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NPR’s Scott Simon speaks with German filmmaker Christian Petzold about his newest film, “Afire,” a love story set in a rustic home whereas a forest fireplace rages close by.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Leon and Felix, a author and photographer, present up on the vacation home of Felix’s household residence alongside the Baltic coast and discover a stranger there moved in, smiling, making lasagna and having a romance, whereas within the deep forest behind the home, a hearth burns and in addition begins to maneuver in. The movie “Afire” received the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize on the Berlin Movie Pageant. It’s the newest movie from Christian Petzold, the acclaimed German director of “Phoenix” and different movies. He joins us from New York. Thanks a lot for being with us.
CHRISTIAN PETZOLD: Thanks very a lot.
SIMON: This movie type of grew out of the pandemic.
PETZOLD: Sure. In the course of the pandemic, I used to be in mattress as a result of I used to be contaminated with COVID for 4 weeks. And I lay down with fever desires and a script, and the script was a dystopia story. And I’ve misplaced the whole lot, any want to comprehend this as a result of I stated to myself, when I’ll come out of this example, I need to make a film about life, in regards to the youth, in regards to the want and about our incredible world.
SIMON: And I collect the movies of Eric Rohmer and the works of Chekhov have been an inspiration.
PETZOLD: Throughout this time I lay down and have to put down in mattress. I used to be – additionally the primary actress, Paula Beer, was additionally contaminated, too, and there was a present by our distributor from France. It was the entire work of Eric Rohmer. And on this 4 weeks throughout our fever desires, we’ve – would see all of the Rohmer films. The French folks have a summer time film style – folks on the seashore. They begin laughing. They discover their selves. They discover their identities. However we’ve not obtained this in Germany. The Individuals have a summer time film style, too. Typically it is a horror film, nevertheless it’s additionally one thing to do with youth and getting grownup and discover an id and so forth.
SIMON: Thomas Schubert performs the pompous author, Leon. Could I inform you, it is just a little onerous to love him?
PETZOLD: You understand, I really feel just a little bit ashamed about that as a result of in his character, there are numerous, many autobiographical issues of my very own life as an artist. And so when you do not like him, I really feel just a little bit ashamed.
SIMON: Nicely, I really like the director. It is the character that I’ve an issue with.
PETZOLD: However I have to say, the actor stated to me, hey, you’re an artist, too. You’ve gotten made a – additionally just like the character, Leon, you need to – made a second film. Do you’ve gotten any difficulties like him? And so I stated, yeah, just a little bit. I do not need to speak about this. They usually say, what is the title of your second film? And I stated, oh, it was “Cuba Libre.” They usually stated, the ebook Leon is writing in “Afire,” the title is “Membership Sandwich.” Yeah. And Cuba libre and the membership sandwich – it is the menu – yeah, a menu of artists who should not so simpatico. And so I begin laughing, and I have to say it was like a psychoanalysis therapy for me. They helped me with humor to overlook my very own artist previous.
SIMON: So that you selected the working title of the manuscript “Membership Sandwich” as – since we’re speaking about movie, I can name it an homage to your movie “Cuba Libre.”
PETZOLD: Yeah. This was not by aware. It was just a little bit like this. I’ve written this unhealthy novel, “Membership Sandwich.” I’ve written three or 4 pages from this novel as a result of the writer’s studying it within the film. And it is…
SIMON: Oh, that is proper. And the writer has to learn from the novel, so that you needed to write sections of this unhealthy novel.
PETZOLD: Yeah, I’ve to put in writing it. And it price me three days as a result of to put in writing a foul novel in a great way that you just not begin laughing straight – yeah, so it is very onerous. And after three days of writing his novel, I’ve the sensation, hey, it is not so unhealthy.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMON: Nicely, you had the pleasure of authorship. You’ve gotten made a number of movies with Paula Beer, who performs Nadja, the younger lady within the movie. The author does not actually see her, does he? He has a crush on her, however does not actually see her.
PETZOLD: This can be a drawback additionally for administrators and their muses. They see crimson clothes. They see incredible hair, incredible lips and so forth, however they do not see the topics. And that is one thing I can see in his habits. He’s standing behind home windows, behind doorways. He is watching her. However he by no means ask her one thing. For him, she’s like Rita Hayworth or one thing. She’s not actual. And I feel this can be a male place in storytelling.
SIMON: Yeah. Nadja, in truth, asks an important query of the author. Do you ever see something round you?
PETZOLD: Yeah. To be an artist and to be a author in Germany these days, you’re a little bit like a Nineteenth-century artist, you and the world. The world is particularly only for you. When you’re in events, personal events, there are some folks standing at all times within the kitchen and discussing. And there is a huge room the place the music is, and there are people who find themselves dancing. They’ve our bodies. They’ve – they’re comfortable, yeah? However the folks within the kitchen, they’re speaking about them – say, hey, have a look at how she’s dancing. To depart, to come back out of this kitchen jail, to achieve the dancing ground – yeah? – is one thing what Leon needed to study.
SIMON: Oh, my gosh. I do not suppose I’ve ever heard it put higher.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMON: So you have performed movies, I collect – water and fireplace. Are you making movies about all the weather?
PETZOLD: You understand, I’ve a really onerous Protestant training, yeah? And when one thing’s superb – yeah? – I am unable to sit down and be happy and say, incredible. Now one 12 months I need to sit down there. This was nice, good work. I need to have a beer on a porch and look and one thing like that. So I’ve to say in the identical second when one thing is nice, I’ve to do one other one. Yeah? I’ve to go on. So I stated, after we make “Undine,” which was a incredible time, I stated, oh, that is the primary a part of a trilogy. That is water. The following is fireplace. However now I feel I misplaced myself just a little bit on this Protestant factor, and I need to make holidays for one 12 months, so there isn’t any third one.
SIMON: OK.
(LAUGHTER)
SIMON: Nicely, I am going to sit up for the following one, no matter it’s. Christian Petzold – his new movie, “Afire,” is in theaters now. Thanks a lot for being with us.
PETZOLD: Thanks. Thanks a lot.
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