Nicolas Boucart a Production Hélicotronc & Offshore SYNOPSIS on a Tiny Island Encircled by Steep Cliffs, a Unique House Stands Alone Facing the Sea
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a short film by Nicolas Boucart a production Hélicotronc & Offshore SYNOPSIS On a tiny island encircled by steep cliffs, a unique house stands alone facing the sea. Obsessed by the dream that, one day, man may be able to fly just like a bird, an inventor experiments with machines on this abandoned piece of land. For this man, only a pure, light and naive soul is capable of such a feat. Recruited from the continent, 11-year-old Joseph seems to be the perfect candidate. CASTING PHILIPPE REBBOT (SELECTIVE FILMOGRAPHY) 2018 Moi, maman, ma mère et moi by Christophe Le Masne 2018 L’amour flou by Philippe Rebbot 2018 La finale by Robin Sykes 2018 Normandie nue by Philippe Le Guay 2017 Icare by Nicolas Boucart 2017 Simon et Théodore by Mikael Buch 2017 Vent du Nord by Walid Matar 2017 Gauguin - Voyage de Tahiti by Edouard Deluc 2017 Des plans sur la comète by Guilhem Amesland 2017 Aurore by Blandine Lenoir 2016 Le locataire by Nadège Loiseau 2016 L’effet aquatique by Sólveig Anspach 2016 Les premiers les derniers by Bouli Lanners 2015 Les chevaliers blancs by Joachim Lafosse 2015 Une famille à louer by Jean-Pierre Améris 2015 Pitchoune by Reda Kateb 2014 Zouzou by Blandine Lenoir 2014 Le père Noël by Alexandre Coffre 2014 On a failli être amies by Anne Le Ny 2014 Tristesse Club by Vincent Mariette 2014 Hippocrate by Thomas Lilty 2013 Baby Balloon by Dominique Laroche 2013 Lulu femme nue by Sólveig Anspach 2012 Mariage à Mendoza by Edouard Deluc 2009 ¿Donde está Kim Basinger? by Edouard Deluc MAXIME BESSONOV 2017 Icare by Nicolas Boucart 2014 Monster by Delphine Girard ALBERT CHASSAGNE 2017 Icare by Nicolas Boucart 2012 Au nom du Fils by Vincent Lannoo 2009 Full On by Dominique Reding INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTOR What are the origins of this project? What is the starting This man is Léonard. He’s an ambiguous character... point for Icare? A universal The character of Léonard is ready to do anything to fulfill his dreams. I The starting point is ultimately a universal dream: the ability to fly. asked myself the following questions: What does fulfilling your dreams dream: mean? And what sacrifices do you have to make? As a child, I daydreamed a lot while imagining myself floating in the the ability to fly wind like a bird, discovering the world while flying over the trees, the It’s great to meet people who see things through to the end! It’s strong, fields, the sea... This dream continues to preoccupy some of my nights. positive, inspiring. These people who succeed in going above and beyond, laughing in the face of limitations and using certain restrictions Man has learned to walk, swim, jump, climb... but has never managed to bring about change. But here, obsessed with and blinded by his His ideal to fly «by himself» like a bird. Since the beginning of civilization, dream, Léonard manages to perceive the unthinkable. He crosses a however, there have been some more or less crazy attempts. This line. The project leads to him to sacrificing children. He does not do drives him to dream has sometimes led very serious and rational engineers to this out of cruelty, but because it’s logical in view of his research and it conduct completely crazy experiments! I find it incredible and very is what he needs to do if he hopes to succeed. do something alluring. I thought that there could be a man somewhere on an island who continues to harbor that dream, despite everything. This ambiguity interests me. His ideal drives him to do something morally morally unacceptable. He is both a dreamer and an executioner. And the viewer also ends up having an ambiguous relationship with this unacceptable character, admiring his determination while rejecting his actions. As with your previous films, this movie may be classed as My first inspiration is Mr. Vertigo by Paul Auster, for his «well-meaning a fable or allegory. Is this something that you consciously executioner» character. The dual nature of the character was a fantastic Profoundly breeding ground for expressing the complexity of human beings. But pursue and build upon? behind all this, as with all my other projects, there is the influence of reprehensible the world of Brel that I keep on coming back to. Fulfilling your dreams, I think that it comes from a certain shyness within me, a certain coyness disgarding social conventions, not following the herd, «standing on about my feelings. I need to be in the allegory, to build a kind of mirror, experiments your own two feet»: