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Watermark - press kit |
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For
further information or stills contact: Kerry
Rock Email: kerry@potoroofilms.com Tel: 61
(0)2 9960 7036 Mob: 61
(0)414 281 371 |
WATERMARK breathes an insidious mystery, a romantic
picture, diluted by the years. Atmospheric and tension filled ... reminiscent
of Jane Campion's first films. Telerama Like
Francois Ozonís UNDER THE SAND,
WATERMARK exudes destiny and tragedyî. Velvet Rockmine Öoriginal, brave and visionary, three things that have
been missing from the Australian cinematic landscape for too long. Ö thereís
no denying that the viewer will walk out of the cinema shaken and stirred.
Dov Kornits, Filmink It takes audiences outside the comfort zone. Moving
Pictures edgy ... colourful ... disturbing cinema. Le Monde |
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For
stills email: kerry@potoroofilms.com |
Part thriller, part emotional drama, part reflective
essay about memory. The Australian Georgina Willis divides time between the 70s and today,
and stretches artistic formalism to the limits, creating a vibrating universe
where man, nature, time and space look as if their parallel courses intersect.
Opening Nights - AIFF |
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One man,
two women. The past and present collide. What happens when someone kills, but
no-one is guilty?
Long synopsis
Watermark
weaves its way between the 1970s and the present, unravelling the life of Jim
(Jai Koutrae) and the women in it, Catherine (Ruth McDonald) and Louise (Sandra
Stockley).
The events of
Jimís earlier life with Catherine are locked in his memory. Their child is conceived at the waterís
edge. But Catherine loses control.
The child dies. In fleeing
these events, Jim marries Louise and starts his life again. But the past is not forgotten. He will not abandon Catherine.
Louise, ignorant of what has happened,
senses that she is a second choice.
Her impatience to break down Jimís emotional barriers culminates when a
simple mistake forces open a window into another world. Jimís life lurches further and
irretrievably beyond his control.
What happens when someone kills but no-one
is guilty?
Synopsis - court :
Un
homme, deux femmes. Il ya collusion entre le passÈ et le prÈsent. Il a meutre
mais personne níest coupable.
Synopsis - long :
Pour
Jim, le passÈ et le prÈsent sont irrÈconciliables. Jim (Jai Koutrae) est en
proie aux contrechocs que lui inflige son passÈ. Sa femme, Louise, (Sandra
Stockley) ne sait rien sur son passÈ. Ce níest quíý partir du moment o˜ Louise
confronte la rÈalite du monde de Jim, celui de sa vie avec Catherine (Ruth
McDonald), que Jim est alors transportÈ dans son passÈ. Il revit líÈpisode qui
a brisÈ son avenir avec celui de Catherine. Dans líimmÈdiat, il ne peut Èchapper
ý la vÈritÈ qui se fait jour. Certes, il y a meutre, mais personne níest
coupable.
"Flaques
díeau" fair virer et virevolter le spectateur dans les dÈdales trompeurs
de la vie de Jim. Seule Jasmine (Ellouise Rothwell) est capable de percer les
composants de cette vie.
Ce
film, extrÍmement visuel, met en scËne les plages situÈes ý proximitÈ de
Sydney, de ses ocÈans toujours changeants; líaction, elle, síÈtale ý partir des
annÈes 70 jusquíý nos jours.
LíÈvËnement
le plus dÈchirant retrace la rencontre de Jim et de Catherine sur la plage.
Cíest cette image obsÈdante qui le hante et qui montre ce jeune couple
amoureux. Cette vision rÈapparaÓtra plusieurs fois dans le film. Elle poussera
ý la rÈflexion et fera place aux souvernirs difformes.
In
making Watermark, I wanted to take a few risks. I wanted to make
a film that could not be easily be categorised. I set out to make a visual and
reflective film, but also a film with a twist - I wanted to take the audience
on a journey - to let the story unravel, and in a sense to create a disturbance
on film.
Watermark is a film
that reflects on the life of a man, a man whose life is determined by his
relationships with the women in it. Jim is a man who can't put into words what
he has seen - what he has experienced. He is internally tormented, and as his
crisis becomes greater, his silence intensifies. This silence amplifies the
dilemma evident in all the characters. Stylistically, I supported this state of
seeming isolation by making the film an observation of each character. We
observe their feelings and emotions, but also feel great empathy for the
characters and their situation. Occasionally we get a direct view as if through
a window to their inner most thoughts and feelings. At some point in the film,
each character looks directly into the camera - challenging the audience and
confronting them with their personal dilemma. Louise, Jim's wife, does this
through her monologue. She confides in you the audience. She shows you how
close she is to leaping over the emotional edge. Others do so more subtly.
