‘Versalles’ Director Andrés Clariond on His Film About “Autocrats and Crazy Leaders”

“After losing his chance at the Mexican presidency, ambitious politician Chema retreats with his elegant wife Carmina to a countryside hacienda. Exile soon turns into delusion: they crown themselves king and queen of a fabricated realm, household staff are recast as courtiers, halls transform into stages of decadent ceremony, and fantasies spill into cruel punishments and bizarre rituals.”

Sounds like this could possibly be real life, you say? Mexican writer-director Andrés Clariond (Hilda) wants you to feel that way about Versailleshis new movie that has just world premiered in the main competition lineup of the 29th edition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF).

The title of the satire, which walks the narrow line between reality and absurd megalomaniac insanity, is inspired by the home of former French rulers, Versailles. “Inspired by works like The Death of Stalin, The Favourite and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Versailles reimagines the decadence of French aristocracy through the lens of modern Mexican politics,” the PÖFF website notes.

Cuautli Jiménez and Maggie Civantos star in the movie from Pimienta Films (Rome), which the director co-wrote with Alo Valenzuela. MMM Film Sales is handling world sales.

If Versailles feels eerily familiar to a global audience despite being a Mexico-set tale, its director isn’t surprised at all. “In Mexico, this has been the political reality for longer now,” he says THR. “Now, the whole world is dealing with all these autocrats and crazy leaders. But in Mexico, we had the same party [in power] for 70 years, so only the president changed. And politicians feel like they deserve everything, they have all these privileges. And when they end their time in power, they start to go crazy, because they are used to all the attention. Suddenly, they are ordinary people. And that’s what I wanted to portray.”

Clariond also writes newspaper editorials in Mexico, as “a side business,” he says. “I have always been interested in politics, and especially the more intimate, psychological side of it, because you see many films [and series] about political intrigues, such as House of Cards.” Was that show ever mentioned in pitches? “Many people actually were saying, ‘Oh, this is going to be like House of Cards‘,” the author tells THR. “And I was like: ‘That’s not what I want to explore.’ I wanted to explore the psychology and all the demons in this guy’s head after almost achieving his goal, and then everything falls [apart].”

Watching Versaillesyou can’t help wanting its protagonist to succeed early on. And that is by design. “In my movies, I always think about how I make these characters emphatic,” Clariond explains. “Because they do such terrible things. So for me, I like when you start out saying, ‘you have to win, and I’m with you.’ And then suddenly, my characters start doing these horrible things, but well, you are already with them.”

The protagonist Chema in the film discusses his skin tone. “In Mexico, that plays into every realm or every area of ​​society,” the director says. “For our actor, Cuautli Jiménez, for example, this is his first role as a protagonist. Actors with darker skin really suffer because most of the parts they get offered are like crime gang leaders and poor people. So when he got the offer to play a governor, he was like, ‘This must be a mistake. How come they are choosing me?’ So it’s a meta thing where even this movie and its casting is something provocative.”

What he loved about his male lead were the cracks in the armor that he could show, the layers of the character. “What I liked was that he showed some vulnerability,” Clariond recalls. “Because sometimes, when you tell someone to play a politician, they will go with the cliche of being all strong and raising their voice. Cuautli had this vulnerability that I wanted for the characters.”

Clariond researched Civantos’ past work before choosing her for the role of Chema’s wife in Versailles. “Because I put so much importance on directing actors, I like to analyze all their work,” the director explains. “I like to see how they act, what they do and what they don’t. That’s why I do so much research.”

He focused on Spanish actresses and a certain look in addition to the depth of acting skills he was looking for. “I was looking for the traditional beauty, like a princess’ beauty – blonde, green eyes,” the director shares. After seeing her in a Spanish series while on the treadmill, “I started researching and seeing all of what she has done and chose her.”

Versailles mixes intimate scenes with big, loud scenes, such as one where the couple is in old-school French aristocrats’ outfits and throws a big party. “The big scenes, I wasn’t used to,” Clariond tells THR. “This is the first time that I have had scenes with 200 extras, and that was crazy for me.”

The post-production process was also full of challenges. “We did color grading that I didn’t like, and so we changed that “to get the look and feel right,” he explains.

Versailles may be a Mexican story, but its creator believes in its universality, especially in our time of populism and social media. “For me, the need for attention, being rejected when you have almost achieved something, all of that is universal,” Clariond tells THR. “And so is the relationship of the couple.”

He continues: “We have seen these couples in power around the world. It is now very common that both of them are famous. We see that in Mexico, in Argentina, in the US, in many places.” In one scene, the English subtitles mention one power couple of a different sort, Prince Harry and Meghan. “I couldn’t find a good translation” for a Mexican reference, the director explains. “The original line mentions local people in Mexico, so it was impossible to find a good translation. So I looked for a reference that would be [recognizable] and make sense” for international viewers.

Adds Clariond: “So yes, I think that the movie deals with universal topics and human desires, including how much you want something when you don’t get it, the envy.”

For example, there is a scene in which Chema sits in his bathroom, checking on his rival by watching one of his latest campaign commercials in the middle of the night. “He is basically stalking the other candidate. I think that’s very human. So, yeah, I hope that the film works for everyone.”

Clariond doesn’t know yet what he will do next. “But I do know that I want to go for a lighter tone,” he says. “I think I have had enough of tormented characters. In my three films, I have all these tormented characters dealing with their demons. I really want to explore either humor or a lighter tone next.”