ELIOTT MARGUERON
le brame
(stag bellowing)
starring ferdinand mochot and leo nivet
symphony no.3 in f major - johannes brahms
AS: What inspired you to shoot le brame?
EM: While walking around in the countryside, I was immediately struck by the concept of « nature » around us: only fields and forest controlled by the hands of men. Geometric crops, torn to be straightened fields, un-spontaneous forms and colors yet super beautiful. The best example you have is the apple tree field, that looks like surgical scars.
It was in resonance with my own reflexion about desire. While I was staying in an environment that looked the most like nature to me, who has always lived in the city, I was, because of COVID-19 cut from being able to have natural contacts with people, and especially people I loved. A dialogue between natural and unnatural feelings.
So I shot le brame, as a spontaneous gesture of hope and desire that is stronger than us, as a return to a natural essence, in an man shaped world and perverted nature.
AS: What have you been watching/reading lately? Who do you look up to artistically?
EM: I finally had the time to read fully "Remembrance of things" past by Marcel Proust, which has always been around my feelings since I started to think and I read Racine and Corneille- all there tragedies. In all these, the fact that life is shown as an unavoidable sweet passion was really comforting.
I took time to catch up on some of french classics: Truffaut, Godard, Carax, and of course Blier - that is one of the main reference for le brame (les valseuses).
Also, Harry Potter lovers will see a direct reference to Harry's and Cedric’s race int the maze in the 4th film. I couldn’t not mention it.
AS: Where do you live & how’s the situation over there? I heard the quarantine is about to be over in Europe.
EM: I Stayed for the entire quarantine in Marçon, in la Sarthe. A super bucolic region, great to see the sunset of this current world!
I am back in Paris now the quarantine is over. There is the feeling that everything is slowly coming back as it was before, while it isn’t really. I think everybody need some time to realize what is really happening and what it really means. ♦