In a parallel universe, the human heart takes the form of objects that vary depending on the person. In this world otherwise quite similar to ours, people now let their existence and their loves be governed by an application: LifeZap. No more unpleasant surprises, and above all, no more unnecessarily complicated relationships. A rent-paying artist with a sad job, Anabel is one of the few to reject this lifestyle. The young woman maintains her irrepressible joy of living by acting according to her impulses. Until the day when, hurt by a one-sided love, Anabel tears out her heart, or finally what takes its place, and decides to live without it. A postmodern tale, With Love and a Major Organ (The object of my heart) is as unique as its heroine.
It was during a residency at the Canadian Film Center in Toronto, an organization founded by the late filmmaker Norman Jewison, that director Kim Albright was approached by playwright and screenwriter Julia Lederer.
“It was in 2017, so it’s been a while: Julia presented me with what was at the time a sort of play-script,” explains Kim Albright.
“I was immediately attracted by the cinematic potential of many of his ideas and concepts. For example, I immediately loved the way he made fun of the way we communicate with each other, which now mainly involves digital technologies. The virtual leads our lives, with our consent, so that, as humans, we are now more connected through intermediary technologies than face to face. »
The filmmaker specifies that she also liked how everyone, in this universe imagined by Julia Lederer, has their own heart-object in their chest: a trinket, a lantern, a Russian doll…
“I had never seen or read anything like it, and originality is rare. At the same time, I thought it was a beautiful metaphor for our individuality. »
Ubiquitous applications
The narrative bias that it is possible to rip out one’s heart, in the literal sense, and then continue to live, is also among the elements which encouraged Kim Albright to embark on the adventure.
In fact, Anabel does not die after getting rid of her bulky organ. Except she’s no longer the same. Indeed, as the days pass, a new prosaism in her gives way to a deadly pragmatism.
Conversely, George, the man with whom Anabel fell in love, goes from beige to color by sinking into his body the same heart that the young woman left in front of his door. You read correctly.
“This is another aspect that I liked: this representation, again literal, of expressions such as “to tear out one’s heart”, or “to give one’s heart to someone””, indicates the filmmaker.
“Again, I didn’t remember seeing or reading this before; not in those terms anyway. It stimulated me, the prospect of exploring the questions that arise from that. What does it mean to give your heart to others? How do we experience this? Are we brave enough to do it? These kinds of questions. »
With the omnipotent LifeZap application, the film obviously makes fun of the omnipresence of the most diverse applications in our lives. The phenomenon is amplified in the film, but overall hardly exaggerated. And then, don’t we now live in smart homes, and haven’t we recently had artificial intelligence write for us (note that this text was written by a human)?
“It’s amazing how reality has caught up with many of Julia’s ideas that, at the time of the play’s creation in 2011-2012, seemed completely revolutionary. For example, in the play, George’s mother uses an app called Google Shrink [qu’on pourrait traduire par Google Psy]. Fast forward a few years later, and with the pandemic, virtual medical consultations have become commonplace,” notes Kim Albright.
Mix tones
Concerning George’s mother, this character gains importance towards the end of the second act of the film. This is not trivial.
“Yes, I mentioned George’s mother, but there is also Anabel’s mother, who occupies a decisive place in the story. This theme, motherhood, was little discussed when discussing the film, but it is very important to me — I have two children myself. How we raise our children, how we sometimes overprotect them, or how we can harm them without meaning to, and how we do our best as a parent: I think about that constantly. And also to this observation that, sometimes, we “become” our parents, as we grow up…”
In the film, apart from the relationship between Anabel and George, we also explore the one, characterized by absence, between the first and her mother, as well as the stifling one, between the second and hers. All this, in a fanciful context.
In this regard, the tone fluctuates readily: perky or dark humor, surprisingly poignant drama, as much as a half-sad, half-happy in-between.
“Already in my short films, I liked to mix tones. In the film, however, I really tried to anchor the action in a world that remains recognizable: we shot in Vancouver, in February, when it was gray and rainy, and it is in the film, as what. Because it’s reality. And because, thanks to this addition of “reality”, I could allow myself to have fun without losing the spectators. »
The film With Love and a Major Organ hits theaters on April 12.