|
CAREFULCamille Lagaisse
When a secret feminist group assigns Lucie her first mission — to lure an unpunished abuser into a trap — the lines between justice, healing and revenge begin to blur.
|
How do you approach making a film about a topic as sensitive as sexual assault? Was your writing/directing influenced by any other films that deal with the subject matter?
The film comes primarily from my anger and my desire for justice for a close family member, with whom I spoke and wrote, based on her own experience. I also researched traumatic dissociation and the general psychological state following such a traumatic experience.
The film comes primarily from my anger and my desire for justice for a close family member, with whom I spoke and wrote, based on her own experience. I also researched traumatic dissociation and the general psychological state following such a traumatic experience.
|
How to rebuild oneself. The only film I can think of that might have inspired me is “Promising Young Woman” by Emerald Fennell. But also Jodorowsky’s documentary “Psychomagic, a Healing Art”: as my film “Careful” has been, for my family, for myself—and I think for many people on the film crew—a kind of psychomagic act (overcoming trauma through a powerful symbolic experience).
|
When watching the film, I was struck by how the women all had different attitudes toward the mission/task. Can you discuss how the characters represent different approaches to grief and healing?
I tried to create characters who embody a range of emotions, such as rage, anger, determination, forgiveness, and guilt.
I tried to create characters who embody a range of emotions, such as rage, anger, determination, forgiveness, and guilt.
|
Alix (Lana Cooper) created he collective Careful. She is a strong, tenacious and generous woman who wants to help others to heal from their traumas. She has a natural imperious authority and makes sure to protect everyone in her team.
Lucie (Alba Guilera) is motivated to join the feminist movement and help, but she didn’t anticipate the doubt she would feel when faced with someone who isn’t just a “monster.” When she, too, faces violence from Paul (Franz Liebig), she is thrown off balance and finds no relief in the act of revenge offered to Lia. (Which leads to an ending… open to interpretation) Mia (Lia von Blarer) is angry, and is finally able to express that anger openly, and she is overwhelmed by all her emotions when she faces for real her attacker. Kim (Zoe Stein) provides more emotional support for Lucie as she was the one who invited her to join the group. |
I would be interested to know more about this vigilante group of women. Do you think they have done this before or was this their first/only mission?
For me, this is not the first mission of the group (and hopefully not the last!). The characters of Alix (Lana Cooper) and Kim (Zoe Stein) have already been working together on other tasks and are joined for this one by Lucie (Alba Guilera). Mia (Lia von Blarer) got in touch with the group when her case was dismissed to get some help because she had heard about them before. I hope the Careful collective can help other women* after this !
For me, this is not the first mission of the group (and hopefully not the last!). The characters of Alix (Lana Cooper) and Kim (Zoe Stein) have already been working together on other tasks and are joined for this one by Lucie (Alba Guilera). Mia (Lia von Blarer) got in touch with the group when her case was dismissed to get some help because she had heard about them before. I hope the Careful collective can help other women* after this !
|
I found the setting of the park interesting, particularly with the kissing/attack scene happening at a children’s playground, and the later confrontation in a forest area that evokes a sense of ritual. How did you go about choosing these settings?
I wanted the film to evolve both spatially and in terms of the characters’ emotions, shifting from a “summer date” vibe to something more like a horror thriller. Venturing deeper into the woods and into the night is like delving deeper into the darkness of trauma. At first, I’d thought about shooting in Treptower Park and filming the attack/kiss scene at the Soviet War Memorial, which is so impressive with its wide avenues, statues, and shadows. But due to permit issues, we turned to Tiergarten, which is actually great because it has so many different kinds of locations. I think it was during location scouting with Claudia Schröder, the cinematographer, that we found the children’s playground. That spider web playground seemed absolutely perfect for the scene. The chase through the forest was filmed south of Berlin near a lake, and then the confrontation in the garden of Claudia’s house. She was really very involved in the project and incredibly supportive. |
What is next for you? Are you working on a new project?
I’m finishing up the script for a second short film called « The Cat » that I’d like to shoot next year in Bologna, where I currently live. It’s a less somber film that talks about motherhood. It explores the desire to have children and the challenges of maintaining an independent life as a mother.
I’m finishing up the script for a second short film called « The Cat » that I’d like to shoot next year in Bologna, where I currently live. It’s a less somber film that talks about motherhood. It explores the desire to have children and the challenges of maintaining an independent life as a mother.
|
Camille Lagaisse is a French filmmaker. After a Master‘s degree in Modern Literature and Cinema at La Sorbonne, she started working as a director and editor mainly within the music industry. In 2020 she was selected for the writing residency Le G.R.E.C. CAREFUL is her first fictional film as director.
she/her @camillelagaisse (Director) / @careful.short (Project page) / @carousel.film (Prod Company) /@maritzatiziani (Producer) |
|
