Since the success of her sophomore feature, Happening, eyes have been on director Audrey Diwan on what she is doing next. It didn’t take long for curiosity to turn into intrigue given that her next filmmaking project is about Emmanuelle. The titular character by Emmanuelle Arsan from the 1967 novel spun many movies including the cult 1973 classic of the same name starring Sylvia Kristel. But Audrey Diwan’s Emmanuelle is different, as she reveals in this interview. “It’s not another version,” she corrects me (and everyone who thinks it is). Emmanuelle also marks the English-language debut of director Audrey Diwan as she sets her sights on Hong Kong.
The reimagined Emmanuelle follows the infamous character played by Noemie Merlant on a work slash self-discovery trip to Hong Kong. On paper, she is there to inspect a new hotel during its test run. But in reality, it is a woman unexpectedly finding what she lost — through the help of the mysterious Kei (played by Will Sharpe). For this retelling, director Audrey Diwan had free reign in her process. For one, the film is set in a luxury hotel in Hong Kong — eagle-eyed viewers will be able to tell it’s The St. Regis Hong Kong. Compared to the soft prono-inflicted film adaptation by Just Jaeckins, Audrey Diwan’s take edges more towards eroticism and the female gaze. She also touched upon the themes of loneliness and female desire. It is a film starring a woman, made by a woman, in the eyes of a woman.
The French director is no stranger to focusing on the experiences of women, given her Golden Lion-winning film Happening did just that. In addition to directing, she is also a screenwriter, having written for films such as The Connection, The Man with the Iron Heart, and Just the Two of Us. Emmanuelle is the latest in her portfolio and marks her return to the director’s chair in three years. Ahead of the film’s screening in Hong Kong, Lifestyle Asia sat down with the director — in the same hotel where the film takes place — to talk about her choice to set the film in the city. Director Audrey Diwan also opens up about what makes her Emmanuelle different and what she wants to explore in her “retelling” of the character.
Director Audrey Diwan opens up about her Hong Kong-set film, Emmanuelle
When you were thinking of where to set the movie, was Hong Kong your first choice?
Yes, right from the start. I learned about Hong Kong from films, especially from Wong Kar-wai but also through my screenwriter Rebecca Zlotowski who is also a very good filmmaker. She has already been to Hong Kong so she encouraged me to get to know the city. But because of COVID-19, I couldn’t visit for a very long time. I couldn’t wait but once I was able to visit, I was so happy.
What were your first impressions of Hong Kong?
I knew the city from films and I think that what drove me to it was that it felt special. I had an intuition and sometimes, intuition is the most important thing to follow as an artist. At first, I was surprised by the city. You need time to understand a place and for Hong Kong, there are two dimensions. There are the high buildings and the rooftops, which is essentially a global vision of the city. I really wanted to put that in the film. But you also have aspects on the ground like the sensations you feel. And I wanted a movie that is told through sensations, aspects you can feel through the body. I simply felt that in Hong Kong. It’s not just about its visual image but the music, the scent, and even the humidity. So, I wanted to depict all these sensations because I love movies when they don’t only work with just the visual aspect but they can engage you in an experience.
Can you tell us more about your filming experience in Hong Kong? Did it go as you expected?
I really didn’t expect anything because you never know how it will all turn out. Even when I’m filming in my country, I never know how it’s gonna go. Normally, things never come from where you think they are gonna go. It’s always unexpected. During the first day of filming, we were supposed to shoot in the hotel depicting a typhoon in the film. So, we tried to recreate a fake typhoon. But as it turned out, we had a real typhoon so we couldn’t really film. In the end, we watched the real typhoon in order to do a fake one the next day. It was interesting to see how it happened. I really appreciated the connection between the French and Hong Kong crew. We had a strong understanding which is something you’ll never know if you’re going to get or not.
Director Audrey Diwan shares her vision behind Emmanuelle
Why is now a good time to revisit Emmanuelle as a character?