Watermark begins with
a sense of foreboding and even a warning to the audience, much like the chorus
of a Greek tragedy. When Jim and Catherine set out across the water, they have
no sense of what the future will bring. I'm playing with the idea of fate,
challenging the notion that people can create their own destiny. I've drawn on
the ideas explored in Greek tragedies, the role of fate and the essence of
family as the epicentre of extreme emotions.
I
wanted the key scene in Watermark to be poignant yet
confronting. The inevitability of events is unquestioned. The taboo is broken.
The basic dilemma that I wanted to create is the idea that someone can kill, but
no one is guilty. The tragedy plays out, not as a crime, but as a human event.
It is a reflection on emotion, not a drama about guilt and innocence. As such,
I believe that one of the strongest consequences of Catherine's actions is the
effect it has on all of the other relationships in the film. Even though only
Jim and Catherine know what happened, every other relationship is in a sense
determined by Catherine's actions. In this way, her actions allowed me to
explore the idea of love. Jim is still able to love Catherine regardless of
what happened, and focuses his affection for her on the first part of their
life together. The love he feels for Louise, and that she feels for him, is
clouded by his continued love for Catherine.
I
went into the film with an open minded approach to cinematic language, but
wanted to build on the visual language I had developed in my earlier short
films. In all of my work to date, I have focused on the visual elements of film
making. Watermark is very much in this vein, relying on imagery
rather than dialogue to tell the story. To make this work we spent a lot of
time in rehearsal working through the visual, physical elements of the
characters. As a lead character, Jai Koutrae, who plays the role of Jim, relies
on subtle physical expressions as his 'language'. I also looked after the art
direction and visual design of the film to bring the visual language that was
written into the script to the screen.
I
set out to make a film that had a different pace to that found in many English
language films. I enjoyed being able to use techniques such as jump cuts to
create a sense of hyper reality. The use of the rolling dialogue, running lines
over each other to create a rolling stream of words is another way in which we
heighten the drama of the film. I also moved away from using close ups and
instead, present each character in their landscape. An environment can say more
about a person than the words that they use to talk about their situation.
In
editing the film, I took the view that any action captured on film during the
shoot was potentially useable. This includes pieces from sequences such as
camera roll ons and roll offs. I wanted to use this more dynamic approach to
support the reflective style of the film. To me, these images feel like you are
being let into the secret world of the film. They create an immediacy that
draws you in to the scene.
Watermark is set
around the waterways of Sydney. In fact, we worked the scenes around the moods
of the weather and colour of the water, relying on natural beauty rather than,
for example filters, to distort the natural state. I wanted to capture the
light and water that are an integral part of the Australian landscape. I know
that if I have a strong emotion - if something happens in my own life of great
intensity, I'm drawn to the water. In a way, the ocean brings clarity to my
thoughts. I wanted this water imagery to capture the reflective mood of the
film, to capture the emotion of Jim's life.
Watermark - Propos du metteur
en scËne
Jíavoue
quíavec Flaques díeau j’ai pris ÈnormÈment de risques. Jíai voulu
faire un film difficilement classable. Jíai cherchÈ ý exposer la vie díun homme
dont la vie depend des relations qu’il entretient avec les femmes qui
líentourent. Jíai en quelque sorte invitÈ le spectateur ý rÈsoudre líÈnigme en
filigrane du film.
Flaques
díeau montre un homme incapable de dÈcrire par des mots la scËne qui’il
a vue, bref, de raconter son vÈcu. Jim est un homme tourmentÈ qui plus il
síenfonce dans sa crise, plus il síenferme dans son silence. Son silence
amplifie le dilemme dans lequel est aussi emprisonnÈ tout son entourage. Par
souci de style, jíai accentuÈ cet isolement en laissant la camÈra síarrÍter sur
chacun des personnages. Nous les observons ces personnages, scrutons leurs
Èmotions et guettons leurs rÈactions. Nous Èprouvons aussi une certaine gÍne ý
les voir se dÈbattre. Il arrivera parfois de síapprocher de ces Ítres pour
savoir ce quíils pensent, ce quíils ressentent en secret. A un moment donnÈ, on
voit líacteur fixer des yeux líobjectif de la camÈra - comme síil souhaitait
questionner le spectateur pour lui expliquer son dÈsarroi. Louise, la femme de
Jim, se rÈfugiera elle dans le monologue pour expliquer sa situation. Elle síen
remettra ý vous, spectateur et spectatrice. Certains caractËres du film se
dÈvoileront plus subtilement.
