On the occasion of the presentation of his film: "Before I change My Mind", in Locarno75, we interviewed the Canadian director Trevor Anderson
HM: Tell us a little about your new film, how did the idea come about?
TA: I was thirteen years old in the same time and place as the movie is set, the Canadian Prairies in the '80s. I remember the feeling of knowing something was different about me than what I was seeing reflected back from the world at large, but not having the vocabulary to express it. The idea for this film started out completely autobiographical, then my writing partner and great friend Fish Griwkowsky joined the process and the script became semi-autobiographical, now it is fiction. I like to say it's no longer a true story of what happened, but it is an honest portrait of how I felt.
HM: In this film the children have well-defined characters and are positive characters, the adults instead are neurotic, why?
TA: I wanted the kids to have a very realistic acting style, and the adult characters to have a broader, comic tone. This is a nod to the acting style of lots of 80s coming-of-age movies, but it's also a reflection of that feeling kids have, that other kids are the ones who seem natural, and adults are strange. Robin's single father Daniel is purposefully caught in the middle of the acting styles. He's a fish out of water in the adult world, the same way Robin is trying to fit into the kid world.
HM: How important is music in your films?
TA: Before my job was feature film director, my jobs were short film director and touring punk rock drummer. I always pay close attention to music in my films and often feature it in some way. I was very happy with the opportunity to work again with my former bandmate Lyle Bell, who is the composer on Before I Change My Mind. There's a production of a community theatre musical in the middle of this film, which the kids volunteer for. It's a satire of Jesus Christ Superstar, told from Mary Magdalene's point of view: Mary Magdalene Video Star. For this, my co-writer Fish Griwkowsky and I wrote the lyrics, and Lyle Bell composed the music. We had a lot of fun with it, both writing it and staging it.
HM: You generally also write your films as well as direct them, would you make a film written by someone else?
TA: I'm not opposed to the idea of directing a film written by someone else, but I prioritize directing the ones I write. It allows me to make personal cinema, which is important to me.
HM: Where do you draw inspiration for your stories?
TA: So far, all of my films have started from a personal, true story, and more than that, it has to be attached to a strong feeling. That's always the spark, whether the film winds up as fiction, documentary, or often something that rejects the binary of fiction and documentary. This is true of all twelve of my shorts, now this feature, and the new scripts that my writing partner Fish Griwkowsky and I have ready to go. It makes it easier for me to connect to my gut instinct, which is the most valuable tool I have.
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