Kelly Apter

Van Dormael. “In the show there are seven very stupid ways of dying – an allergy to mashed potato, that kind of thing. So at the beginning, we pretend that the audience has been hypnotised so everybody can die seven times and come back without harm.

“But just at the very last moment, what do these characters remember? It’s not the day they got their degree or became famous or anything like that, it’s the little things like the smell of fruit or the caress of skin – sensual things that are probably the most important things you can remember, but you’re not aware of that until you’re about to die.”

Both born and based in Belgium, Van Dormael and De May had tried previously to combine artforms but to no avail – as Van Dormael says: “for me it’s impossible to film dance on stage, because when I make a wide shot I don’t see the face, and when I see the face I forget the body.” Working on this very special cinematic project, however, has been something of a revelation for the couple.

“At the beginning it was not easy at all,” says Van Dormael. “You can imagine, working with the person you love can be hard. But then it became really interesting – it was like seeing the reverse side of the moon. I hadn’t realised that by working with Michèle Anne, I could discover things about her that I didn’t know, even though we have lived together for a long time. And, of course, it’s much more fun to travel together and not be alone in a hotel room while she is alone in another city, in another hotel room.”