“His way of talking about acting and directing actors convinced me”

How and why did the life of Lydia, a midwife very involved in her work, change? In The Rapture, in theaters Wednesday October 11, Iris Kaltenbäck looks back on the events that led her to commit a crazy act. The actress Hafsia Herzi, who plays the character, delivers a real performance by reflecting the flaws of this woman thirsty for love.

Franceinfo Culture: Iris Kaltenbäck confides that when she wanted to explain to you the contours of the character of Lydia, who you play in her first film “Le Rapissement”, you told her that it was not necessary because you understood her very well . What did you understand about her?

Hafsia Herzi: It must already be said that I don’t like to intellectualize the characters too much. What matters is the emotion, what we feel when we film. I put myself in Lydia’s place. I tried to understand, without judging her, why she goes through with her actions. I tried to draw inspiration from all these people who do the irreparable. They are often discreet. We don’t see them coming, like a child about to do something stupid. What interested me was this slightly mysterious side. I tried to say as little as possible, not to be too expressive and not to let anyone guess too much about what she feels. The character of Lydia is lovesick. She wants to love and be loved. She is very intense in her work, in her emotions but she does not talk about her discomfort, her separation which we witness earlier in the film. This is not resolved and this will be reflected in everything that happens afterwards. She is not internally healed from this romantic breakup. Several injuries end up mixing together, and at some point, Lydia will truly lose herself. She tries to several tries to tell the truth, but she can’t. This is also what touched me.

You are a mother. What is your relationship to motherhood? And what did you learn by taking on this character of a midwife whose work is described through documentary sequences?

We also started with this documentary part. My son was one and a half years old. I had a planned C-section because he was a bit heavy, and for a long time I dreamed of a natural birth. But when I saw what it was, it reconciled me with what I had experienced. It’s impressive and, at the same time, it’s nature. The woman’s body is incredibly powerful. Respect for all these women who go through it and who manage to overcome it because it’s “wow”. I didn’t feel anything in terms of contractions. But after the cesarean, it was excruciating, a pain like having my leg cut off. It was horrible but seeing a vaginal birth impressed me. At one point, in the film, we see me accompanying a lady who is going to give birth and who kindly accepted that I come and help her push. I had to concentrate because I obviously knew we weren’t going to ask him to do it again. And I saw a child come out live. When I saw the head, I was shocked because it was incredible. You can’t see it on the screen but I turned my head.

In one of your interviews, you mentioned directing actors in French cinema. You said that actors were often left to their own devices. Did you feel directed in “The Rapture”?

Of course ! Iris accompanied us. She asked us to make proposals. She leads a lot. It’s better than someone who leaves you to fend for yourself. There are plenty… I accepted the role because during our discussions, she immediately told me about the game. Iris told me that that’s what matters to her, the emotions, whereas there are directors who give up on a take because the light is more beautiful in another where the emotion is nevertheless there . This is not a vision that I share. There Iris’s way of talking about acting and directing actors convinced me in addition to the documentary side. I adore the unexpected, even if I also like organization. We film and see what happens and, there, we were at the heart of the action.

When you moved into directing, what motivated you? It was a way of taking power over the artistic…

I have always wanted to film people, to direct, to write, to tell my stories and give my point of view on things. I also wanted to evolve artistically because I didn’t want to be the actress who waits and depends on the desires of others. I wanted to take the lead. It’s good to create even though I love playing. It’s difficult but it’s less hard than directing. I like the challenge that the exercise represents and it brought me a lot for the game. Being in front of and behind the camera taught me that you have to help the technique. When I started playing, I hadn’t gone to school so I didn’t understand everything. Now I know that every take is important, every moment, every sound, that everything can save a scene and that you have to be at your best.

You are young but already have a long career behind you. Does French cinema treat you well, Hafsia Herzi?

I grew up with cinema. I’m lucky to have had great roles and to be highlighted as in The Rapture. Sometimes I was not treated well. I see films and I say to myself “no, really, I was made fun of (laughs)”. “I concentrated for 24 hours and in the end, no one saw me. I was hard to see or I was blurry” (laughs). This made me very angry at first. This also contributed to my desire to direct. Once, I remember it and it was funny, I honestly said to myself “this is a racist achievement”. Otherwise, I have lucky to work with good actors, good directors and to meet great people. Friendships are born and that is very important. Today, there are even directors with whom I have worked, to whom I have read the scripts that I write to get their opinions.

What is important to you at the moment?

I would like to direct a third film. I have a project in the process of being financed. It’s a bit stressful but I love it. It’s like writing screenplays, it’s hard but I love doing it.

“The Rapture” by Iris Kaltenbäck, in theaters Wednesday October 11