La película francesa Gagarine se ha presentado en el Festival de Sevilla como una original fusión de fantasía espacial y crónica de resistencia social
Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh make their debut in the full-length film field with Gagarine, a title that is part of the Official Section at the Seville European Film Festival being also one of the films nominated for the European Film Awards. It tells the story of a young man with an astronaut's vocation (Yuri) who is forced to defend the apartment complex, where he has lived all his life, from demolition. The story is inspired by the real building that gives its name to the feature film, which the filmmakers met upon their arrival in Paris. "That red brick building was like a spaceship", explained Liatard. "We arrived to film a documentary and we fell in love with this neighbourhood that was going to disappear. It was the last years of his life and we wanted to share something with the people of the neighborhood, from an associative point of view. That's why they are in the film, in front of and behind the camera".
In fact, the film features a hybrid cast that brings together professional and amateur actors, people from the area itself. However, the importance of the Gagarine Towers, which have become the protagonists of this story about the conquest of space, in this case architectural, is just as important as the characters. "We traveled around this area for years, being able to explore even the smallest corner. The idea of transforming it into a ship comes from what is happening in Yuri's head", commented Liatard. For her partner in the direction, the film has represented a challenge "between the dreamlike and the realism. Yuri is the heir and hero of all that space, and he has to progressively take refuge in his imagination as the neighborhood is in danger. That's why the fantastic element is in crescendo".
In this shift towards science fiction cinema, they were inspired by classic titles ranging from Solaris to Blade Runner, working hard on the use of light in order to have a different vision of reality. "The goal was to transform that real scenario with touches of magic. We wanted to situate photography between the lightness and the collapse to which it is subjected," said Trouilh, who also mentioned the work of Léos Carax as an influence on this project. "We love his way of observing the city, the bodies, that gaze that is capable of putting distance with reality".
An approach to the genres that contrasts with the social aspect of Gagarine, also very present in the setting of this Parisian suburb. The couple of directors, who began studying political science together and, after several trips and artistic experiences, dedicated themselves to film, give a humanist vision in this story of resistance to the disintegration of community life. "We wanted to give a different approach to the one that is so widespread in France about these neighborhoods, based on stereotypes of violence and drugs," says Liatard. "Yuri is sending out an SOS on these kinds of areas, he embodies the youth who want to seek a future and go further than they think they are destined to".