“I’m trying to find humor in what isn’t funny.” Interview about “La dérive descontinents (au sud)” with Lionel Bayer and Ursine Lardy.

We spoke with the director and actress in Solothurn about balancing between humor and the abyss, possible titles for Bayer’s European film series, and… “Ice Age”?!

AT La-derivative of the continents (au sud)A new film by Lausanne director Lionel Bayer tells of the upcoming visit of Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to a refugee camp in Italy. Graubünden actress Ursine Lardi plays the German ambassador, who must ensure that the chancellor’s upcoming flying visit is a PR success. We met Bayer and Lardy for an interview on the occasion of the film’s German-Swiss premiere at the Solothurn Film Festival.

The film takes place in the spring of 2020. Why did you choose this time, Lionel?

Lionel Bayer: Work on the script began back in 2015, and the political landscape has changed a lot since then. Initially, the main character was a British EU official. But then Brexit came and it didn’t work anymore. We wanted to start filming in Italy in early 2020, but then the pandemic came and we had to postpone everything. Therefore, we decided to postpone the action to the spring of 2020, because everyone still knows where they were and how they experienced it. This time is burned into our memory.

Macron and Merkel can be seen in the film, but only in news footage. Was there ever an intention to throw Merkel and Macron an actress, an actor?

Lionel Bayer: Not because they are more in the background of the story. If I had to choose these characters, they would be more prominent, but I didn’t want that. I was more interested in the people who operate between and with these powerful figures, that is, the figures of Ursina Lardy and Tom Villa, who are scouting the refugee camp for an upcoming high-level visit.

Would you like to play Merkel and/or Macron, Ursina?

Ursina Lardy: Macron would certainly be exciting. (laughs) But jokes aside, I’m very happy with my role. People like my Ute Lerner decide what images appear in the media and what is promoted with them. They are extremely important for public perception, even if they themselves have never seen them. Because you never think about these characters, they can be very amazing or even incomprehensible people. You can say things to them that you cannot say to people in power.

Is that what drew you to this role?

Ursina Lardy: First of all I wanted Name: Mathieu Will definitely work with Lionel again. I am also always happy to shoot in a language other than German, and I also liked the type of humor in such a subject. Lionel manages to extract humor from sensitive topics without losing respect for the abyss.

Is this balance between humor and the abyss the hardest part of your job, Lionel?

Lionel Bayer: I try to find humor in what is not funny. You must be very careful when doing this, especially when writing. Because with the script, you’re also trying to secure funding for the film. You must be careful not to be misunderstood. The next point that should not be underestimated is the casting. When actors get the type of humor wrong, it can become obscene.

Ursina Lardy: I think humor is also incredibly important in real life when it comes to serious issues. Because it helps you get some distance and you can think a little clearer and then act clearer again.

This film is the third part of a tetralogy about Europe, and as far as I know, this tetralogy was not originally planned, right?

Lionel Bayer: Exactly, the idea of ​​the series came to me only after I finished filming in Poland. Comme des voleurs (the best). I thought it would be interesting to make more films a few years apart and show how Europe has changed.

Now that this is a series, would you change anything about the previous films if you could?

Lionel Bayer: Since the films are thematically rather than plot-related, there is no need to adjust anything. Movies are still frames. When we Les Grandes Ondes (in the west) Filming in Portugal in 2012, you had the feeling that the EU would be around for another five years – it’s 2023 and the EU is still there. Nor could we have foreseen that Covid would dominate our lives for some time. So I don’t blame myself and I don’t regret anything.

After Comme des voleurs (the best), Les grandes ondes (in the west) and La-derivative of the continents (au sud) only the north is gone now. Can you already say something about this fourth part?

Lionel Bayer: The final film will be set in Scotland. But before I get down to it, I’d better wait until Scotland secedes from Great Britain. (laughs) But maybe I’ll make a film on a different topic. I let it come to me.

This European saga doesn’t even have an official name yet. You need one for the Blu-ray box at the latest. Do you already have ideas?

Lionel Bayer: A very good question. I make it dependent on what Europe will be like in ten years. “That was Europe” or “Europe, my love” would be good titles. But I want to say that I think the European Union is a great thing. This is one of the most peaceful projects ever started on the continent. This is unusual, especially given how hostile Germany and France have been in the past.

Ursina, do you have any ideas for a title?

Ursina Lardy: I like Good Old Europe, Goodbye Europe and Europe My Love.

How many stupid jokes have you had to listen to because of the Ice Age franchise, the fourth part of which is also called Continental Escape – Continental Drift?

Lionel Bayer: (laughs) Not as many as you might think. But, of course, we had to clarify whether we were allowed to use this name at all, so as not to get into trouble later. But since it’s a geological term, we’re sure.

La-derivative of the continents (au sud) will be shown in cinemas in German-speaking Switzerland from February 2, 2023.

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Dossier: 58th Solothurn Film Festival 2023 Dossier: Interview