Michel Franco Talks Mexico-U.S. Immigration Drama ‘Dreams’ With Jessica Chastain & How It’s Not Related To Trump; Reveals He’s Yet To See ‘Emilia Pérez’
EXCLUSIVE: Mexican director Michel Franco touches down at the Berlin Film Festival this weekend with drama Dreams starring Jessica Chastain, who is also an associate producer under the banner of her company Freckle Films.
A twist on the star-crossed lovers romance, Chastain stars as wealthy San Francisco socialist and philanthropist Jennifer
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When her younger Mexican lover Fernando– a dancer she met through a dance school program run by her family’s foundation in Mexico – turns up at her home in San Francisco after making a perilous illegal journey across the border, their love story gets complicated.
Celebrated Mexican ballerina Isaac Hernández, who is currently a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre, co-stars opposite Chastain as Fernando.
The movie, the second collaboration between Franco and Chastain after Memory, arrives at the festival as the long-running debate over illegal immigration over Mexico-U.S. border heats up with President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
Deadline sat down with Franco at the festival ahead of tonight’s premiere.
DEADLINE: What was the starting point for this film?
MICHEL FRANCO: I’ve always been very sensitive to the questions around the power imbalance between Mexico and the States, and how much millions and millions of Mexicans, and immigrants in general, are suffering in the States and what they go through, what they endure. Particularly Mexicans, because I’m Mexican.
They do that country a lot of good and this is never acknowledged. This didn’t start now, even if it’s gotten to a critical point now. I’ve been paying attention to it since I’m a kid. As a kid, I would go on vacation to the States. I’m Mexican. I had a blast speaking Spanish everywhere in the States. But how do you explain to a kid that everyone speaks Spanish, but Mexicans are usually the ones working.
DEADLINE: You mentioned that you first started thinking seriously about the film four, five years ago… so that was during Trump’s first term in office?
FRANCO: Like I said, I’ve been obsessed with it my whole life. I wouldn’t relate it to Trump directly. It’s worse with Trump, of course, he’s very vocal about it, he’s straightforward. But politicians that wouldn’t talk in that way were not better to Mexicans and to immigrants. They would maybe be more classical politicians in terms of not speaking certain ideas that spark hate. The characters in my movie, Jessica’s family, they’re liberals, and that makes it more interesting.
DEADLINE: What do you think should be done to resolve the Mexico-U.S. border crisis?
FRANCO: I’m just a filmmaker. For me, it would be enough if my fellow Mexican immigrants and every other immigrant is, is acknowledged for the good job they’re doing. How to solve the border? I’m just filmmaker and I know this movie raises a lot of questions, but I cannot give any answers.
Also, I made a story that is mainly intimate story of this couple. Sometimes I do tackle things in another fashion, such as with New Order, but in this case, I’m focusing on this intimate story.
DEADLINE: However, it’s rare to see the illegal immigration debate tackled through the prism of a romance set against this kind of wealthy and artistic background…
FRANCO: Yes… and even at the beginning of the film, when it starts, you’re like, oh, it’s that kind of movie and then it moves onto the house. Filmmakers always have the responsibility, but normally film makers are lazy so they don’t take the responsibility, to do an original work.
I’m challenging myself to make time a film that surprises audiences. Memory, for example, goes in one direction and turns out to be a completely different thing. We always need to make original work and to make the same film that everyone has seen time and again and.
DEADLINE: Does the premise of a talented dancer not being granted residency in the U.S. really ring true. Surely, if a performer is an immense artistic talent they will secure a visa> The U.S. wants talent.
FRANCO: I know so many talented people in many fields in Mexico, musicians or in any field that never get a break, never get the right opportunity and never get acknowledged. I think we’re always coming from a harder place, Mexicans and people from undeveloped countries, we always have it harder.
When I shot my first movie in 2008, only eight movies were made in the in Mexico every year, now its 220, butthe chances of a Mexican at the time to become a successful filmmaker were tiny.
DEADLINE: As you say, the family of Jessica Chastain’s liberal wealthy family. Are you, are you pointing the finger at U.S. liberal, Democrat supporting Americans, saying they’re no better than Trump supporters?
FRANCO: No, not at all. I try to be respectful. I’m never pointing fingers at anyone. I always try to make a movie complex enough that within the same film, an idea will be contradicted. There’s no good or bad. I try to write human beings that make mistakes. I understand what Jessica’s character is going through. I do, you know, I wouldn’t judge her. I wouldn’t label her.
I didn’t take the simplistic approach because also some conservative people might show more qualities when the time comes. I think all these labels simplify in a very dangerous way. The the state of the world shouldn’t be simplified into labels because then it’s too simple of a game and it turns into a game and it’s not about that. Empathy is the always the thing. Even when I made New Order, a very violent film, it’s always about empathy. I don’t have big answers, just put yourself in the shoes of the other guy who always has it harder.
DEADLINE: Without giving away the end of the film away… it’s unexpected. What was your thinking?
FRANCO: I like to show the true colors of people and come on, this intimate story at the end of the day does speak about a larger situation, and cruel, cruel things are committed every day towards the weakest, those who don’t the rights to, you know and symbolizes how the real score on daily life.
DEADLINE: How do you work with Jessica Chastain?
FRANCO: She trusts me entirely but the reason she trusts me is because we have a great communication. We love our time together talking about personal matters or ideas for films or having a laugh or whatever. We became friends through making Memory. It’s similar to the way I work with Tim Roth, who I’ve made two films with, and I’ll make more.
I tell them my ideas, especially when I know I’m going to write them for them in particular because they’re very clever actors. Talent is not just good being a good actor means. I use their brains and a lot of the ideas of those come from those conversations.
DEADLINE: Sorry to bring up another film in this interview, but what do you think about the debate about French director Jacques Audiard’s depiction of Mexico in Emilia Pérez?
FRANCO: I haven’t had a chance to see the movie, so I couldn’t say… as a Mexican, I’m entitled to shoot in the States because we share this massive border and because it affects our daily lives. And it goes both ways. I shot Memory in the state of New York but I always try to only make movies about what I know very well and I know the states very well because it’s the closest, and throughout chlldhood I would go several times a year to the States.
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