A Moment Of Realization: Pier-Philippe Chevigny On His Short "Rebel"
Pier-Philippe Chevigny is a filmmaker from Montreal, Quebec. His films share a common signature, combining sociopolitical subject matter with suspenseful writing and intense, often frantic camerawork. For the past few years, his short films have received international attention, with Tala and Vétérane. His latest film, Rebel, was inspired by true events and has also been making its mark on the film world.
Alex, a six-year-old boy from Quebec, is oblivious to the thousands of refugees entering Canada illegally to avoid deportation. Yet when his father takes him along to a vigilante patrol in the woods to hunt out trespassing migrants, something inside him tells him to rebel.
The film has been selected for numerous world-class festivals including TIFF, Busan, Regard, Namur, and Vladivostok. It’s also won numerous awards including the Audience Awards at DC Shorts, Best Short Film Award at the Tirana International Film Festival, and the Golden Spike Award for Best Short Film at the Social World Film Festival. We had the pleasure of chatting with Pier-Philippe about his film, its origins, shooting in long takes, right-wing extremism, and much much more!
How did the concept for Rebel originate?
All of my films are inspired by real-life social issues. I'm continuously researching, reading, meeting people about various subjects, and once in a while, I get an idea for a fictional story inspired by that research. Rebel came about inspired by the research I was making on the recent rise of right-wing extremism in Quebec. Historically, Quebec has been always been a very left-leaning state, or at least for the last 60 years or so anyways. But in 2017, the US government suspended the Temporary Protected Status, which allowed migrants to live and work in the US while awaiting for their refugee status to be confirmed. Suddenly fearing deportation, tens of thousands of migrants started fleeing the country, most of whom decided to try their chance in Canada. And between 2017 and 2020, an estimated 40 000 people crossed the border into Quebec "illegally," by just walking across the border through a forested area. This, in turn, has lit the fire of right-wing extremism: something we never saw before. All of a sudden, several militia groups — like La Meute, Soldiers of Odin, Storm Alliance — started popping up. They had a very anti-immigration agenda, organized protests at the border, did patrols in multicultural neighborhoods to "protect citizens"...
The specific idea for Rebel came on the day after a big demonstration in Quebec city. One of the newspapers had for its front page a picture of a young boy holding a flag with La Meute's logo on it. I thought to myself: "that kid has no clue what this is all about, he is just following his parents." I began writing the script for Rebel with the intention of showing the moment where an indoctrinated kid would come to understand what it's all about... That "moment of realization" became the whole concept, and every choice I've made was done with the intention of having the viewer experience that moment at the same time as the boy.
Edouard B. Larocque is just adorable and brings a lot of gravitas to the role, which is impressive given how young he is. How did you discover him?
Working with child actors is always a challenge. The thing about young actors is you can tell right away whether they're really enthusiastic about acting or if it's just their parents pushing them. So we auditioned over 40 boys, but when Edouard stepped into the room, we knew right away he was genuinely enjoying himself. Even if a child is talented, at six years old, you know it's always going to involve a lot of work, and so finding a talented kid was important, but finding one who was enjoying it was absolutely crucial. I knew that by shooting most of the scenes in long takes, I would need to do a lot of takes, and so I needed an actor who didn't mind doing it several times to make sure we got everything right! And Edouard was that: he was immensely talented even though he had virtually no experience, but he really took it seriously and wanted to work, because he enjoyed it!
The scene where little Alex is rocking out in the car with his dad gave us a lot of joy. Was there a scene in the film that you were excited to shoot or that brought you joy as a filmmaker?
The scene you are referring to was actually somewhat stressful because it was technically a stunt! Edouard needed to be standing up on the backseat while his father was driving pretty fast through the woods. Edouard is actually wearing a harness that's hidden under his clothes! I'm glad with the way it turned out, but it was a stressful one to shoot and we had very little time to do it.
