INTERVIEWS

Video Interview: 'Place Beyond the Pines' Director Derek Cianfrance

by Alex Billington
September 17, 2012

At Sundance in 2010 I was first introduced to Derek Cianfrance, an ambitious, brilliant filmmaker who I have become very fond of. At that time he was premiering his second film, Blue Valentine, which went on to earn a lot of acclaim - one of my favorites of the year. Two years later he is back with his third feature, The Place Beyond the Pines, which just premiered at TIFF 2012 last weekend. I caught the premiere and was mesmerized by the triptych film starring Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and Bradley Cooper. I was granted an interview with Mr. Cianfrance and we talked about everything from why he loves movies (naming Psycho) to the ideas and themes behind Pines, his inspiration from music and working with Mike Patton, and more.

"My favorite movies are ones that create this world that I actually can live in and experience, and when I leave the movie, I've been to that place, and that place is still a part of me." This is a lengthy interview but completely worth it, especially if you're a fan of Derek Cianfrance. He gets in-depth on many fascinating topics from filmmaking and how Pines came together, to his own life experiences. Watch in full right here.

Here's my interview with The Place Beyond the Pines director Derek Cianfrance, filmed in Toronto:

I love talking with Derek, especially because his ideas in his films are so deep and personal, and he gets into that in even greater detail. "I think life is inherently dramatic, and hilarious; I think people are inherently interesting and unique… I think cinema is a great place for secrets and intimacy. And there's nothing I like more than sitting in a dark room and looking into these private worlds, and entering these worlds, where I've never been before." That echoes some of the sentiments of praise Place Beyond the Pines got at TIFF. From Kevin Jagernauth's Playlist review: "This is a film that desires to say something about how we relate to each other, and how the often overlooked consequences of our actions can refract down avenues we could never expect. A brilliant, towering picture… cinematic accomplishment of extraordinary grace and insight."

Cianfrance's The Place Beyond the Pines, co-written by Ben Coccio, premiered at TIFF 2012. I reviewed the film, calling it "very mesmerizing but draining to watch." We also interviewed Derek at Sundance in 2010.

The Place Beyond the Pines was acquired by Focus Features during the fest, and will be released in 2013.

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