Cannes 2010: Interview with Writer/Director Alicia Duffy (All Good Children)

Meant to offer reprieve from the loss of their mother, a summer vacation in the French countryside speeds up the awkward childhood to teenage-hood morphing process for one crystal-eyed twelve year-old (Jack Gleeson), but everything that follows this boy’s first kiss with a cute red-head (newbie Imogen Jones) is a clear indication that the forest isn’t always the best of sanctuaries and that male-female rapport and attraction is transitory for some and made more complex for others. When emotions swell up towards toxic, uncontrollable levels, this adaptation inspired by Sam Taylor’s The Republic of Trees, takes on Charlie Brown parentless world meets a Lord of the Flies type conclusion.

Moving from a child’s fantasy world and then embracing the bleak prospects of longing and isolation, Alicia Duffy’s Director’s Fortnight selected feature debut All Good Children, actually marks a return to the Cannes Film Festival for the filmmaker, she debuted her short film The Most Beautiful Man in the World (see here) back in 2003. We were there covering the film’s premiere night.

In our interview with Duffy, we discuss how she loosely followed the template found in the book, the visual strategies (wonderfully executed by her Cinematographer Nanu Segal of Donkey Punch fame) and we briefly touch upon the location and casting decisions. Apologies for the quality of the audio.