Interview: '4 Days in France' Director Jérôme Reybaud on Grindr and the Sensuality of Syntax

By Jose Solís

Courtesy of Cinema Guild

Jérôme Reybaud 4 Days in France (which I reviewed here) is a sensual travelogue that follows Pierre (Pascal Cervo) a privileged Parisian man who leaves his lover (Arthur Igual) behind to go on an aimless road trip into the French countryside accompanied only by Grindr and his desire. An evocative, funny, and quite sexy film, 4 Days in France is surprisingly Reybaud’s directorial debut, quite the feat given how secure he is in his choices, and how much he relies on elements - gay sex onscreen, older female characters, poetic dialogues - that would make other filmmakers run for the woods, no pun intended.

As the film opens in New York and select markets in the US, I spoke to Reybaud about his bold directorial choices, his fascination with online dating, and how he ended up casting a Tony nominated legend.

JOSE: The first time I saw the film I was struck by how little it seemed the audience around me knew about Grindr, I’m pretty gay so I know it very well, but others seemed baffled about an app like it existing. Have you encountered that reaction at all?

JÉRÔME REYBAUD: Yes! I don’t have Grindr or a cell phone myself, but I didn’t expect the Grindr ignorance I’ve seen with some Parisian or NY guys. I assumed a heterosexual couple in provincial France wouldn’t know it, so I added a little information about the app for people who wouldn’t know what it was.

[Read the rest of the interview after the jump]

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Happy 'International Owl Awareness Day'

by Nathaniel R

Yes, International Owl Awareness Day is a real thing. For our purposes at The Film Experience owl awareness would be how those nocturnal birds are portrayed onscreen. They're hit-and-miss on celluloid and television. For example, we always needed more personality from Hedwig in the Harry Potter series, that damn mechanical owl in Clash of the Titans is an anachronistic disaster, and is it sacrilege to say that 'Owl' in Winnie and the Pooh is the least engaging Hundred Acre Wood denizen?

The following list is dedicated to the Twin Peaks owl(s) and Archimedes in The Sword and the Stone (1963) who didn't quite make it but we love them. TFE's five favorite screen owls are after the jump

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Beauty Break: Idris Elba

It’s looks like the best thing to come out of making The Dark Tower into a movie, is having Idris Elba out and about promoting it. From magazine covers to late night TV couches he’s been looking very sharp. Here are 6 photos from the press tour to brighten your Friday.

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I'll link to that 🍸

• YouTube fanmade teaser trailer for Venom with Tom Hardy. Love the use of the Cure lyrics
• My New Plaid Pants a special edition of 'do dump or marry' with Hitchcock classic Rear Window on its 63rd birthday
• Gothamist exciting news for library card holders in LA and NYC -- your public library card actually grants you access to TONS of Criterion Collection streaming titles. Here's how to access them
• Oh My Disney some of the Disney Princess movies are coming back to movie theaters in September and October. YASQUEEN... I mean, YASPRINCESSES. I'm most excited to see Mulan onscreen again because I barely remember it. Seems way too early to revive Moana though.
• EW celebrates the return of Will & Grace with a photoshoot

 

• Observations on Film Art wonderful piece on Dunkirk's emotional core (or whether it has one), color palette, and more
• Remezcla is the new Chilean film Hazlo como hombre (opening Sept 1st) homophobic or just making fun of homophobia?
• New Yorker Richard Brody is watching 80s action movies he's never seen before! Ha. Somehow the classic Die Hard (1988) had eluded him until now
• Self Styled Siren's bad movie double feature: The Legend of Lylah Clare with Kim Novak and Where Love Has Gone with Susan Hayward
• Coming Soon new clip from Marvel's Inhumans features Medusa's prehensile hair. Ugh, I want this to be good but it does not look good
• THR HFPA, the Golden Globe peeps, just gave away nearly $3 million in scholarships and grants to entertainment non-profits. Well done
• Variety interesting report on a working class actor running for the SAF-AFTRA presidency
• i09 12 things to love about The Lost Boys (1987) that have nothing to do with vampires
• Coming Soon several characters from AHS: Cult revealed
• NYT on the casting of indian actors for Taylor Sheridan's Wind River
• MNPP Hugh Jackman and trainer-in-speedo spend soooo much time at the beach. But the photos are inspiring

OffScreen
• Dress The Part if you have lots of extra cash, here are suggestions for how to 'shop the look' of  Atomic Blonde
• Business Insider fascinating study about decision-making and how who you spend time with affects your brainwaves
• Mike's Movie Projector Imelda Staunton never stops. Now she's rehearsing Follies

Happy Birthday, Greta Gerwig!

Chris here, with some well-wishing for one of our most under-awarded young actresses. It's Greta Gerwig's birthday!

The actress has an exciting few months ahead: her Saoirse Ronan-led directorial return Lady Bird is primed for festival season after A24 picked it up for a November 10 release. In the spring she'll be one of the many voice talents in Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs, as well. But we're naturally excited for Lady Bird, which has a tight lid kept on it. Gerwig has assembled an enticing cast that includes Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, and Lucas Hedges - but it's the collaboration with Ronan that really is intriguing. Will Gerwig's directorial touch be as enchanting as her effervescent and singular screen presence?

Here are some ways to celebrate Greta's birthday:

• Dance in the street to Bowie, traffic be damned!
• Teach house guests about menstruation.
• Drive to your ex's house in Connecticut and pitch him your restaurant you'll never open.
• Be criminally underrated, deceptively nuanced, and fully realized.

How will you celebrate Greta Gerwig's birthday?