single-minded focus works against his development as a person.
He sticks to his own world and the music, she says. The world changes, and people around him learn to adapt, but he doesnt. But its because hes so sincere, because his love for this music is so deep. And I think its also thanks to guys like him that this kind of music by people whove actually remained underground, even in the U.S. has travelled. I think there is some kind of nobility to that.
Telling that story meant recreating two decades of the French club scene on a limited budget, making Eden a much more ambitious project than any of Hansen-Lves previous films.
It was just crazy, but the more crazy and uncomfortable it was, the happier I felt. The more it felt like an accomplishment. We did the club scenes in Paris with 400 or 500 extras and two cameras, in only one day because we didnt have the money for more than one day.
As tricky as that was, it was still a controlled environment, where Hansen-Lve and her crew could be sure the extras were costumed appropriately for the era. Shooting an actual EDM event in New York City in the fall of 2013 was something else entirely.
There were, like, 5,000 people, she recalls, and we were allowed to bring only one camera, one [sound] guy me, the team and the actors. No lights, and then we shot. But that was the only way to do it, because we didnt want to have people looking at us. And the good thing is that it was so crowded and people were really into the music, so they didnt pay any attention to us. We just mingled with the crowd.
Check out our review of Eden here.
Mia Hansen-Love on her brother Sven having a little more distance from the movie than he thinks he does:
Hansen-Love on how the character’s inability to grow is a perfect visual metaphor in the film:
Hansen-Love on having to reorient herself for her next project:
normw@nowtoronto.com | @normwilner
