Eliza, when did you first start to think about making this remarkable film?
Eliza Hittman: I first began thinking about this film in 2012. I read a newspaper article that was all about the death of Savita Halappanavar, this woman in Ireland who died after being denied a life-saving abortion.
Your DP said that his collaboration with you is one of the most unique he’s had with a director.
Edward Berger: We’re both obsessed with precision and architecture in the film. It’s not haphazard and we don’t try to find the shot on set. It gives me true pleasure to set up a shot and in that shot, have every department create the illusion that this is reality.
Your character experiences some of the darkest things a person can experience. During your preparation and filming, was there anything in particular that helped you connect with him?
Ejiofor: I think I wanted to find out about who he was. I thought there was something about him that was too remarkable.
What was your initial response when you were approached to appear in this documentary?
Dr. Robinson: I said absolutely not. We were not interested in doing any movies or press of any sort. It’s not about us; it’s about the patients.
Director Danny Boyle established himself as one of the most versatile filmmakers in the world long ago, finding critical and commercial success with thematically disparate stories such as Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and Slumdog Millionaire.
The following questions and answers are excerpted from a conversation that followed the NBR screening of The Way I See It. This film really seemed to hit at the perfect time. Can you talk about the genesis of the project? Jayme Lemons: My partner Laura Dern and I were big fans of Pete’s in general, having […]
How did the project begin?
David Petersen: So it began at a dog park, where all projects have to start!
When you’re talking with Cillian about that and how you’re going to essentially be inside of his head for a lot of the film, what do you discuss about him embodying this man?
Christopher Nolan: I think the first and most important conversation was the one where we both agreed that we were not interested in some kind of impersonation.
Your films feel so naturalistic— as though you just took your crew to a location and filmed what was going on there. But the reality is quite different, isn’t it?
Chloé Zhao: Well, the trick is to make the audience feel like we just showed up.
You’ve been with this project for 18 years. What’s the process been like?
Phyllis Nagy: Until the current team came aboard, there was me and a computer that sat on idle for five years
What compelled you to make this film?
Vanderbilt: I’ve always been fascinated with journalism and I always sort of looked at it as the road not taken.
At what point in the filmmaking process did you realize you were going to structure the movie as you did, shifting perspective from Eden to Victoria?
Gerard Bush: Well, first, since the movie was based on a nightmare that I had, and since that really is what the nightmare showed me, it felt important to both of us that we respect that source material!
Can you both discuss how this film came about?
Benjamin Ree: The film began with me researching art robberies.
The way you build tension throughout the film is incredible. How did you approach that?
n a very organic way, it’s a girl against time. Suspense comes naturally from that premise, by using the DNA of the true story.
The film has gorgeous cinematography and a beautiful score rooted in classical music. Can you talk about conceiving the look and sound of the film?
Barry Jenkins: When you grow up in a certain kind of place, you contextualize it. So to me, Miami is this very beautiful place.