Interview with Nicolas Cazalé from Le Grand Voyage

Interview with Nicolas Cazalé.

In a few words, how would you describe the movie?
To me it is essentially about a father and son who have become distant, and because they find themselves locked within two square meters for a couple of weeks, they cannot do anything but get closer. It is a deeply human movie addressing everyone. Do you identify with Réda?
I think the movie deals with the father/son relationship in a universal way, not only in an Arab or Muslim context. I think what Ismaël Ferroukhi is so good at showing is that there always comes a point where you have to settle accounts – indeed by not saying things you can create misunderstandings that may have disastrous consequences. So I completely relate to the confrontation with the father as I see it as an essential step in enabling you to go forward and find your own way. Did your vision of the character change between the moment you read the scenario and the end of the shooting?
No it did not and that is what is marvellous. As soon as I finished reading the script I started crying without knowing what had moved me so much and this feeling was still there, intact, during the shooting. The emotion is found more in the silences than in the dialogues, that is what I found most disturbing, but that is also the beauty of it. Do you understand the father’s attitude towards his son?
They are in conflict because neither one is ready to understand the other: on the one hand Réda does not understand why the journey means so much to his dad and on the other the father makes no effort to try and understand his son who, though of Arab descent, was born in France and lives amongst French people. You and Mohamed Majd were enclosed in a car for most of the film. Did you find it difficult?
Had I not got on so well with Mohamed, I think it would have been very hard. In fact we already knew each other as we had worked together on Gaël Morel’s Les Chemins de l’Oued, so we took advantage of these long moments together to strengthen our friendship. We discovered more about each other and I feel like I have learnt a lot from him. Had you ever personally experienced such cultural differences and conflict of generation?
In a sense I had. I am a country boy and when I found myself in Paris, for the love of this job, I really felt uprooted, far away from my usual surroundings. Also, my grand mother is Algerian. How does Ismaël Ferroukhi work?
He is someone who can rapidly adapt to the hardest situations. Above all he works with his heart, without any calculation or premeditation. He fills us, the actors, with emotion and asks us to pass that through the camera. We did not even have to spend hours discussing the characters’ psychology. The emotion he wanted to convey through me was so powerful that I could feel it without him having to tell me about it. Between Mohamed, Ismaël and I words were barely needed. At the end of the shoot I said to myself that the film had allowed me to make an actor’s dream come true and that my career could almost stop there. Is there a specific memory you want to keep from the shoot?
One night Ismaël wanted to shoot a moon crescent in the sky. As it happened it was a full moon that night. Yet as he was about to shoot, a cloud came out and drew a wonderful crescent shape on the moon: it was magic! How did you feel among the Mecca pilgrims?
I could feel both an extraordinary energy and love, as if I could really hear Islam’s heart beat. You realize that this religion is made of love and care for the others. I am happy I took part in this movie because it shows Islam in a way that has nothing to do with the image the media convey. Did you find out things you did not know about Islam?
Absolutely. Reading the Koran I notably realized that Islam is a very federative religion: the human being is the centre of things and care for the others is essential. It teaches love and not hatred as is too often heard. The texts say that if one is hurt, one can take revenge, but it is even better if one can forgive. Le Grand Voyage will be released in the UK on October 14th. Access media from Le Grand Voyage.

And Also

The Decade: Film's 10 Best Music Moments In The Aughts

The Decade: Film's 10 Best Music Moments In The Aughts - Cinema Blend
Acer applauds Windows 7 for spurring hardware sales - The Tech Herald
Paula Abdul Gets Her Pooches Painted - PopEater
Chris Rock interview, Sons of Anarchy and Woody Allen shout out for 'Madagascar' star

Your Talkback on this Story

Latest Headlines in Movies

Older Talkback

page: 1

DorotheaOct 4th, 2005 - 06:05:54

I have just seen this film at the Vancouver International Film Festival. It moved me very much. I love road movies anyway, but this one showed me a part of the world (Eastern Europe, Saudi Arabia) that I know very little about. The scenes in the desert were stunning, and the muted colors throughout made the film very natural looking. The close ups were remarkably poignant, I got to love the face of Nicolas Cazale, so sensitive and expressive (brooding, a bit like a young Richard Gere)and the stern expression of the older actor. Gripping story! I noticed that the audience was very quiet, spellbound. The end was predictable, but I did not mind. There was a lot of meaning in this journey, for both protagonists, which was satisfying. What I love most about road movies (Paris, Texas; The Motorcycle Diaries): the parallels to anybody's journey and life story since we are all on the road somewhere...

Report this comment

The catOct 2nd, 2008 - 19:21:34

I saw the movie.
I love Cazalé.

Report this comment

HusniyaJul 11th, 2009 - 15:50:38

I love the movie, it's beautiful one. So many good lessons get from it. It shows some real facts about my religion..good job :)

Report this comment

page: 1

Movies

Movies Features

Interview with Nicolas Cazalé from Le Grand Voyage

And Also

Your Talkback on this Story

Similar articles

Latest Headlines in Movies

Older Talkback

Le Grand Voyage

Related Articles

External Links

From Sites we Like

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print