these topics resonate throughout his songs, so as not to directly present reality. behind his words. have been and This process also allows me to enter more magical and poetic universes. Sound design and music play an important role in the film. Very quickly, This pleases me a lot in terms of aesthetics. And that perhaps brings still are being with composer, Manuel Roland, we gravitated towards the cello. Its me a little closer to that way of communicating that I like in the songs of bass sound and the length of the notes drew pictures in my head and Jacques Brel, who is one of my spiritual fathers. This great poet speaks carried out in brought me to this island. The definitive music was recorded with four of human feelings and manages to say a thousand things about the musicians, who played live while looking at images from the film. An world in a few words, under the guise of poetry. We are beyond reality. the name of impressive and moving physical experience. The image is born from its evocative power. «progress.” In Icare, the allegorical aspect of the universe allows a subtext to exist. You mention the island where the story takes place. But it’s Pioneers are often perceived as mad men. Profoundly reprehensible far more than just a setting... experiments have been and still are being carried out in the name of «progress.” In one way or another, we all benefit from their results, For all my projects, the scenery is very important. For me, it’s a real while being clear of any responsibility. I’m very interested in this very character, who weighs heavily on the credibility of the universe. When contemporary issue. Experimentation is part of the human character, I’m in a place that I like, directing is not complicated at the time of but does it always leads to an evolution? shooting. So, I take the time I need to find the right scenery. My first inspiration is What was your professional approach and inspiration For Icare, this took a very long time. I scoured the entire French coast! Brittany offered the most impressive and relevant landscapes with purity when developing the universe of the film? and breathtaking beauty. I was looking for cliffs for reasons relating Mr. Vertigo by to the script, but also, because I wanted rugged, wild, almost hostile Setting this story at the beginning of the 20th century allowed me to beauty. And I was dreaming of an island: I wanted to put the team in Paul Auster cheat a little in terms of certain conventions and to develop an aesthetic a situation, isolation similar to what the characters would experience. universe that pleases me. Furthermore, this period corresponds to the As for the team, being on an island created a sense of closeness and early days of modern aviation and highlights even further Léonard’s great cohesion! unswerving determination to make man fly without an engine. We chose to shoot on the island of Groix and precisely at the foghorn Regarding my influences, oddly, it’s not so much movies or photos that at the Pointe de Pen Men. Such a preserved location, situated... in the inspire me, but above all, music, poetry and books. My imagination is heart of a nature reserve! One of the main challenges was to convince stimulated more by what I read or hear than by what I see. the institutions in charge of protecting the sites to allow us to film. It took a year. Technically speaking, there were many challenges: transporting his «detachedness» in the saddest way possible. His angelic image equipment, accommodating everyone on site... Shooting on a nature ultimately came to support the theory and madness of Léonard, who reserve created other obstacles. Before making the slightest move was seeking an «angel» who was able to rise into the air. outside a marked path, for example, geotextile fabric had to be laid down to accommodate the technicians and equipment! For the character of Salaï, I wanted to work with Albert Chassagne, Léonard was a young actor with a somewhat atypical physique, whom I knew and It was sometimes complicated but the challenge of getting the right whose work I loved. He got involved in such a great way in this role, seeking an scenery was crucial. So much so that, when it turned out that the main which was very different from anything he had taken on before. actor was unavailable during the period when we had permission to « angel » who shoot, I prioritized the location... and sought another actor. Icare is one of the ten short films in the running for the OSCARS®. What does that mean to you? he could get So, let’s talk about the cast! I have given so much for this film. Icare was screened at a few good to fly Pierre Richard was supposed to play Léonard.