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Interview

Written by Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

Roundtable interview with Actress Sienna Miller and Director Steve Buscemi

In "Interview," his fourth crack as a helmer, Steve Buscemi pays homage to the fallen Dutch director Theo van Gogh (great-grandson of Vincent van  Gogh's Theo), who was murdered by Muslim extremists in 2004 because of his take on Islam. After his death, Theo's producer brought together three actor-directors(Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, John Turturro) in New York to remake three of Theo's  works.

Steve Buscemi tackled the first one, by carefully preserving Theo's original, using the same techniques to create a far more intriguing film. Pierre (Steve Buscemi), a revered journalist who'd made his name in political magazines, is about to get an assignment to interview pop diva Katya whose work stretches from soap opera to B-slasher flicks. He regards this interview as a puff-piece beneath his dignity, since he would rather be covering important events in Washington. So he arrives for the interview unprepared and without having seen any of her films.

When they meet up in an upscale restaurant an hour late, they sink into an episode of verbal abuse. Offended and annoyed, they soon part. On their way back, Pirre gets into an accident because the cab driver ogles Katya walking down the street. She takes pity on him and invites him inside her spacious loft for an ice-pack and drinks. Both are restrained in  the rapid shift of circumstances. There follows a kind of cat-and-mouse dialogue--bickering, dancing, flirting, kissing, weeping and lying.

Throughout, the film is consistently invigorating, mainly a showcase for two actors, both confined in their apartments. There's never a dull moment, and many an emotionally gripping one.  It's so rare to prove a complex role and maintain an edgy performance.

Buscemi presents a  question that hangs over our heads--how such a celebrity party girl would allow such dirt on her--then touches upon many themes. He relies on Theo's technique, using three hand-held cameras for simultaneous coverage to enhance their manipulation of dialogue, revealing the phenomenon of today's media frenzy. Kate Williams's sharp editing adds energy within intimate moments. The film feels as if it came out of a  wonderful interview of someone
you admire.

Directed by Steve Buscemi
Written by David Schechter and Mr. Buscemi
Based on the film “Interview,” directed by Theo van Gogh, Screenplay by Theodor Holman
Director of photography: Thomas Kist
Edited by Kate William
Production designer: Loren Weeks
Produced by Bruce Weiss and Gijs van de Westelaken
Released by Sony Pictures Classics.
Running time: 83 minutes.

Cast: Sienna Miller (Katya)
Steve Buscemi (Pierre Peders),
and James Franco (voice on the phone).