One scene I'm really happy about is the one we ended using for our teaser, when the father comes back to get his son and they all take a picture. I was really looking forward to shooting that one in particular because it's kind of the emotional climax of the film. It has a pretty big choreography, and I'm just really happy with the way it turned out.
What's your approach to shooting a scene? How do you prepare and nail down the logistics?
Since most of the scenes are shot in long takes with a very nervous handheld camera and lots of action in the background, everything needed to be choreographed. We had so little time to shoot'; I really needed to know how each scene was going to be shot before I got on set. So what I'd usually do was try to get access to the location as early as I could during preproduction. I’d get there on my own with my producer, or an assistant, and my little Blackmagic camera... And I'd literally shoot a demo of the scene, where I handle the camera and ask whomever's with me to act out the parts! That way, when I got to rehearsals with the actors and the cinematographer, everybody had the chance to watch the scene in advance and we had a very solid plan to work on.
How did you and cinematographer Gabriel Brault-Tardif arrive on the film’s aesthetics?
Rebel's visual style is the continuation of my earlier short films Tala and Vétérane (the latter of which was also shot by Gabriel). To me, framing is everything. Even during the scriptwriting process, I have very clear ideas of how to shoot and where to put the camera. I wanted the viewer to feel very close to the character: not being in his place, but rather being by his side, so that you feel empathy for him, much in the same way that you would when you're around a friend going through something difficult. I want the viewer to feel almost responsible for the character. And so the camera needs to be physically very close to Alex. I also use long takes because I want the viewer to feel like the action is happening right now, in real-time. It creates a sense of immersion that, in my opinion, enhances the drama.
So I'm very precise about the framing I want. Gabriel, on the other hand, is a master camera operator, really well known in the local industry for his over-the-shoulder camera work. A lot of people came to me after screenings convinced we shot it all in Steadicam... But no, it's all handheld! Gabriel uses an EasyRig, just to take the weight off his arms, but he doesn't use any stabilization, he's just incredibly steady! So we can have these long tracking shots that are beautiful and stable, yet at the same time that also feel very human and imperfect.
What drew you to the visual arts? How did you get into directing?
I always loved movies as a kid. I knew I wanted to make films for as long as I can remember. But my background as an activist really shaped the type of films I make. I'm really sensitive about social issues; I'm sometimes obsessed with politics, and I try to make films that will spark discussions and raise awareness... but that can also be entertaining at the same time. Those two attitudes sometimes seem contradictory, but I try really hard to make films that provide a powerful emotional experience while keeping relevant with what's going on in the world.
What films or filmmakers have inspired you, your style, or your approach to telling a story?
I think the Dardenne brothers are probably the ones that have had the most obvious impact on what I do. But Quebec Cinéma direct from the 60's and 70's were also instrumental in shaping my creative process. They were created at a time when film was used first and foremost as a tool for political and social change. Ever since the mid-90's, Quebec filmmakers have turned their backs on politics and social issues, and their stories have become increasingly focused on personal and intimate matters. I long for Quebec cinema to return to that type of subversive filmmaking. It's definitely something I think about when I start a new project.
What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
I tried very hard to leave the audience with a glimmer of hope. I think the ending is open to interpretation, but I really wanted to end on a hopeful note. I personally believe that my generation is much more sensitive to issues of social justice that our parents were, and I can only see our kids being more and more progressive, so I have confidence that the tornado of hate that we've been hit by in the last few years is on its decline.
Do you have any future projects in the works that you can share with us?
I'm really happy to say that SODEC film fund in Quebec has recently greenlit my first feature film project Richelieu, which we should be shooting next summer, COVID-permitting. It's a project that we had the chance to develop at the TIFF Filmmaker Lab, and that was part of the Berlinale Co-Production Market and is now doing GFFF at Los Cabos. It's about the exploitation of Guatemalan workers in Quebec. It's based on a real story, and it's very much a continuation of the same process we were working with on Rebel. Can't wait to get working on it!
What do you think? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well!