Louise Mootz: "I wish we could destroy all those borders and encourage immigration, helping more people together"
visions du reelWhere did the idea to make JUNGLE originate?
When I bought a camera. I was in film school at the time, and I started filming people around me. I loved it. It was natural.
The subjects in your documentary are your friends, was it an easy task to convince them to showcase their lives on-screen or did you have to convince them?
To be honest, when I showed them Jungle, I was scared. And also so amazed to show them how beautiful and amazing they all are. They were all surprised and okay to see this kind of movie, in a cinema. Except for one who appears only a few minutes, talking about how many men she had sex with. We talked about it: why would we be afraid, ashamed to say that we made love with several men… Fuck that.
Your film has a specific flair, unique vibrancy and a distinct aesthetic, where does your aesthetic derive from and who are your cinematic inspirations?
I have so many inspirations, like Lynch, Wenders, Kurosawa, Kieślowski, Bergman, Resnais, Clouzot, Kubrick, Harmony Korine, Cocteau, Vertov, Vincent Gallo, Hitchcock… I saw Vertigo the other day, and loved all those meticulous shots and colors mixing with an orchestra bringing suspense. Such a pleasure, like eating an apple you just picked from a tree. So when I take my camera, I’m looking for an angle that inspire me, an eye I get from those masters.
Your documentary explores multiple important themes that effect you and your friends, how important is it for you personally to showcase these on film?
It was obvious, they were saying things they wanted to say, and I just caught them. Because I also agree, and it just make me love them more. So why not show you?
The documentary is an incredibly personal insight into your friends’ lives, was there ever something you found out behind the camera from one of your friends that you did not know beforehand?
Yes! There was trust. It was a gift they made me, and made you. So let’s be full of care, because it’s a present.
We have to talk to you about Bonnie. She is such a free-spirited and authentic person, did you ever find yourself just getting lost and enamoured in exploring her life?
Bonnie (laughs), I was more inspired and surprised than lost. Every-time I see her, it’s a movie, for real. You cannot lie to her. Everything that she’s been through! Never stops. She’s doing movies too. We wrote a fiction, a feature together, we can’t wait to roll it!
The scene with Bonnie in the underground is incredibly memorable with her using the fake gun, was that in any way frightening or on-brand for Bonnie to do?
This scene was so much fun. I gave her the gun and she started playing, it was like a cascade of hilarious emotions. It’s totally the mark of Bonnie, she created her own heroine. Such an author, such an actress.
Héloïse is another friend that has a very distinct character and story as you capture moments between her and her mother. Was that an eye-opening experience for you?
Definitely, when I met Heloise, it was an amazing combination of funny time. And when I met her mom, after a few days, I told her “Damn, I’m gonna write a scenario with you in it, and don’t worry, you will be cuddle with all the Dior and Chanel we can get) [lauhs] she loves it, including filming her daily life. She’s a gorgeous person.
Your film talks frankly about sex, drugs and identity. Themes that a typical viewer finds difficult to explore, what would you like the audience to take away from these themes?
Difficult to explore certainly but real… I mean, most of us want to have good sex, someone to love, having nice drugs (take it easy though) and be surrounded by different identities to make us stronger, more curious, watchful, aware of those cultures! It is so important. Thanks to the immigration, I’ve met gold people. I wish we could destroy all those borders and encourage immigration, helping more people together, creating laws about it! Our government is so old fashioned. We need new ways, new perspectives. It’s a cry of rage.
How important do you think it is to showcase a strong group of women who are bonded on screen, in contrast to how Hollywood often depicts women pitted against each other?
Man or Woman, we can all be mean to each other, it happens sometimes for good or bad reasons but love is always around us, you just have to pay close intention. It’s an advice.
Your film is a lean and short fifty-one minutes long and it left me wanting to watch more and more, was there anything to you in the edit that you were sad to see cut, and is there anything in the future for Jungle to be explored in feature-length?
Oh my, if only you knew. We’ve made a long version of it, maybe with some bonus at the end who knows… Will see with the producers. I’m not alone in this adventure. But if it was just me, this movie would be so much longer [laughs]. Today, I have enough to make another one with more characters, so let’s see. I can’t wait, really exciting when I’m editing it’s just funny, honest and interesting.
What’s next for Louise Mootz? Do you have any ideas of what you want to explore next?
Oh yes! I have been writing scripts since I’m a kid. And more « professionally » today, so things are going to come out, one day or another! And documentary also, mixing with a bit of mise en scene, in Iran (went there already, was amazing), in Algeria, in Senegal, so many countries I can’t tell you all of them but anyway, I want to make some money, in order to change things, and help people. I would love to be in the high spheres to wake them up, in a good way.
JUNGLE had its premiere at visions du reel and is awaiting a release in French theaters next Autumn. Read CLAPPER’s review here
