Space: an endless void filled with potential to explore through sci-fi shows and films. From Fly Me to the Moon to Alien: Romulus, this year has brought some exciting sci-fi films for audiences to see. However, not that many space-related projects this year have explored mature ideas on a deeper level. There were some, like Omni Loop, that wanted to try approaching these themes in such a way. Yet, there’s one international film, Meanwhile On Earth, that really tested exploring different ideas.
Meanwhile On Earth sees Elsa (Megan Northam, in her debut feature starring role), along with her family, struggling with the disappearance of her brother Franck, an astronaut who vanished during his first mission. While stargazing one night, Elsa is shocked to receive contact from Franck, but her joy is short-lived when she learns of the dark and troubling forces behind Franck’s reappearance, forcing her to confront the lengths she will go for the brother she once feared was gone forever.
Check out some highlights of my interview with director Jérémy Clapin about Meanwhile On Earth, the inspiration behind the film’s animated sequences, and more. Additionally, hear my full interview with him down below!
HOLLYWOOD HANDLE: It really does feel like this film has somewhat deeply rooted in those ideas of Arrival and even Interstellar. Were there any ideas from the sci-fi genre, or those films specifically, that really helped you formulate this idea?
JÉRÉMY CLAPIN: There is some reference I have in mind, but it’s not sci-fi. It’s more about how they bring something new in a fantastic way. For example, the film Let the Right One In, from Tomas Alfredson. [Just] trying to bring something fantastic into something more intimate.
I was more focused on this kind of films. Of course, there were some references. For example, [2001: A Space Odyssey] with the voice of the computers [and] the aliens. But, I knew also my theme was how to talk about space from Earth’s perspective. I don’t have the budget to bring the story into the space, but it’s not a question of budget.
I really wanted to explore this relationship between Earth and space and how we’re always fascinated by this territory we cannot access.
I just love the aesthetic of connecting the infinity of space and the endless pursuit of exploring that with this feeling of groundedness. It reminds me of Scavengers Reign! I don’t know if you seen the show or otherwise.
CLAPIN: Actually, one of the guys who was working on it is a friend from the animation world I know well. It’s a small world and we know each other and it was a really good show. I didn’t see the whole show, but from what I’ve seen, it’s a really good show!
In some ways, with the animated sequences in Meanwhile On Earth, there’s this visual and tonal aesthetic that the two [projects] share with each other. How do you think that aesthetic from the show and those things that really inspired you, help you visualize your approach for this film?
CLAPIN: I wanted to bring this different territory together of space and Earth. It’s not the same territory, but I wanted to put this in the same film as the past and the present. As live-action and animation.
I was thinking about, “Okay, what can be the loop of a mutual territory Elsa shares with her brother?” I was thinking about this old sci-fi TV show and bringing some distance with the black and white, and also the frame is a little less larger than the frame of the film.
Also, the music has to be very important to make this animation sequence much more powerful because there is no sound, only music. That’s why I asked [Dan Levy] to differentiate between animation and live-action.
I found I Lost My Body really inspiring and beautiful. What was the most important lesson that you took away from that film that you’ve applied here and how do you think that’ll stick with you as you continue making films?
CLAPIN: I Lost My Body was a hard feature to do because nobody was believing on it because the main character had a severed hand and it was a different animation. Nobody would give us money, so it was really hard.
At the end of the day, what I learned is when something is hard, it’s because, most of the time, there’s a new point of view. It’s something new you bring to the table. It’s always hard to exist, but when you are here, it makes the film more easy to exist compared to all the proposition.
It’s about how to bring to life with this kind of project, but it’s also very rewarding. There are not so many projects like that for sure. It [doesn’t have] a big budget, but I also wanted to explore a larger scale for my next project.
My path of direction is I like to explore this multi-genre movie, which they are never easy to sell. But, I think they bring people in a space they didn’t expect to go. So, this is part of the deal.
You’ve mentioned Twin Peaks and Under the Skin as two projects that had an influence on you. If you’ve gotten to see both of these projects since you’ve filmed, was there anything that you’ve realized about yourself or about the film that expanded your own perspective?
CLAPIN: It’s funny because Under the Skin was a film I had in mind that I had never seen. That was one film I [remembered] one week before the shooting. I was definitely saying to myself, “Okay, it’s not the same thing for sure, but there are some connections. I cannot deny that.”
It’s fun because I only knew [about] the trailer of Under the Skin without seeing the whole thing. I feel connected, somehow, to this kind of sci-fi, which is not really sci-fi. It can be satisfying for some people to discover different kinds of sci-fi. But because it’s a genre movie, people need their code to re-define a real representation of a spaceship or something more tangible like genre.
I need to bring something new so it’s not re-doing another film like someone did before me. So, I wanted to explore different kinds of things with my sense. The purpose of the film was, more, to convey the feeling of [being] in between worlds.
If you want to hear more about Meanwhile On Earth, hear our full interview with director Jérémy Clapin down below!
Meanwhile On Earth releases in theaters in the United States on November 8.
