JENNIFER LYNCH is back behind the camera with her latest feature, Chained, and we took some time out to chat to the director, and daughter of David Lynch, about the film.
Starring Vincent D'Onofrio as a serial killer looking to mould a youngster into his protege, Chained (review here) is an interesting character study on the effects of abuse.
Here's what Lynch had to say about the movie.
There's always a worry that a film focusing on a serial killer can be cliched. How did you handle such a concept for Chained?
Backtracking, I was sent a script called 'Chained' by the two producers and it was an 'A and B' story - detectives following a serial killer who had been killing women. We see him driving his taxi and he kidnaps a boy and his mother before killing the mother and keeping the boy. I thought the concept was great but it was far too gratuitously violent and almost torture-porny. I was more interested in the killer and the boy and why do people kill like this. I was offered the chance to rewrite the script but wanted to honour what they had purchased from the writer, which is one of the best parts.
For me, the film seems to focus on whether or not a child can be moulded from a young age to become something evil.
Definitely. I tried to write something about how real monsters are made. In discussing what child abuse does, there's no justification for what the killer does but there's an explanation. The reason I think Rabbit (Eamon Farren) doesn't become a full-blown replica of Bob (Vincent D'Onofrio) is because for at least the full first nine years of his life he had true affection from his mother and security. That versus what Bob had - pain, damage and abuse all his life. It asks what the value is for a bed of goodness no matter how dark things get and can that be stolen from a child. It also studies what it is, even in this broken monster of a man, to be loved and understood.
What was it about Vincent that made you think he'd be perfect for the role of Bob?
Vincent is so genuinely human and masculine. He's both boyish and grown up and to me that's exactly what the film and the role required. We all have that within ourselves and he, through actions and innately in his appearance, is very good at being human even when that human is a monster.
I've been a fan of his since he started working. It was an honour to have him trust me enough to be both emotionally and physically naked in this. He did a great service to the film and he, in my mind, was the only person who could do that without an ego getting in the way.
Eamon, who plays Rabbit, seems to have a natural vulnerability to him. Was that what drew you to him for the role?
What's amazing about Eamon is that I hired him over the phone and via Skype. For me, one of the most important things I look for in an actor is whether we can converse. Do we have a similar ability to discuss a character? Eamon is a gregarious and loud Australian man but what I saw in him - and heard in our conversation - was a willingness and bravery to explore what it is to be stuck in and damaged and stolen from on a daily basis. I don't know how I knew he could do it, but I just knew.
Do you find yourself focusing on stories that delve into the darker side of humanity?
There's no doubt that seems to be the theme but it's not the only thing I'm drawn to. It's interesting me now, primarily, because it's something I'd want to see done that I don't usually get to see. The planet is always half light and half dark, and so are we. I have a very happy life so what interests me is what my life isn't.
What do you look for in a script before you decide it's worth turning into a film?
To be brutally honest, in Chained I was just looking for a job. But what compelled me was the fact I was being offered a great idea - albeit gratuitous - and find some way to make it potent and redemptive, dare I say. What I'm drawn to are things that challenge and frighten me in a good way. How will I pull this off and do it justice and how do I make a movie I've never seen before which is ultimately what I'm trying to accomplish.
We know about your father's legacy in film so how to you, if you can, avoid being compared to him?
I can't avoid the comparisons but what tickles us both is that we feel we are so different from each other, so it's a constant surprise. It's like a pastry chef being compared to someone famous for the meat dishes they cook. Yes, it's food, but that's where the comparison should end.
I do think that some people need to make the comparisons, but I don't know what it is that compels them. For me, I was given a great gift by my father and my mother in that I was never told any idea was bad. I was told I could explore any thought as long as I wasn't hurting someone else. That innate curiosity that allows us to be brave and inquisitive is how I would compare us. I also think I learned from him how joyful creating a story on film can be.
What's next for yourself?
I have a film coming up call A Fall from Grace which stars Tim Roth and Vincent with Paz Vega. It deals with hurt children and a serial killer but it's primarily about a detective and his unravelling. That's scheduled to go April or May. After that intending on shooting a really great horror comedy written by Jim Robins called The Monster Next Door. It's going to be a fun romp into horror with some smart comedy and vampires and zombies and werewolves.
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