CANNES – There is a surprise in Leos Carax’s “Annette” that many will not be expecting. The fact that the press-shy cinematic auteur can pull it off is a credit to his unique skills as a filmmaker. And at the official Cannes Film Festival press conference for the film this morning, he spoke about how the musical’s magical secret came to be.
That being said, despite some reviews already revealing Carax’s choice, we’re going to save the spoiler until the last portion of this report. You’ve been warned. Although if you look close enough in the film’s trailer, it’s already been given away.
Carax was joined on the Cannes dias by stars Marion Cotillard and Simon Helberg, as well as the original creative forces behind the musical, Ron and Russell Mael, also known as Sparks (the film’s other leading actor, Adam Driver, did not attend the press conference). The subject of a new documentary by Edgar Wright currently in theaters (“The Sparks Brothers“), Sparks, first conceived of “Annette” as a narrative album over nine years ago. They expected to stage it for a tour but initially had no aspirations of adapting it into a film. After meeting Carax at Cannes eight years ago, they were delighted to discover he was intrigued with bringing the project to the big screen.
An operatic musical, “Annette,” begins by introducing a burgeoning entertainment power couple, unconventional comedian Henry McHenry (Driver) and pop-opera star Ann Defrasnoux (Cotillard). Getting hitched probably a bit too soon for their own good, Defrasnoux discovers she is pregnant around the same time several women come out publicly about McHenry’s behavior as a sexual and physical abuser. Their daughter, Annette, is born, and eventually, it’s revealed she has a singing voice that rivals her mothers.
Despite not singing in her Oscar-winning role in “La Vie en Rose,” the French icon has sung in other projects. She’s also released several songs over the years, including collaborations with artists such as Franz Ferdinand, among others. That being said, the “live” singing in the film, which occurs during everything from walks in LA parks to sexual encounters, was a whole new world.
“I trained singing [while] moving a lot,” Cotillard admits. “Lying down or walking, running, bending, so that was an interesting way to live the singing. What is amazing that you can explore the little accidents of not being able to breathe or not being able to sing properly, and that was actually interesting.”
Cotillard’s character is loved from afar by her concert pianist (Helberg), a man with dreams of becoming a superstar conductor. Best known for his role on the quintessential 10’s sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” Helberg has shown range in films such as “A Serious Man” and “Florence Foster Jenkins.” Working with the Coen Brothers and Stephen Frears is obviously a thrill for any actor, but Helberg admits being part of a Carax set was something completely different.
“Going to set was kind of like going to church. It felt very profound and quiet and musical. And demanding in a beautiful way,” Helberg says. “Leos would ask me to do certain things that were just impossible sometimes. ‘Lift your hand off while you’re playing, and life your other hands-off.’ ‘You want me to play without my hands?’ You do not want to disappoint your French director, do you?”
After the assembled press laugh, Helberg adds, “I think I got that in an E-mail.”
Even Cotillard, who is no stranger to difficult roles, was constantly caught off guard by Carax’s suggestions.
“Every day was singing while smoking. You cannot imagine how hard it is. You never knew what the day would look like,” Cotillard admits. “You’re on 30 cm heels, and you need to sing on this path and not watching where you go. This was the only one time I said I couldn’t do it. It was not possible. I was so scared I would fall and break my leg. Every day was a surprise, but also so deep that we would do whatever he asked.”
Helberg quips, “‘You want me to sing underwater?’ ‘Yes.'”
The aforementioned wonder in “Annette,” however, is that the character in question is initially represented by a puppet instead of a living, breathing young actress. That was an artistic choice the “Holy Motors” director was fixated on pulling off perfectly.
“I didn’t know how to do this, little girl,” Carax explains. “No to animatronic, no to 3D, no to virtual imagery, and you’re left with a puppet. Nothing wrong’s with puppets, but then you try to meet people. I met two young puppeteers in France. I had tried puppets in LA, and I had tried puppets in Tokyo, but I could never see Annette. But it was with these young puppeteers in France that I could see Annette. I needed to see her and touch her. She couldn’t be in post-production. Then we start to fall in love with this girl. Then we have to find a real little girl. Then you have to find this impossible little girl at four years old who can sing in front of Adam Driver.”
Then, in a moment this journalist has never seen in almost 10 years of covering Cannes, Carax announced, “I need to piss. I’ll be back.”
And he was gone.
“Annette” will open in limited release on Aug. 6. It will be available on Amazon Prime Video on August 20.