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Your first feature film
Devils in Disguise
has recently been released on Prime Video - so in a few words, what's it
about?
This is the story of two roommates, Leila and Sandy, that team up to kill
Leila's sadistic boyfriend. This was my first ever feature. Made
for almost nothing, except a lot of blood and sweat. With
Devils in Disguise
taking very direct inspiration from Henri-Georges Cluzot's classic Les
Diaboliques, what fascinated you about that movie that you wanted to
rework it?
It is just a masterpiece.
Everything about it works. We tend to think that people in the
past were less inclined to manipulation. Modern societies always
feel smarter than the precedent. If you can consider manipulation
as a somewhat form of intelligence. This film is from 1955.
Henri-Georges Clouzot delivers a masterclass of manipulation and
filmmaking. Hitchcock himself wanted to adapt this book, but
Clouzot snatched the rights. Hitchcock went on to direct
Psycho
(1960), which was very much inspired by Les Diaboliques.
Other sources of inspiration when
writing
Devils in Disguise?
I was very inspired by Robert Rodriguez' book Rebel Without a Crew, and by all these filmmakers
that made their first films on the cheap: Darren Aronofsky (Pi),
Kevin Smith (Clerks), Shane Carruth (Primer), Robert Rodriguez (El
Mariachi), Tom DiCillo (Living in Oblivion), Christopher Nolan
(Following), Roger Corman [Roger
Corman bio - click here], The Polish Brothers (For Lovers Only).
Do talk about
Devils in Disguise's
approach to the thriller genre?
I approached
the thriller genre with psychological restraint. The tension
builds not through action but through atmosphere, suspicion, and
moral ambiguity. The horror is slow, creeping, rooted in guilt,
betrayal, and the erosion of trust. What makes it so powerful is
its control - every frame, every silence, every glance is loaded
with doubt. It doesn’t rely on spectacle but on what’s hidden both
literally and emotionally. The thriller becomes a chamber of
secrets, where fear grows from what characters don’t say. It’s all
about suggestions. What can you tell
us about your overall directorial approach to your story at hand?
Like in Jaws, I’m fascinated by fear that builds in absence: we
rarely see the “monster”, but we feel the lurking unseen threat
everywhere. I use framing, silence, sounds and restrained pacing
to let the audience’s imagination work because what we project is
often more terrifying than what’s revealed.
You also appear in front of the camera in
Devils in Disguise
- so what can you tell us about your character, what did you draw upon to
bring him to life, and have you written Alain with yourself in mind from
the get-go?
I play Alain, a real asshole. Or
is he? I wrote this role for myself as I didn't have a choice. I
made the film with what I could get... and I could get myself. The
beauty of acting in the film you direct is that you feed two
persons for the price of one. I made sure - SPOILER ALERT - to die
early to have enough time to focus on directing the film.
Do talk about the rest of
Devils in Disguise's
cast, and why exactly these people?
I wrote the role of Leila with
Magen Mattox in mind. I saw her previous films and knew she could
pull it off perfectly. We then made castings all over Los Angeles
to find the actress for the role of Sandy. And when Montanna
Gillis read for the role, it obviously had to be her.
A few words
about the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? We had an extremely tight schedule,
11 days. And 11 days is not much when you have a 90 page
screenplay (the film is 88 minutes). Moreover, there was a minimal
crew, myself as the director/director of photography, a sound guy
and my friend Tad Brown, who also acts in the film, that would
hold the camera while I was on screen. A tight schedule, no money
and no crew situation is very liberating as you can go very fast
(and not have many people to feed), adapt yourself, improvise, but
it can also create tensions. It's all about juggling everybody's
emotions.
So how did the release of
Devils in Disguise
10 years after it being finished come into being?
I managed to get my second feature film
Whenever I'm Alone With You (France, 2023), a punk
Godardian anti-romantic comedy, distributed by Prime Video (and
soon on Tubi) after world-premiering at the Oldenburg
International Film Festival and winning 25 awards worldwide. Then
I thought it was a good time for
Devils in Disguise to be seen
by the world. A ten years hibernation period felt long enough.
Some films are like wine.
Anything you can tell us about audience and critical reception of
Devils in Disguise?
I am getting a lot of positive
comments. The horror/psychological thriller genre has so many
incredible fans that crave new ways to tell stories. They might be
the best public in the world.
Watching
Devils in Disguise
now, how does it make you yourself feel, and how do you feel you've evolved as a
director since?
I feel proud. Every film you make
is like giving birth and I'm proud of my firstborn. I still think
the shots are really beautiful. I'm still connected to the
characters. I wouldn't have done anything differently. I don't
know if I've evolved. I'm more confident in my abilities to tell
stories, I know my strengths and my weaknesses and when I should
delegate. The stories I want to tell evolved.
Any future projects you'd like to
share? I just came back from
the Raindance Film Festival (London) for the UK premiere of
One-Way Ticket to the Other Side (Belgium,
France, Japan, USA, Canada, Germany, 75 min), a musical anthology of the
Brussels-based cold wave/electro-rock duo Pornographie Exclusive
(Séverine Cayron & Jérôme Vandewattyne), produced by the duo & Torsten
Neuman and executive produced by Deborah Kara Unger (The Game,
Crash). I directed one of their music videos. I was
amongst 10 international directors (Edgar Pera, David Gregory, etc). I am
right now at the end of post production of my third feature The
Silent Sinner (Poland/France, 76 min) with Polish painter
Madeleine Skrzynecka as the lead that was shot between Krakow and
Cannes. It will have its world premiere in one of the best
festivals in the world (to be announced soon). I am right now
adapting my favorite book, High: Confessions of an International
Drug Smuggler, by Brian O'Dea into a mini-series.
Your/your movie's website, social media,
whatever else? You can find me on Instagram: @mojorise
Anything else you're dying to
mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Yes I would like to thank you for
giving a platform to filmmakers like myself.
Thanks
for the interview! Merci Michael
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