Denis Villeneuve on ‘Arrival,’ ‘Blade Runner’ and the difficulties of sci-fi

By Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press

TORONTO – Quebec director Denis Villeneuve says he grew up dreaming about space.

European sci-fi comic books from the likes of Jean Giraud, Enki Bilal and Philippe Druillet had a big influence on his childhood, as did the films “Star Wars,” “Blade Runner,” “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Alien.”

Over two decades into his career, Villeneuve is finally tackling sci-fi himself, with the Quebec-shot aliens-have-landed tale “Arrival,” in theatres Friday, and an ambitious “Blade Runner” sequel due out next year.

The 49-year-old calls himself “part of the ‘Star Wars’ generation,” noting he was 10 when the first film hit theatres and he “was the perfect target audience.”

“There was a boom in science fiction and we were under the massive spell,” said the filmmaker, who has captured Hollywood’s attention with “Prisoners,” “Enemy” and “Sicario.”

“I still remember vividly the first time I saw images from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ the emotion I had where I had the impression to be in contact with something that was bigger, that my father would not be able to explain to me — something that was mysterious, very evocative, strongly poetic and that would create a vertigo inside of me because of the fear of the unknown.

“The movie that was most able to express that vertigo feeling was ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’ I would love to be able to create the vertigo one day in a movie, the fear of the unknown. It’s very powerful. It’s my favourite movie of all time.”

But it hasn’t been an easy transition from dramas to sci-fi for Villeneuve.

Shooting the “Blade Runner” sequel — with its all-star cast including Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Robin Wright, and Jared Leto — has been “intense and rewarding” and “a long journey,” he said.

“I’ve never worked that hard — never,” he said by phone from Budapest, where he’d been shooting “Blade Runner 2040” for several months.

“It’s very different for me, by far the most difficult genre that I’ve approached so far. It’s very difficult to do science fiction. I thought that I would be free and that I would feel a relief because I would have the freedom because of the genre, and it’s the opposite. It’s so difficult to do but I’ve had a lot of fun.”

“Arrival” received praise from critics at the Toronto International Film Festival for its visceral look at the world’s reaction to the arrival of 12 giant, half moon-shaped alien spacecraft. Amy Adams stars as a linguistics expert who tries to figure out the aliens’ language and their purpose on Earth.

It tooks months of consulting with artist Carlos Huante to craft the squid-like look of the aliens.

“At the beginning I was very excited and very quickly the gift became a nightmare because you realize that everything has been done,” he said.

“It’s very difficult to create a being that is fresh, original.”

Villeneuve wanted something with a strong presence, like a whale, and a Grim Reaper shape to represent death.

He also imagined something “far away from any human conception” but a look that also circled back to our evolutionary fish roots.

Overall, Villeneuve wanted to bring a sense of intimacy to the film, which explores how intuition, instinct and humility help communication.

“The problem with communication is there’s something about narcissism right now where people express themselves but not a lot of people are listening,” said Villeneuve.

“That form of narcissism, I think it’s something that is not proper for human evolution. I think we need to go back to something a little bit more where people are more listening than trying to shout louder than the other.

“I would say definitely we live in a narcissistic era with narcissistic leaders. What’s happening in the (U.S.) right now is more relevant than ever.”

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