11/09/2023 - VENICE 2023: The French director homes in on an energetic editorial desk at a Paris television news station, where she follows a young intern

(© Trésor Films)

The energetic editorial desk of a Paris television news station is the heart of all matters in Alix Delaporte’s On the Pulse [+see also:
film review
interview: Alix Delaporte
film profile], which opened out of competition at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. And as we soon see through the eyes of young intern Gabrielle, the soul of the place is without a doubt its passionate staff, going out of their way to get the job done, at any hour of the day or night. We sat down with the director, who partly drew on her own experiences when creating this universe.

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Cineuropa: The English title of the film is On the Pulse, and the original French one reads Vivants. Can you elaborate on these choices and their respective significance?
Alix Delaporte: For the English title, we explored different variations, and although it’s not a literal translation, I liked to use the word “pulse”. “Vivants” I like because a young war correspondent once told me that when she wasn’t in the war zone, the only thing she wanted was to go back, because there, where the line between life and death is so thin, she really felt alive – vivante. My characters are all vivants – full of joy, of energy, of passion.

Where did the idea for the film originate?
The original desire was to make a film with a troupe of characters. I needed a place to put them in, which became this setting that I also know personally. I started out as a journalist, and I had an internship period just like Gabrielle in the film. So there’s a biographical element, although first and foremost, I hope it’s universal in feel and emotion.

How closely does Gabrielle resemble you?
Before I started making films, I was a reporter and camera operator for ten years. Before Gabrielle starts working at the station, she has also had another career and life – in her case, as a mountain guide – so that’s one point of symmetry that we share. I also don’t talk that much, and neither does Gabrielle, so there’s that, too. Those are the primary similarities. Also, some of the other characters are based on people from my internship period, while there were others who worked on the 24 heures show at Canal+ – guys I met and learned from, who have been deeply inspiring to me. I think there is a little part of them in each of the characters. Some of them can also be glimpsed physically in the photos we see during the opening-credit sequence.

You’ve already touched upon it when mentioning the war correspondent wanting to return as soon as possible: the film also shows many of the staff being overworked, getting increasingly asocial, not able to maintain relationships, etc. Still, they are certainly drawn to this world.
To be able to do this job, you need to have the passion. But are you able to have two passions? It’s hard. And the work never stops. Instead, it gets addictive, and addiction doesn’t sit well with peaceful family life, does it?

Still, this film, as well as many other ones playing out in the same setting, does not exactly hide the romantic aspects of it, right?
Because these people are the heroes of the film, and so they should look like heroes – and why not a little romantic? While I try to depict this realistically, I include a poetic background. I did something similar with the fishermen in my film Angel & Tony [+see also:
trailer
film profile], where I never filmed them in an overly realistic way – rather, they look larger than life.

On the Pulse and another of this year’s French Venice entries, Cedric Khan’s Making Of [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cédric Kahn
film profile], which treats the world of filmmaking in a similar way, could be labelled “intelligent entertainment for adults”. In France, you seem to succeed well with this genre. Is that a valid observation?
It is not easy, but we keep making them, so it’s at least possible. But we have to move with the times. Right now, the audience is watching TV series with lots of streamlined dramaturgy, which is easy to get addicted to, episode after episode, and they are quickly getting used to it. While we should never start writing “for” the audience, we should be very aware of it. This is why I work with a scriptwriter, Olivier Demangel, who is very concerned about retaining the audience on each step forward. We people who work in “classic” film should be aware of these methods. We have to protect our system, never lay down our arms, keep on fighting for it. Because we are lucky.