Pierre Schoeller, director of “The Minister” (L’exercice de l’état), spent seven years gathering material to write the screenplay for his film. The director also consulted political and social affairs advisers. Fascinated by photography, he collected three hundred photographs of politicians, which he later transferred to the screen. The opening scene, in which a naked woman crawls into a crocodile’s jaws, was inspired by Helmut Newton’s photograph “The Legend of Virginity” (Crocodile Eating Ballerina).
In an interview with Stopklatka.pl, the director admitted that he sees something special, and sometimes demonic, in politicians. This makes observing and filming them, watching how their moods change, particularly interesting. “They also shed a tear, sweat and bleed. So when we look at a politician through their perspective, a common language emerges between us and them,” Schoeller told Stopklatka.pl.
The Minister is a political thriller depicting the mechanisms of power and politics. The film’s screenplay is based on two extensive plotlines: the tragedy of a man who must confront the logic defining the government’s goals and actions, and the story of unstable behind-the-scenes games and alliances that prove stronger than the ideas politicians proclaim for the media.
The film received numerous awards and distinctions, including the FIPRESCI award (International Federation of Film Critics) at the Cannes Film Festival and nine César nominations in every category. This year’s French presidential election will certainly provide a special context for the film, with the final round taking place on Sunday, 6 May.
The film will be screened from Friday (4 May) through Thursday (10 May).
(information: Grażyna Hanaf)
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