Image credits: Vendetta Films / Kirsty Griffin
We were fortunate to have Australian director Samuel Van video chat with Grinsven about his second feature. We climbed the hill. It is a psychological drama with a supernatural touch starring Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things) and Vicki Creeps (Phantom Thread). The highly acclaimed film premiered in strong reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, sold out screenings at this year’s Sydney Film Festival, screenings at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August, and will open in Australian cinemas on September 11th.
With her indie debut in the Blue Room, Vanglinsven has been attracting attention for her sequins, and has returned with an intimate ghost story set in a remote location in New Zealand. The film follows Jack (Montgomery). Jack travels to fill his estranged mother, Elizabeth, and meets widow Jill (Creeps). About a series of nocturnal encounters, Elizabeth’s presence refuses to rest – owns Jack and Jill in turn, forcing each to stand up to the old wounds. The place – an isolated house carved in a creepy, open landscape – does more than assemble the action. It deepens sadness, doubt, and slowly unleashed at the heart of the story.
In our conversation, we delve into how Van Grins and co-author Jolie Anast shaped this particular take into account unforgettable. The first spark, the theme they want to wrestle, to strike a balance of sounds between psychological drama and eerie. We talk about the influence of the film, the process of casting Montgomery and Creeps, and how Elizabeth’s elusive figures were defined on the page compared to what emerged in the performance. Van Grinsven also looks back on directing two very different actors, discovering its impressive location and stepping up to the larger canvas for his second feature.
Check out the interview below.
Vendetta Films
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