"Silent Night" Director Camilla Griffin Adults are so wrong [Director's Interview Vol.262]

Adults are very wrong

Q: The end of the world is depicted in everyday life, but where did the idea originate?

Griffin: My kids have never seen a real war, so they've asked me, "What would happen if there was ever a war?" I said, ``Maybe there will be a nuclear war.'' This was influenced by Raymond Briggs' comic book `` When the Wind Blows, '' which I read when I was a child. This manga is about an elderly couple living in the countryside who face nuclear war, and for two years after reading it, I had trouble sleeping at night. That's how much I was shocked. That was still in the back of my mind, so I mentioned nuclear war, but he jokingly followed up by saying, ``Even if something like that happens, we should all just take sleeping pills and hug each other and go to sleep.'' I woke up. This episode is the origin of this movie.

But it was also true that I was worried about what I would do if war actually broke out, whether I would be able to protect my children, and whether I would be able to hold them properly in the face of death. And there are actually people in the world who are facing this problem.

Q: I also watched the anime “ When the Wind Blows ” when I was a child. Having grown up in a country that suffered from atomic bombings, I can empathize with the fear and anxiety surrounding nuclear war. Now that I'm in a parent's position, I can empathize with that as well.

Griffin: That's right. It is true that Japan was a country that was exposed to radiation. I'm sorry that this has happened. I burst into tears a little. Your story just made me realize this for the first time, but for Japanese people, this movie may give them a lot to think about. In fact, I feel like this movie is better understood in countries other than the UK. On the other hand, I would love to hear from you if there are any memorable lines from Art in the movie.

“Silent Night” © 2020 SN Movie Holdings Ltd

Q: In the scene where Art talks with his parents in the car, Art jumps out and says, "What if that idea turns out to be wrong?" That really left an impression on me. I thought that was exactly right.

Griffin: Adults often exercise authority over children, but adults often get it wrong. For example, my parents have never apologized to their children. I never once said, "I'm sorry. I was wrong." Since they are parents, they have naturally lived longer than me, and they have jobs, homes, and families. I'm an adult so I should have understood, but in my childish mind I thought, "I don't understand at all!" (laughs) So what the art is saying is what I felt when I was a child.

The same can be said for the UK as a whole. You can tell people from the privileged class by their accent, education, occupation, etc., but even though they think they know a lot of things, they actually don't understand at all. This is obvious when you look at the current British government.

Q: Okay, last question. There are many movie titles in this work, but please tell us about the directors and movies that influenced you.

Griffin: My father was an animator, so we used to watch movies together. I especially loved the Indiana Jones series and watched it many times. `` Gandhi '' (1982) also left an impression on me. We were also shown a lot of war movies. I think that's why I wanted nothing more than to be a film director. If I had gotten good grades, I might have wanted to become a doctor or a psychoanalyst, but unfortunately my grades weren't that good. But when I was 10 years old, there was a moment when I thought it would be a good idea to become an actress (lol).

Reserve “Silent Night” now ↓

Director/Screenplay: Camilla Griffin

Aspiring to become a cameraman, he worked on several commercial films from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, and then studied film at Bournemouth Film School in England and The Binger in the Netherlands. He has released short films such as "Confused" (2003), "A Weekend with Eva" (2003), "Say Sorry" (2004), "Feeder" (2005), and "Vincent" (13). These films were screened at numerous international film festivals. This is his first feature-length directorial work. Her husband is Ben Davis, a cinematographer who worked on films such as ``Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' (17) and ``Eternals'' (21). All three of his sons, Roman, Hardy, and Gilby, appear in the film.

Interview and text: Fumio Koda

Editorial staff and writer for CINEMORE. My favorite movies are ``The Goonies'' and ``Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.'' My recent favorites are 4K digitally remastered classics by Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu.

"Silent Night"

November 18th (Friday) Grand Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro and other nationwide releases

Distribution: Aeon Entertainment, Presidio

© 2020 SN Movie Holdings Ltd