I had two questions that I wanted to explore. First, how can we use eroticism as a cinematic language? To me, it meant using the idea of beauty which is very different from pornography. I want something that is very beautiful and the opposite of provocation. Can I restrain the frame and have people imagine what is off-screen? I approached it as a collaborative process with the audience. Next, I wanted to see if we can make a movie about female pleasure nowadays. Am I able to explain the desire behind that and how we achieve it? But most importantly, what is pleasure and what does it mean in our society? I wanted it to be more than just about the body so I was ready to make this film not as a film but more of an experience. The viewers can put themselves in Emmanuelle’s head, in her body, walking with her in the hotel — that was what I was looking for.
I’m interested in what you said about female pleasure because there are different ways to define it, especially in the context of the movie. What was your approach to making it a universal theme?
What I’m showing is a person who is very lonely for many reasons, one of which is because she travels all the time. And in any place, especially one like Hong Kong, people come and go. I want to explore what it means to make connections with people when one spends so much time abroad, especially in short periods of time. We are surrounded by people but do we really ask questions in order to know who is the other person? In hotels, it happens quite often that we meet people but the conversations are artificial. Things like, “What do you do for a living?” and exchange a few words. So, the loneliness is even more apparent if you don’t dive into a real, meaningful conversation. That is also why I created Kei’s character. Emmanuelle is chasing this person because, in a way, she longs for a real connection but they don’t almost talk at all.
What do you think of the character of Emmanuelle? What will make her appeal to viewers?
She is a lonely person because she is scared. She doesn’t come from a wealthy background so she is afraid to be misunderstood and to be thrown away. That is what prevents her from knowing other people as she might not be enough for them. But that is more of a societal problem. In France, women are told all the time that they need to succeed, to be beautiful, and to be happy so that they can enjoy life. All that need would make anyone, Emmanuelle and myself included, feel breathless.
Tell us more about the casting process for the roles of Emmanuelle and Kei. Were you looking for anything in particular?
I always put very intimate thoughts in my movies. So, I looked for an intense connection for the person who will Emanuelle. It is almost like love at first sight so I can be sure that there is a common understanding between us. I want to give the actors as much freedom as I can, but only if I’m sure we’re looking for the same thing. So, less than an hour after meeting Noemie Merlant, I asked her if she wanted to play Emmanuelle. For Noemie, she can do two things even within the same second — she can be cold as ice and create distance but when she smiles suddenly, the world changes around her. So, she knows how to put on a warm and cold person. Plus, she is a director too so that helped.
Will Sharpe is also a writer and a director so it was interesting to have them both around me. For Will, I loved him in The White Lotus. But his character there is different than the one in my movie. Kei is mysterious but also sexy in a way. I had a long discussion with my casting director in the US and she told me to meet him because he loved the character. Kei has a taste for performance but is subtle about it and can switch up his identity. So, when I talked to Will, he also mentioned his Japanese side and he wanted to show that part of him. Will has a different sense of masculinity, almost deep but also soft. It is well-balanced and is reflected in the way he looks at the world. That makes him a great match for the film.
Audrey Diwan talks about her love for directing and screenwriting
You’re a director but also a screenwriter. Can you tell us more about putting on those two different hats?
They are absolutely different from each other but in my life, I need both. As a writer, I love being in silent places to write or maybe just to spend time with the filmmaker. I read a lot and watch a lot of movies so it is very nourishing, which is why I like to work for others. I also get to discover other people’s worlds. As a director, I need some action and I love being on set and experiencing collective moments. So, I love doing both of them.
Whether as a director or screenwriter, a lot of the projects you worked on were based on books. Do you have a certain affinity for adapting books into movies?
It is because my first love is literature. I used to write novels and I was a publisher so for me, when I wanted to create images in my mind, it was through books. When you read, you craft your own world, almost like your own movie. Now that I’m a filmmaker, I still read all the time and I would think about the images in my head and how I can create those images.
What do you hope audiences in Hong Kong will take away from Emmanuelle?
I hope they will like my vision of the city. I do realise that I’m a tourist when I’m here, but I look at the city with the eyes of a woman who is a tourist as well. So, I hope they will appreciate it and they wouldn’t think I betrayed the identity of the city.
Emmanuelle is screening in Hong Kong cinemas starting February 6, 2025
Watch the trailer of Emmanuelle by Audrey Diwan below.
(Featured and Hero Image credit: A Really Happy Film)
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
