Your movie “Juste une illusion” takes place in the 80s, like “Eté 85” by François Ozon, or “L’Amour Ouf” by Gilles Lellouche. How do you explain this trend in French cinema to revisit this decade?
It’s a matter of generation, plain and simple. We were all born in the 70s and have just crossed the fifty-year mark. I believe that at some point, we either turn towards the existential anxieties of old age or towards the light of childhood. Gilles and I discussed this when I read that he was going to make his film because we were already working on this project with Olivier, to make sure our stories didn’t have too much in common! But each has its own uniqueness, and we are very different in what we share. At least, I hope so!
You and Olivier Nakache were then the age of the youngest son. How did you create this film together?
For over twenty years, the stories we tell are inspired by things we have experienced together: the struggles when we made short films and worked as waiters to make a living (“Le Sens de la fête”) or the life as summer camp counselors (“Nos jours heureux”). Here, we go back to a past that we did not live together. It was funny to compare our observations on first desires, sex, love, religion, or family.
Olivier had a fairly calm adolescence and then became a bit of a Satanist, dressing in black and listening to The Cure! As for me, life scared me, and I turned towards very positive American soul music. In summary, he was a happy anxious person, and I was an anxious person looking to be happy. I think that’s what made it work between us.
Making this film is a way to hold onto time and remind us that when someone leaves, a world goes with them.
While your previous films depicted families of heart or circumstance, here, it is a tribe united by blood ties…
Up until now, we always used interfaces to talk about intimate things like friendship in “Intouchables” or immigration in “Samba”. Now, we finally felt ready to reveal more, especially about adolescence, which is like a storm that we experience as best as we can. And we have reached an age where parents pass away. For example, Olivier and I both lost our fathers. Making this film is a way to hold onto time and remind us that when someone leaves, a world goes with them. Bringing that back to life is magical. It’s the supreme illusion of cinema, which is a time machine.
It’s a comedy as funny as it is serious…
The period was not angelic, with the rise in unemployment, the arrival of AIDS, racism, and terrorist attacks. We weren’t in a Disney movie, even within the family unit: by definition, it’s a place where you’re allowed to get angry and explode. On the surface, the characters look like they are posing for a lovely memory, but if you look closer, you’ll find other realities: parents arguing, children quarreling. But deep down, it’s not so bad, because family remains a refuge, and ours was built in those years. That’s also why we wanted to dive back in.
The violence in politics, which we already had a hard time with, has spread to society and social media. I feel like we no longer have a desire to communicate.
Does the current political situation in France worry you?
It terrifies me. The violence in politics, which we already struggled with, has spread to society and social media. I feel like we no longer have a desire to communicate. Bringing back the 80s is like a return to a refuge against obscurantism, anti-Semitism, and racism that pollute our existence today. Our ambition, with Olivier, has always been to write comedies that embrace their entertainment function but also provoke reflection among generations and friends.
You have been nominated several times for the César Awards. Is that important to you?
Oh yes, of course, we are always very happy each time because it is even more of a recognition as it has always been a claim for comedy. Well, we only won one César, the one for high school students, for “Hors Normes”, but it touched us a lot. But it is not an end in itself!
“Juste une illusion”, by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, released on Wednesday, April 15th.
