“The warmth retains rising. Individuals develop distant, in curious sorts of solitude. That is the place Jonah (28) offers consolation for strangers. However when he finds himself within the position of the daddy for 9-year-old Nika, his life begins to unravel.” Welcome to the world of Don’t Let the Solar, the primary fiction characteristic from Swiss documentary filmmaker Jacqueline Zünd (The place We Belong, Virtually There, Goodnight No one), a cinematic contemplation of how exterior components, specifically local weather change, may have an effect on and form our inside worlds.
Written by Zünd and Arne Kohlweyer, with Nikolai von Graevenitz as cinematographer, the film stars Levan Gelbakhiani (And Then We Danced), Maria Pia Pepe, Agnese Claisse (Amore Synthétique), and Karidja Touré (Girlhood). Sideral Cinema is dealing with worldwide gross sales.
Forward of its world premiere within the Filmmakers of the Current program of the 78th version of the Locarno Movie Competition on Aug. 9, the Locarno web site guarantees “a fragile drama in regards to the fragility of human relations.”
Zünd talked to THR about Don’t Let the Solar, crafting an virtually silent film about alienation, how she overcame her concern of actors, how shut our world is to the one depicted within the movie, and the local weather change documentary she is engaged on.
After making a reputation for your self with documentaries, how did you resolve to make a fiction characteristic?
The entire journey began whereas capturing my second documentary in Japan, once I found this company the place you may lease individuals for each social position – you may lease a buddy on your celebration, or a misplaced daughter, or possibly simply any person sitting subsequent to you as a silent companion. And I acquired fascinated by that, however didn’t wish to make a movie about this company factor, as a result of movies about that exist already.
However it made me take into consideration the fragility of human relations, and the way exterior situations can change or affect us, and what we’d like when it comes to relations. In Don’t Let the Solar, it’s the warmth that pushes the alienation ahead. When it’s already insufferable to be with your self and in your personal pores and skin, how is it doable to be near any person else?
How removed from or near the state of affairs in Don’t Let the Solar do you see us proper now?
It’s not that removed from our actuality. However I didn’t wish to make a movie a couple of darkish, dystopian future. For me, it’s extra of a step apart than a step ahead, a glimpse right into a chance.
There are scenes the place we see Jonah partaking in an exercise that I’d describe as “power-hugging,” or possibly “hug wrestling.” Is that primarily based on an actual factor or a type of reference you may clarify?
It’s a reference to Claire Denis’ Beau Travail. I used to be on the lookout for one thing he can do, a sport, or so he does for himself. And I used to be on the lookout for one thing that expresses the necessity for intimacy that, on the identical time, you may’t stand. It’s not wrestling. It’s extra one thing between a dance and the reactions between magnets.
‘Don’t Let the Solar’
Courtesy of Lomotion
The visuals are beautiful. How and the place did you movie the pictures of the solar burning down onto town? And the place did you discover that Brutalist constructing within the film?
Like in all my movies earlier than, I labored with the DOP Nikolai von Graevenitz. It was nice to create this atmospheric cinematic universe collectively.
We labored fairly near the best way we work in documentary. I all the time had this tropical Brutalism in thoughts for depicting this world, which shouldn’t be recognizable. So I used to be on the lookout for a Brutalist, futuristic metropolis that’s on the identical time old-school to get one thing like a mix of instances. I actually wished to shoot in São Paulo, however then it acquired difficult and in addition politically a bit delicate. So we had been compelled to search for different locations.
After which I found in Milan this actually lovely place by architect Aldo Rossi. It’s a constructing advanced from the ’60s. I additionally knew a social housing constructing in Genoa. I all the time drove house from holidays and noticed that constructing, and I’ve wished to make a movie on this constructing. I all the time tried to do different stuff there, however I lastly did it for the film. It was simply the right setting for this one, with these large stairs [that the characters] stroll up.
How did you create the pictures of the solar burning down onto empty streets?
The picture of the solar was simply the conventional solar, however for the pictures of the empty metropolis, Sebastian Mez, who can be a filmmaker, took out all of the individuals in his [visual effects] work. It took him hours and hours. He made a movie [The Great Void] a couple of utterly empty world the place he additionally took away all of the individuals. It’s a documentary movie, and once I noticed it, I used to be like: wow!
