Julie Delpy, science-fiction filmmaker?
“My Zoe” creator refuses to let others pigeonhole her
“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” said a flustered Julie Delpy, who was a few minutes late for a video interview. “My son is doing online school, and there is always something complicated to sort out.” She paused and took a breath. “But it’s nice, too, having this time together.”
Motherhood, its deep pulls of love and its concomitant potential for terror, is the central subject of Delpy’s new film, “My Zoe.” It’s a tough depiction of an antagonistic, divorcing couple who are struck by tragedy, but then (spoiler alert!)
moves into futuristic terrain as Delpy’s character, Isabelle, a geneticist, searches for a radical solution: cloning the child she has lost with the help of a controversial fertility doctor, played by Daniel Brühl.
It’s probably not the kind of film that mainstream audiences associate
with Delpy, 51, who may be best known for the Richard Linklater romantic-comedy trio “Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset” and “Before Midnight.” In those movies, spaced nine years apart, she played Celine, a strong, flawed heroine at the center of a compelling and equally flawed romance with
Jesse, played by Ethan Hawke. (She also co-wrote the films, earning two Oscar adapted-screenplay nominations alongside Linklater and Hawke.)
In an interview from her Los Angeles home last week, she talked about the genesis of “My Zoe,” the ethical questions around cloning and whether conditions for female movie directors have improved. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.
Q: What made you take on a subject and a genre so different from YOUR previous films?
A: The story of “My Zoe” comes from a few different places. I was witness to a terrible accident with a child who died at my school and to the grief of the parents. And then being a parent yourself, you always think about this and fear it. But I think I had the idea even before that. I remember talking to (Krzysztof ) Kieslowski when we were making “Three Colors: White” and discussing the idea of fate, and whether you could change things. Q: You divide the film into three parts, and the first shows the grim realities of divorce. Why was it important to you to set up the story in that way?
A: I was writing the film in the middle of a separation and sorting out custody of our kid, and it was important to me to have the first act be all about that horrible stuff, because I wanted to show how people forget ... the well-being of the child. The second part, after Zoe’s accident, is less familiar to most of us but still grounded in reality, and then we move into the third part, to events that are a possibility in the near future if not now. I didn’t want to be judgmental about Isabelle’s actions, just show her point of view. I am not saying that cloning is a good thing, but let’s not blind ourselves: When (in vitro fertilization) was first done, people called it evil, and now they don’t think twice. For me, it’s an allegory of what people are capable of doing.
Q: You’ve been outspoken about the difficulties facing female filmmakers. Do you think things have improved in the last few years?
A: I am happy to say things have improved. Now I feel I’m at the same level as male directors, and probably have almost the same opportunities.