In the film Boys, you show two families from different social classes and their merging, or, should we say, collision.
I was inspired by my own life and my family, which looks a lot like Jonas’s, and also the life of my friend whose family had a much more open and broader view of the world at that time.
Your film deals with facing oneself and accepting mistakes from the past.
The film is about cowardice, but it is also about facing yourself, accepting your mistakes and fears of adolescence that may have been limiting you throughout your life.
We do not see what happened to Nathan in any shot. We can only sense this. Why did you decide to leave it at that?
I had a couple of reasons for such a solution. The entire film was told from Jonas’s perspective. The moment Nathan disappears from the frame, I cannot follow him, since everything is seen through Jonas' eyes. The viewers no longer see him from the moment Jonas sees him no more. The other reason is that I love mysteries and I am fascinated by the stories about the disappearances of people, whose fate is never learned.
How did collaboration with Félix come about, who within FEST has another noteworthy role in Sauvage?
Jonas was shot after the film Sauvage, and I met Félix thanks to the casting director, at the cafe. We talked, and his personality, the way he carries himself, is what convinced me that he was the right man for that role. There was no casting because I do not like castings.
Some journalists believe that this is a queer film. What do you say to that?
This is not a queer film, although I do not have a problem with it. From the very beginning, when we were working on the script, the fact that Jonas is gay I set as part of his personality that does not essentially determine who he is. I do not like when films are categorized, but if someone sees it as a queer film, it is completely fine.
Veronika Klačar