Why did you resolve to make Don’t Let the Solar in English?
The world I used to be creating was for me only a metropolis the place individuals from all around the world stay. So I wished to have them communicate in English in all completely different accents. For casting, that was very good, as a result of the entire world was open, however on the identical time, it made it very tough, as a result of the entire world was open. Fortunately, I had the assistance of Chiara Polizzi, the casting director from Italy who works on the Alice Rohrbacher movies, and she or he’s superb for casting youngsters.
So how did you discover your solid, particularly younger Maria Pia Pepe?
Don’t Let the Solar ist her first look. I simply noticed her in a casting video and fell in love together with her. She simply had this previous soul I used to be on the lookout for. She is good. She was 11 after we shot. We did a whole lot of evening capturing. So, for her, we needed to watch the hours, however she was all the time awake. Fortunately, she’s an evening particular person.
How did you discover Levan?
I noticed him in And Then We Danced, his first movie look, and we had been actually fortunate that we may work with him on his second movie. It was simply tremendous nice to work with him. For an actor, it’s tremendous onerous as a result of now we have virtually no dialogue within the movie. So it’s a tough piece of labor for an actor. You must do a whole lot of work along with your physique and face.
Jacqueline Zünd
Courtesy of Wolfgang Schmidt
Humorous that you simply point out that as a result of I used to be going to ask you about this dominance of visible storytelling…
It’s virtually like a silent film. That’s what I aimed to do, and in enhancing, much more dialogue simply went away.
The title Don’t Let the Solar clearly suits the local weather change really feel, however I wished to ask what else could have impressed it?
My primary inspiration got here from the previous track from the ’60s, Don’t Let the Solar Catch You Crying [by Gerry and the Pacemakers]. It was similar to the impression of the emotionality of the movie. I considered utilizing the total title, however then I felt prefer it’s significantly better simply to depart out the second half, as a result of a whole lot of issues additionally get misplaced within the warmth. Every part will get very minimal.
What was the toughest a part of the manufacturing?
I feel it was actually onerous as a result of I all the time wished to make it type of technique appearing. I wished to shoot in the summertime, so we shot in August in Milan. It was a very silly thought in the long run as a result of it was 40 levels [Celsius], and we had been inside. We had 30 individuals on this little condo. We may hardly breathe. It was actually onerous.
What was probably the most tough half about transferring from documentary to fiction filmmaking?
Coming from the documentary world, I had by no means finished a fiction movie till now, as a result of I feel I’ve all the time been afraid of actors. However I came upon that is full bullshit. I spotted that these are simply human beings. And I used to be so fortunate that I used to be surrounded by lovely human beings, and I had the very best time. For me, it was probably the most lovely expertise working along with the actors. And it was so liberating additionally to work with individuals who performed and aren’t speaking as themselves, like in my documentary movies. I imply, I work quite a bit in scenes too in that work, so it’s like a hybrid type.
‘Don’t Let the Solar’
Courtesy of Lomotion
Are you engaged on anything proper now? And can we see you making extra fiction options?
I’m engaged on a documentary movie about warmth and its impression on individuals. I’m within the enhancing course of now.
The title is (laughs) Warmth. It’s nonetheless a working title, however I feel it’s going to remain, as a result of I feel it’s very, very direct and highly effective. I feel it must be completed by the primary quarter of 2026.
It was type of a parallel work, which is sweet, as a result of the 2 movies impressed one another, as a result of I did a whole lot of analysis for the fiction movie, which I may use for the documentary, and vice versa. For instance, the cooling room you see in Don’t Let the Solar was impressed by one thing I noticed it in New York. They supply these rooms to individuals who can’t afford air-con. It’s not a luxurious place, however extra for poor individuals, however you may go there throughout warmth waves.
So researching and dealing on each movies was a really good expertise. And I feel possibly I’ll proceed working like this. I want to do extra fiction. I’ve already began writing some concepts, however it’s too early to speak about them.
