Meeting with Charlotte de Turckheim around the continuation of Mince then. The director and co-screenwriter looks back in particular on the many years that have passed between the first part and the release today.
The story: Isabelle and her niece Nina open a “fasting and detox” cure in the heart of Provence, with the help of Baptiste, yogi and handyman, Jessica, tantric masseuse, and Maxime, attractive equitherapist. Among the first curists, four overweight adolescents sent by the Town Hall; Marion and Lio, his skinny sister who imposes the treatment on him “for his own good”; and their friend Émilie who, relieved of her extra pounds, barely discovers when her beloved husband swoons in the arms of a man… clearly overweight!
DashFUN: Can you present us the initial idea of this sequel, Mince then 2?
Charlotte de Turckheim, director and co-writer: First, I wanted to make a second one because I find that the subject of weight, body and appearance is inexhaustible and it follows the evolution of the society. The diets we did 10 years ago are not at all what we do now.
The appearance issues are also very different. I find the arrival of selfies and filters incredible for example. This was further reinforced with reality TV. All of these girls look alike, with probably the same person giving them botox! They are very pretty but they are like clones. I can’t tell them apart! I know one that can only apply makeup through a filter. She can never see the look she really has again. It’s fascinating: it’s both super funny and at the same time really sad.
There is another current which is very interesting, which are all these Beyoncé-like girls who have liberated the bodies of curvy women. There is good and bad in all of this development, but it’s absolutely great material for comedy, at least for the type of comedy that I love. We laugh a lot and we are also moved.
9 years passed between the first film and this one. Have 9 years really passed in terms of the plot?
We don’t have the impression that 9 years have passed for one simple reason: the film has been on television several times a year for 10 years. So we almost wanted to wait – with Dominique Besnehard (one of the film’s producers) – for this wave to end. But since it didn’t stop, and it continues to be a hit every time – and that’s great – I said: “we’re not going to wait! Come on, let’s do the second!”
It took us a long time, and I admit being quite slow, because I do a lot of other things on the side. I need to feed myself on the side. Thins then, I have the impression that we could do more. There are so many reasons why we gain weight: appearance, physique, self-esteem is important throughout life. There are all the generations. I find this to be a really fascinating subject.
A real good mood emerges from the film. As we can also see in the trailer, we feel that you had a lot of fun writing this film …
Yes, as the subject is deep, it’s also great to laugh about it, and to talk to each other. These young people, what are they rocking! They are super funny but they really talk to each other like that in life.
I find that this is a subject that must be dealt with in a somewhat cash-flow manner as well. When you listen to how people talk about that, there are lines… Antoine Schoumsky, who wrote the dialogues with me, has a sense of the formula! He is to die for laughing. I wanted it to be funny. And behind the laughter, people see the emotion. To laugh about it, allows to reach more people finally.
Would you say that these topics are more difficult to laugh at today? Did you have to restrain yourself in writing?
No, I don’t care about that. I think we can laugh at everything, but not with everyone. I know what my benevolence is. I don’t limit myself. But I find that it was very easy to write again on this subject, because that’s what we said to each other about filters, the body, all these diets. Have you seen the number of new diets? It’s a hell of a business! All that disgusting bagged stuff. It benefits everyone that we are fat.
And then there is a new approach to the body. We’re not talking about looks and diets like we talked about 10 years ago. We also talk more about well-being, health. There is also this struggle over difference, grossophobia. Charlotte Gaccio has made an absolutely wonderful documentary on grossophobia.
It also gives rise to …
