LUCIDMEDIA

ATOM EGOYAN INTERVIEW

Written by Michael Gregoris Friday, 26 March 2010 10:20

Oscar Wilde once declared, “Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.” Indeed, much of Wilde’s renowned witticism may be directly applied to the works of director, Atom Egoyan. This critically acclaimed Canadian-Armenian filmmaker.

Perhaps it is Egoyan’s unrelenting capacity to channel imagination and personal experience into his subject matter, meticulously scrutinizing the value of each shot or take to maximize the dramatic value of his work.

Or, maybe it lies in his competency on set, his uncanny ability to get his actors to do precisely what he desires. More likely, it is a fusion of both these distinguishing traits that serves to continually unearth a cathartic response, collectively shared by audiences time and time again. His individual style and unabridged authority over all the facets of production give his films a personal and unique stamp.

This is especially true in Egoyan’s latest picture, Chloe.

Starring Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, and Amanda Seyfried, Chloe is an erotic thriller about an untrusting wife, Catherine (Moore) and her attempts to prove that her husband, David (Neeson), ishaving an affair. Compelled by her suspicion, Catherine hires an escort called Chloe (Seyfried) to seduce him, inadvertently endangering her entire family in the process. The film itself is inherently sexual, dealing with deception, infidelity, and seduction as revealed to us through Egoyan’s lens.

“You always channel your own experiences with a project,” says Egoyan. “Has it [infidelity] happened to me? No. But I – we – can imagine the agony of it all with great detail and that’s something special.”

Sexuality is one of Egoyan’s chief preoccupations. Some of his other films like Exotica (1994) and Where the Truth Lies (1995) share similar themes and is precisely how he came to Chloe.

In 1996, Egoyan had the opportunity to serve on the Cannes Jury. And in 1997 he again returned to compete with The Sweet Hereafter. His first adaptation of a novel, it went on to win three prizes at Cannes and received two Oscar nominations, for Best Director (the first time a Canadian director had been nominated for a Canadian film) and Best Adapted Screenplay. As if films weren't enough, Egoyan took his interest in music (he can play classical guitar) into the forum of classical opera. He directed three productions, including the 1996 Toronto Opera Company's Salome.

Egoyan recalls his triumphs at Cannes for The Sweet Hereafter:

“It was surreal because it came out of nowhere, especially against Titanic; it was an incredible ride and it changed a lot of things in my career,” reveals Egoyan. “At the time, I didn’t really stop and think about it. I just kept working, riding the momentum while the film was still fresh in people’s minds.”

“Mostly, I was proud at the fact that it was for a Canadian director and writer.”