Sarah Prefers To Run was one of my favorite films at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, so I was fortunate to get a chance to sit down with director Chloe Robichaud to discuss some of the details about her wonderful film. During our conversation, Chloe explains the reason why the film is so subtle and the meaning behind some of the scenes within the film. She also talks about some of the challenges of making Sarah Prefers To Run and what she plans to work on next.

Sarah Prefers To Run feels like it is a personal film, how much, if anything, was based on your own experiences?
It is a character, not me, but since it was [my] first feature film that I was writing when I was in school it is based on what I have lived. There is some stuff that I have seen in my life and students around me.

Because the film is centered on a dedicated runner, naturally there are some physical requirements that come with the role, how did you end up casting Sophie Desmarais as the lead?
I didn’t even think about the physical [aspect] for Sophie. She is a great actress. I am pretty sure she is going to have a great career. She has something with her eyes and her body. I needed someone who could talk with her eyes because Sarah [didn’t] use many words. So I think [because of] the way Sophie plays it, we feel connected to Sarah even though she is not really close with her emotions.

Was there any training that she had to do for the role?
Yeah, she had to be trained with a trainer for six months. Two times a week with him [running] and five times by herself. There is not a lot of running in the film, but still we wanted her to have a certain [appearance] that was creditable.

She definitely seemed like a very natural runner.
Yeah, the coach was on the set as well to watch the scenes and rehearse with her.

Speaking of a coach, the coach portrayed in the film was actually a former film teacher of yours, right?
She is a film director and actress in Quebec and she was also my teacher. She teaches Directing Actors class at Concordia University. She is like a mentor to me, so in a way, the coach in the film is kind of the coach in my life.

Sophie Desmarais in Sarah Prefers To Run

Destiny is brought up several times in Sarah Prefers To Run in various forms, one of which being cut shots of fortune cookie sayings. Being that Sarah does not believe in destiny, what was the significance of showing these?
I played with it at first because people read these and believe that it is actually going to happen. But at the end the last one says, “The answer does not lie in the cookie.” It’s just means that Sarah needs her own choices, no one is going to make them for her, to be confident in what she wants. Like in that scene where she goes to see the coach and she’s asking for help and the coach just says, “I can’t tell you and the fortune cookie won’t tell you either.”

My favorite shot in the film is where she accepts the idea of marriage in a restaurant and we see it through a blurry reflection from the window. Was this done to emphasize the native and hazy decision that she is making?
Yeah, because it was such decision in their lives. It’s also saying that they’re not close to being an adult, they’re in Montreal and they don’t know who they really are. It’s like there’s a shadow, they are not fully themselves because they are looking for themselves.

I really enjoyed that shot as it wonderfully captures the moment in their lives.
Oh, thank you. Some people [actually] thought there was a problem with the projector.

Really?
(laughs) Yeah. I had to tell people [this is how it is], it is not in 3D.

There are many ambiguous elements found in the film such as; Sarah’s distain for the government, her troubled relationship with her mother, and her general shyness towards others. Is the idea for the film to remain sort of “in the closet” like Sarah does?
Yeah, because she is like that. She is not sexualized; she does not want to show her body. So I didn’t want to [expose] her. Like in the sex scene I do not show her breasts because [her character] would not want to show them. She keeps emotions to herself. That is why the film is so subtle.

I enjoyed the fact that a lot was alluded to but never blatantly explained; but what was Sarah’s issue with the back of people’s neck?
She is doing something a bit feminine, and I wanted to show that she is intimidated by that and so [that’s why] she closes her vest [after] seeing that. It was meant to be a bit sexy, but I didn’t want to reveal too much. We see in that scene already that there is something going on.

Yeah, I got the impression that she may be a lesbian.
Right, there is no real resolution to that. It’s not a film about that, so I didn’t want that to [take focus]. But she definitely might not be into guys. But she is attracted to their personalities because she does not really think [much] about sex as she is not there in her life yet. But she is really, for once, amazed by someone.

What was the single biggest challenge to make Sarah Prefers To Run?
For filming, it was very difficult to get the funding [probably] because of my young age (25). On the set, it was the running, especially when you have to do a lot of takes. I was more like a coach than a director [at times].

You have made several short films but this is your first full-length feature, do you plan to go back to short films again or continue on with making full-length films?
I want to go back [to short films] because you can try things and experiment. But I am writing my next [full-length] and we will go for financing as the next step and would like to do it next year.

Here is a quick numbers breakdown of my 2013 Cannes Film Festival coverage. I spent about 8 full days (I had two half days that I am counting as one) watching a total of 17 films (not counting the one I walked out on). So I managed to see just over two films on average a day with an average rating of 6.8 that I gave out. All in all, I saw a lot of daring films, many of which were hard to watch, but all were crafted among the best talent in cinema today. So while my ratings may seem a little on the low side, it was only because it felt appropriate to critique them on the upmost of scales considering the extraordinary stage they were presented on.

NOTE: Here is a few films that I did not get a chance to see either because of schedule conflicts or general availability of the release in the US after the festival. Some of the the following could have changed the list; Inside Llewyn Davis, Blue Is The Warmest Color, Fruitvale Station, Behind the Candelabra, The Immigrant, The Missing Picture.

