In an icy panorama of immaculate whiteness, a polar bear and a young girl frolic in the snow. From looks to grumbles, we guess that animal and child have their own mode of communication. In this not so distant future where a new ice age reigns, there are few humans. And those we meet are not all recommendable, as the heroine of Polaris, which opens the Fantasia festival on Thursday. Joined in Toronto, director Kirsten “KC” Carthew talks about the production of this ecopostapocalyptic film conjugated exclusively with women.
“I am all the more delighted that Polaris was chosen for the opening night of Fantasia that the genesis of the film is somehow linked to the festival. In 2015, my short film Fish Out of Water had been presented there, and the reception had been excellent – the public of Fantasia is unique in the expression of its enthusiasm”, specifies KC Carthew, who dares to hope for a similar reception Thursday evening.
An adventure and horror story with an ecological and feminist connotation turned — like Polaris thereafter — in the Yukon, Fish Out of Water told the adventures of an ice fisherwoman who finds herself with a surprise at the end of her line. “The fans of this short told me that I should do a feature in the same spirit. »
After a well-received debut feature, the drama The Sun at Midnightalso with a young girl as protagonist on a Nordic background, the filmmaker began to think about her famous short film and the possibility, not of adapting it into a feature film, but of designing one in a similar vein. .
“At the risk of sounding esoteric, I launched my desire a little into the universe, and the story came to me almost in a single burst of writing. It was very intuitive. I incorporated a lot of stuff that I like. For example, I have been fascinated since childhood by Greek mythology, with its stories of banishment to heaven; I’m also thinking of Remus and Romulus, raised by a wolf… Hence this young girl [Viva Lee] raised by a polar bear and who in the film clearly has a special relationship with the North Star. »
This star, whose Latin name, Polarisgives its title to the film, plays a key role in the plot.
“In this indeterminate future, the North Star is no longer immobile, but in motion: the young girl’s odyssey and this celestial movement are one. By this I was trying to indicate that a major change is necessary if we hope to come out of this collectively. But anyway, this star is part of the constellation Ursa Minor… So I had this child and this polar bear, this “Big Dipper”… Everything fit together. Furthermore, I wanted a completely female cast: these women have survived on the ruins of the patriarchy, but some, that is to say this faction of marauders who at one time capture the heroin, perpetuate this obsolete system. »
From Mad Max to Miyazaki
As for this postapocalyptic universe, the second madmax, road warrior (Mad Max 2: The Challenge), marked KC Carthew a lot in his youth. In addition to this classic of the genre, we sometimes think of Turbo Kidfor its voluntarily outrageous bloody effects, as well as some animated films by Hayao Miyazaki, such as Princess Mononokefor the young heroine whose initiatory journey is punctuated by ecological considerations.
In Polaris, this mysterious nameless child will have trouble with survivors who are still slaves to industrial remains and the smell of pollution. However, she will come across allies, including a solitary elder (Murielle Dutil) who will take her under her wing for a while. “Ah, Muriel! I love it ! She is badass in the movie ! »
Besides having filmed there more than once, KC Carthew is originally from Yellowknife. She therefore knows the climatic particularities and knew that the filming would not be easy.
“The reality is that with climate change, you never know if there will be snow or not. We needed some for the film, but the previous winter there had been almost none. Finally, we had record snowfall. So much so that you had to snowshoe almost everywhere — and by snowmobile, of course. With the cold, it was obviously imperative to be extra careful so that the actresses did not fall into hypothermia. In fact, the context was conducive to a whole lot of problems, but in the end, it went wonderfully well. »
Ultimately, Kirsten Carthew says she is proud of her film, part of the budget of which unexpectedly had to be redirected to additional health measures associated with COVID-19.
“I wanted to incorporate a commentary on gender politics and the environment, but above all I wanted to offer a film that was entertaining, that was the fun. It’s mission accomplished.
The Fantasia festival kicks off on July 14 and will run until August 3.