I’m not sure what I should say about my intent. This very intent you have in mind when you throw yourself into such an adventure as a film, I hope you don’t need to talk about it, just make sure you can see it in the movie afterwards.
First of all, this Paris Commune thing is such a precious revolution. It is a rare moment in French History when people got to seize power… and how honest, how careful they have proven to be. Communards wanted to set an example, engraved a milestone in History… And I do think we have to look into this experience with a critical but tender eye, gather the lessons, the errors, the success of it…
But I don’t think a movie is a place where you second-guess things. I think it’s a place where you observe, gather materials, raise questions and let the viewer free to make up her/his mind.
Two things really mattered when I looked into this project. I didn't want to picture an experience belonging to the past and close all the questions the Commune could still raise. And I wanted something polyphonic, a pluralistic approach. I didn't want to force my opinion, supposing I had one, on the viewer, but collect things, and put them in perspective. This project took time to mature... And this is a sweet and lovely time, the gestation of a film ... The film is here, now, full of those questions about the Commune, the Republic, the direct Democracy, the social struggles and also, inevitably, a little about the cinema ... div> p>