My Top 10 Films from Cannes 2013:

#10 – Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

Affleck dominates the screen when he appears and makes a good case for one of his better roles as an actor. The sun-filled landscapes of Texas provides great cinematography.
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints review

#9 – The Dance of Reality

Although The Dance of Reality is a bit disorganized, the film was extremely playful and entertaining. Feels more like a theatrical play than a film.
The Dance of Reality review

#8 – Nothing Bad Can Happen

Do not be fooled by the title, enough bad and painful things happen in this film, and they will stick with you long after the film is over. Emotions are definitely evoked.
Nothing Bad Can Happen review

#7 – The Congress

Of all the films at this years Cannes Film Festival The Congress may be have the strongest and ambitious plot. The biggest downfall might be that it tried to achieve too much, a shame because it had potential to be much higher on this list.
The Congress review

#6 – As I Lay Dying

This film has to earn the most uniquely shot films of the festival. Several parts of the film are shot in split screen to show perspective and reactions of multiple characters at once. And it did it without it feeling too gimmicky!
As I Lay Dying review

#5 – Borgman

Borgman was this year’s Holy Motors or Dogtooth for Cannes, a film that cranks the bizarre factor to the max. Films that are unlike any others typically sit well with me.
Borgman review

#4 – Nebraska

There is not a whole lot that goes on in Nebraska, similar to the small towns that are featured in it, but this is a road trip/family bonding film that is extremely heartwarming and entertaining.
Nebraska review

#3 – Sarah Prefers To Run

Sarah Prefers To Run wonderfully allows the audience to make their own guesses on what results in the film because of how subtle the film handles much of what is shown. The film contains a great message of controlling your own destiny.
Sarah Prefers To Run review

#2 – The Great Beauty

The Great Beauty takes a few jabs at the current snapshot of Italian culture and does so by showcasing hilarious satire with magnificent cinematography. It ends up being a love letter to Rome, or at least the great beauty of it.
The Great Beauty review

#1 – Like Father Like Son

Like Father Like Son shows its cards nearly right away but it remains intriguing long after you think it has played its hand. It takes a rather simplistic plot and turns it into something of a complex story that explores every angle.
Like Father Like Son review

Making difficult decisions simply goes hand-in-hand with film festivals, and Cannes is certainly no exception. Deciding upon which film to see when inevitably two play at the same time is just the start. Because there are approximately 4,500 press in attendance, most films require you to wait in line for about an hour a before the film is scheduled to begin. And that still does not guarantee access, especially for films that are in high demand. The real difficult decisions come when you must decide upon waiting in line to better your chances for a spot, or to eat a proper meal. However, in Cannes there is one simple rule that everyone abides by; films always receive the highest of priorities.

Yachts that surround Cannes

Sarah Prefers To Run

As you probably guessed, Sarah Prefers To Run is about a 20-year-old woman who cares little about anything other than running. Her talent in the sport lands her an opportunity to be a part of a university program in Montreal. The only problem is that Sarah does not have much money saved up to cover the costs of moving and living expenses for there. In addition, she has no support from her mother because of a not so great relationship between the two. Her mother has told her before that running will not put money on the table for her in the future, but there is a hint of something else causing their riff.

But Sarah is unwilling to let money issues prevent her from achieving her dreams as a runner. So she visits her friend Antoine, I’ll give you one guess how she got there, to ask if he will be a roommate of hers. He agrees and the two share an apartment together in Montreal. Because Sarah has no time for a job with school and running taking up most of her time, she is not even able to half of the rent. So Antoine comes up with an idea that only a twenty-year-old would think is a good solution; to get married so they can collect money from the government. At first Sarah is very reluctant about Antoine’s plan as she only sees him as a friend not a lover. But with no other options in sight, she agrees on the notion it is purely for financial reasons. The shot of her agreeing with the arrangement is shown as a blurry reflection from a window that perfectly fits the decision at hand.

Sarah’s shyness, haste for the government, and estranged relationship with her mother may all stem from a detail that the director Chloé Robichaud only faintly chooses to expose, much like the personality of the main character herself. At one point her character is asked if she believes in destiny to which she replies, “No.” Perhaps Sarah prefers to make her own destiny by controlling the things that she can. One thing is for sure, Sarah does prefer to run.

RATING: 8.1

The Bastards

Claire Denis’ latest film The Bastards serves up a heavy dose of drama in the form of sexual exploitation that at times is gruesome enough to make you cringe. You will certainly never look at corn on the cob in the same way. Denis hits all the right notes from a technical standpoint; fantastic camera work, solid cast, and a good old-fashion revenge story. But despite all of that, in the end The Bastards does not fulfill. The largest offender for the unsatisfying results is a story structure that is far more complicated than it really needs to be. There is no happy ending when all the characters are bastards.

One of the better sequences found in the film is at the very beginning when jump-cut footage of a woman wearing nothing but high heels walks down the street in complete shock. Police lights fill the streets of Paris at night at the site of an apparent suicide. It is not until much later that the film reveals who it was. The woman has obvious signs of abuse which results in the family to investigate and seek revenge on everyone involved.

RATING: 6.4

We Are What We Are

The much buzzed about film from Sundance named We Are What We Are played tonight here in Cannes as part of the Directors Fortnight section. This is a remake of the 2010 Mexican horror film that shares the same name about a creepy family who maintains disturbing family traditions. Preparation of one such tradition requires the family to fast for a few days leading up to this event. The youngest family member is starving and his two older sisters remind him that no food can be consumed. And they take this very seriously.People from the town they live in seem to be disappearing – which also might have something to do with the tradition.

We Are What We Are paces itself all the way until the very end, but even the climax is muted. The little amount of suspense that the film does generate eventually dissolves and is unrewarding. Almost all of the characters are dumber than they should be, examples; a doctor ends up committing one of horrors most offending rules, a young cop who is completely unconvincing, and one of the sisters that wants to make an escape but never tries very hard to do so. In the screening I attended, the film received more laughs than thrills and the only gasps were because of some of the gore that was shown on screen. Maybe that was what the film was going for, but even if that is the case it still did not satisfy.

RATING: 5.5