Katherine Brodsky: So why did you choose the story of a mother/daughter relationship to follow up Mambo Italiano with? What particularly appealed to you in that subject?
 
Émile Gaudreault: First of all, I like the theme of the movie – the fact that we all have different facets of ourselves. That was my main attraction to that story. And then the fact that those themes were carried mostly by strong, complex female characters. I wanted to explore that. And I would also say that the fact that we treated the story as both a comedy and a drama. For me it was a big challenge and I was excited and scared – I think that was a big motivation for me.
 
It did strike me that the film has a lot of really tragic elements beneath the surface of all this comedy. Why is the comedy so important to you - to have that within all this other stuff that is going on?
 
Well, I was a comedian when I was young and most of my movies that I did were comedies. So comedy for me is like second nature, it’s part of who I am. And I think it will always be.
 
The drama was something more challenging for me, in a way, to try to make those two worlds live in the same movie – the same universe. The subject matter was particularly interesting for me because it was serious and dramatic, yet could be treated comically. My main goal is to make an entertaining movie... I want people to enjoy it even if sometimes there are hard things to see…
 
Well, also comedy always has tragedy inherent in it, so a good comedy always has tragic elements in it…
 
Exactly. Exactly. As you said comedy has its roots in drama. I think that is the best…
 
You seem to also be drawn to family issues in your films…
 
Yeah. I don’t know. It seems to be something that could be in my next movie too. There is something there that has really touched me. I think it’s not really a decision – it’s more of an intuitive journey. That subject matter is always something that has come into my stories. Saying what hasn’t been said – is too – it always seems to be there. So it’s not something I decide. It’s really something that comes out of my subconscious.
 
It was probably a little bit easier to get Surviving My Mother made after the success of Mambo Italiano in 2003, but it still took you some time… Why did it take four years for you to direct another movie?
 
Well, I worked on other screenplays. One was “Are you Ready to Shoot?” I wrote it because I didn’t want to direct so I asked another director to direct it. You know with a movie like Mambo Italiano, it was something kind of emotionally hard on me. Everything was kind of so big and so – it took me some time to go back. […] I watched Mambo Italiano and I looked at it and I saw where I could have made it better as a director mostly. I saw my limits. It worked very well as a comedy, but as a director I thought I could do better and I think I needed some time to explore more - to do some research – to think about the way I am going to shoot my next movie. And I wanted to be more visual – I wanted to be more cinematographic. I think it took some time for me to be ready to shoot another movie and to feel confident that I am going to do better than the one I just did.
 
…And do you feel like you’ve achieved that with Surviving My Mother?
 
 Yes, I think the fact that both the mix of the comedy and the drama was what was challenging - I am very happy that it seems to be working. The audiences laugh and are touched, so I am proud of that…
 
This is your second collaboration with the screenwriter, Steve Galluccio, what’s that experience like?
 
Well, Steve and I were friends first. And I think why we work so well together is because we don’t have the same strengths and weaknesses in writing. So there is no competition at all. I totally admire what he does. He admires what I do. We trust each other. We have no ego. I present something that is bad – if it’s bad - and he’ll say let’s find something else. We’re constantly in creation. That’s really fun.
 
Both Mambo Italiano and Surviving My Mother clearly take place in Canada, yet in no way do they hit you over the head with all this “Canadian quota content”… Why is it important for you that you set the film in Canada?
 
Hmmm. For me, that wasn’t even a question. The movie is set in Montreal. It’s where I live – you know? And it’s where Steve [the screenwriter] lives. And so of course, it’s going to be set in Montreal. I think of those characters as Canadians – Montrealers. They may be many things, but they are not Americans. So it’s a natural thing to do.
 
I found that the score of the film – it had the feel of a tango. And in many ways, it was sort of a contrast to what was happening on the screen and yet it was complimentary at the same time…
 
Thank you. I think that is exactly what I was trying to achieve with the music. Thank you. (Laughs). Yeah. Exactly. The music in the movie I think linked everything.
 
Yeah. I got it! (laughs)
 
It was sensual and dynamic music but it was not over-dynamic. It was emotional but not too emotional. I think it was the right texture for the movie.
 
Did you think of it before as you were shooting it or was it afterwards?
 
Yes. I always thought of using that kind of music. And I worked with a composer, looking at CDs and tracks of the kind of music I’ve had in mind. So it was a collaboration. But from the beginning I knew I wanted to use that kind of music. 
 
I think it was perfect for that actually. If it was anything else, it wouldn’t work the same way. In a sense, it was like a narrator guiding us through – the soul of the movie.
 
Thank you. That is true. It is very present. The music is always there.
 
The cast in the film is really great too. And all the women are these very strong, very human characters. Can you talk a bit about the casting of the film?
 
The characters in the movie, they show different facets of different people. So I needed very strong actors and I also needed actors who could do comedy and drama. That was very important – to find actors who could do both in a convincing way. And when I looked at actors – what I looked at first was talent of course – but charisma too – it was very important for me. To have actors who are radiant, you know. You want to watch them.  In the movie…[the] casting – you live or die by it. I got all the actors just before shooting and it was such a huge relief. I knew I had the people that I needed to get the right tone.
 
So have you had any responses yet from mothers and daughters who have seen the film?
 
Oh yeah. It’s great. We’ve shown the movie at first in Vancouver, here in Montreal and St. John. The reactions were great – just amazing. And now we are starting to show it to real people – you know the real audience who are not festival-goers. And it’s exactly the same reaction. And, yes, the mother and daughter – it’s funny because sometimes they tell us that they’ve been to see it together. And it seems to be an experience – that’s what I like about a good story. It’s that you see people who are different from you who are in a different universe than yours but they go through similar emotions. And what makes you go through those emotions. And when the movie is finished – there’s closure – and it seems to make people feel good on an emotional level. So for me that’s a great, great, great moment.
 
Anything surprising from their reactions?
 
[W]hat was so surprising about the reaction is that men seem to like it a lot… [T]hey really like it because I think it’s those female characters. They are complex and what they’re going through a man can almost go through the same thing. Those same questions.
 
…There are no female characters who are just after a man and that’s it. When I [see romantic comedies, often the women] seem to have only one obsession: to woo the guy of their dreams. But in that movie it is more complex than that and I think that is why the men seem to like it so much. For me that is a great reaction, too.
 
So what’s next for you?
 
One thing I’ve done is a new screenplay and I am going to shoot next summer. The next thing is about father and son. So…
 
…So again a relationship story!
 
Yes. I know. I don’t know why I’m obsessed about that. (laughs)
 
I had a great time speaking you and all the best wishes with SURVIVING MY MOTHER. Thank you so much.
 
Thank you, you too!