“There’s nothing new in famous film auteurs directing TV commercials, as with Wes Anderson’s H&M Christmas ad Come Together or Martin Scorcese’s Street Dreams ad for Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabanna. But Quebec director and actor Xavier Dolan, who has been on a feature filmmaking hiatus of sorts in recent years, after Cannes darlings”, — write: www.hollywoodreporter.com
But Quebec director and actor Xavier Dolan, who has been on a feature filmmaking hiatus of sorts in recent years, after Cannes darlings like Mommy and It’s Only The End of the Worldhas returned to form with two short film spots entitled Lean on Me for telecom giant Bell Canada.
The short films explore human connection and technology with the Canadian auteur’s signature emotional and cinematic style.
“I wanted to tell a series of short stories and gradually reveal how they were tied together, not just through technology, but through the human side as well,” Dolan tells The Hollywood Reporter about the two commercials that run to around two minutes each, feature three interconnected stories and aesthetically reteam the director with longtime cinematographer Andre Turpin.
Shooting the Bell Canada commercials on 35mm film and with “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers as a soundtrack also kept an uncompromising Dolan busy since not completing a feature since Matthias & Maxime screened in competition at Cannes in 2019. He directed a music video for Adele and episodes of the miniseries The Night Logan Woke Up.
But when it comes to his next movie? “I’ve talked about not wanting to make movies at a certain pace, yes, but mostly about not wanting to make them ‘a certain way.’ Meaning, if I have to cut corners, make compromises that hurt the story, if there’s no time to work on the tone, the performances, the light, then I’m simply not interested,” Dolan explained.
As Bell Canada premiered its twin Lean on Me spots this week as part of a new brand campaign, including with a theatrical play, Dolan talked to THR about where his foray into commercials figures in his evolving feature filmmaking journey.
These don’t look like traditional commercials. They look like iconic short films, with real production value, wide framing and incorporating music and close-up shots. Was that your aim?
Thank you. I wanted to tell a series of short stories and gradually reveal how they were tied together, not just through technology but through the human side as well. Worlds that pulse with immediacy where you can feel the haste and weight of everyday existence — the real pressures of real people we can relate to, no matter their routines, circumstances or ambitions.
I didn’t want a monolithic aesthetic that robbed them of their individuality. I wanted kitchens and offices that felt distinct, clothes with patina, extras who look as if they’ve just stepped out of their own lives — caught on their way to work or wherever it is they’re headed.
You’re known for multi-tasking on your films, having control over most every stage of production. Was that the same drill with these Bell Canada ads?
Yes, it was. I think most directors tend to be involved across all departments and at all stages. I’m always a bit surprised when it’s mentioned as an anomaly or something specific to me, because I just see it as part of what directing is: being hands-on with costumes, sets, camera, lenses. It’s all so intrinsic to storytelling: “Let’s put that wallpaper there,” “let’s have this rug for the nurse,” “let’s get that tank top on that guy,” “oh, it’s too similar to that other guy’s tank top… no, that one isn’t similar enough now.” It’s the process any director who loves to direct loves, or should love, isn’t it?
In recent years, you’ve been heard to say you don’t want to keep making movies one after the other, as you did in your earlier years. You want to take time to reflect. Is making commercials without big name French actors part of that reflection, part of your artistic journey?
I’ve talked about not wanting to make movies at a certain pace, yes, but mostly about not wanting to make them “a certain way.” Meaning, if I have to cut corners, make compromises that hurt the story, if there’s no time to work on the tone, the performances, the light, then I’m simply not interested. I’d rather do nothing. Nicolas Boileau said, “What is worth doing is worth doing well,” which I’m translating kind of poorly here. But I’ve always believed that. The whole “No one will notice that” philosophy, that’s not for me. I will notice. God will notice. You will notice. So if I have to wait, fine. I’ll wait.
Is it easier to follow through on an idea, a concept through to its end, with a two-minute-plus short than with a full-length movie?
Not necessarily. It’s just that, for now, it’s what I’m able to do. It’s what I’m given money to make, and spend. And it is, at the end of the day, a story, and I get to shoot it on film, with actors and with artists I respect, being reunited with André Turpin as cinematographer, getting to work with set designer Alex Hercule. I believed in that ad as much as I would a feature. Same difference. Except, maybe, that Bell believed in the story I from the beginning and was fearless. They called the creatives in Montreal after I pitched and just said “Let’s make f***ing art!” How great is that? And now they’re running it in theaters!
Why did Bell Canada go with you? Were they looking for a fresh new brand image?
Because I’m Canadian, I suppose? And yes, I think they wanted to bring something a little more human, a little more heartfelt, to the brand. As for fresh, I don’t see much freshness in shooting on 35mm Ektachrome, filming packed city buses covered in graffiti, old taxis, brutalist housing projects, shaky zooms, football plays with Hollywood endings. Yet, that’s what we did and they fully embraced it. And I’m going to sound like such a boomer, but somehow when I look at our allegedly modern, sophisticated ways of doing things nowadays, I find great comfort and even freshness in that turn-of-the-last-century aesthetic: less sanitized, perhaps a little less conceptual? And it’s not just an aesthetic, I think. It’s an attitude. How we see, feel, debate, open up to each other. I still believe in that attitude.
Critics of technology argue that disconnecting your phone helps reconnect with the world. Your Bell Canada shorts appear to make the opposite argument. Technology can bring us together in beneficial ways. If so, what are your thoughts on technology helping to keep people connected, with family and friends?
I mainly used technology here as a pretext, a genuine tool, yes, one that’s essential in everyday life. But still a pretext to show that real connection begins and exists first and foremost on a human level. Technology’s vital role today is obvious, undeniable. I grew up at a time when, to confirm a meeting, we called. If no one answered, we went and rang the doorbell, you know! Now time has shrunk and been entirely redefined by speed, performance, efficiency. In many ways, there’s no going back.
So where are we headed?
I also think we’re coming to a crossroads, one where time will stop and offer a chance to redeem past mistakes. Human beings will have to stand in solidarity with one another, faced with how corporations and global powers seem determined to pit technology, AI in particular, against human labor. Perhaps some talents who might have less to live or hope for, or who’ve reasoned only in economic terms, might have given it a chance, for now. But it can’t, and it won’t last. Humanity will have to choose itself, and choose humans, if it wants to survive. You can argue it’s complex and this and that, but really, there are no two ways about it.