Dans
Flaques díeau, on a affaire ý des gens qui ne peuvent et ne veulent pas
síexprimer - surtout quand il síagit de Jim. Nous avons insistÈ pour que
líaction se dÈroule dans une atmosphËre changeante, comparable ý celle que líon
ressent au bord de la mer. Cíest vers la mer que Jim se dirige pour síy confier
et y chercher refuge. Jíavoue que personnellement je fais exactement de mÍme
lorsqu’il m’arrive de traverser des moments particuliËrement pÈnibles. Cíest
pour moi vital et apaisant. DËs les toutes premiËres scËnes du film, on a le
pressentiment que quelque chose va arriver. On a ÈtÈ prÈvenu, tout comme le
fait le choeur dans la tragÈdie grecque. Par exemple, quand on voit Jim et Catherine
marcher ensemble dans líeau, ils ne savent aucunement ce que líavenir leur
rÈservera. Je m’intÈresse volontiers aux gens qui prÈtendent pouvoir dÈcider de
leur destin. Jíai ÈtÈ influencÈe pas les grands thËmes de la tragÈdie antique :
la destinÈe et le rÙle manifeste du cercle familial o˜ tout se joue.
Jíai
essayÈ de reprÈsenter les scËnes-clÈ díune facon poignante voire gÍnante pour
le spectateur. On níest pas sensÈ síinterroger pas sur líinÈvitable. Il níy a
plus de tabou. Líobjectif du film Ètait díoser affirmer que tout individu peut
commettre un meutre sans pour cela en Ítre coupable. Cela revient ý dire que
líon est en prÈsence díune rÈaction humaine plutÙt que díun crime. Dans ce
drame passionnel, il ne síagit nullement de savoir si líaccusÈ est coupable ou
non. Líessentiel est de comprendre les mobiles qui ont poussÈ Catherine et
díestimer quíelles ont ÈtÈ leurs rÈpercussions sur son entourage immÈdiat : sur
ceux prÈcisÈment qui ont subi les consÈquences du comportement de Catherine et
de Jim, qui eux savaient tout. Jíai essayÈ de montrer que les actions de
Catherine níÈtaient pas denuÈes díamour. Jim aime toujours autant Catherine,
malgrÈ tout ce qui síest passÈ. On lía vu au dÈbut de sa vie conjugale avec
Catherine. Toutefois, líamour quíil ressent pour Louise, et rÈciproquement, est
voilÈ par líamour quíil Èprouve encore pour Catherine.
Dans
Flaques díeau cíest avec franchise que je me suis exprimÈe
visuellement, comme líattestent tous mes courts mÈtrages prÈcÈdents. Cette
fois-ci, je líai fait avec encore plus de force. Flaques díeau accentue
l’image par excellence. Cíest le visuel qui líemporte sur le dialogue pour
faire progresser l’action. Je crois que nous avons rÈussi, mais cela nía pas
ÈtÈ sans mal. Il va sans dire, que le film est le rÈsultat díun long et dur
labeur, car jíai voulu ý tout moment insister sur le concret des choses. Par
exemple, Jim Koutrae, líacteur qui joue le role principal dans le film, recourt
ý un tout autre langage pour exprimer le non-dit. Jíai aussi fait en sorte que
la production artistique et visuelle du film renforcent líimage dÈcrite dans le
scenario.
Pour
recrÈer líatmosphËre voulue, jíai evitÈ les gros-plans; je me suis distancÈe
des acteurs pour y inclure le dÈcor auquel ils appartiennent. LíarriËre-plan en
dit plus long sur la personne et est plus rÈvÈlateur que les paroles quíelle
articule.
Mon
film síÈcarte de la norme anglo-saxonne. Jíai traduit les instants cruciaux par
le truchement des "jump cuts". Pour intensifier le drame, jíai fait
chevaucher les phrases les unes sur les autres pour ne pas interrompre le flux
du discours. Autre fait qui surprendra peut-Ítre est que jíai finalement gardÈ
beaucoup de scËnes sur la pellicule du film: celles quíen gÈnÈral líÈditeur
coupe. Elles font partie intÈgrante du film et suggËrent la rÈflexion. Les
images ainsi crÈÈes rÈvËlent tous les secrets du film. Cíest comme si on
laissait le personnage entrer dans le jeu.
Flaques
díeau a pour dÈcor les environs de Sydney et la proximitÈ de líeau. Les
prises de vue capturent le climat, la couleur changeante de líeau, síarrÍtant
ci et lý sur la beautÈ du site que la lentille de líappareil nía pas filtrÈe.
Jíai voulu saisir bien sšr líÈclat inaltÈrÈ de la lumiËre et de líeau qui
singularisent les paysages australiens. En dÈfinitive, líeau joue un rÙle
primordial dans ce film ñ cíest líeau qui, a mon avis, traduit le mieux
líhumeur mÈditative
About Georgina Willis
Georgina
Willis is a young writer/director who has built an international reputation
through her innovative filmmaking. Watermark is Georgina's debut
feature. Watermark is a visually driven drama, that builds on the
style developed in her earlier in short film works. These films range in
approach and subject and include dramas, animations, comedies, narrative and
experimental works. Georgina's films have participated in over 70 international
film festivals. Festivals include the Mill Valley Film, Palm Springs,
Mannheim-Heidelberg, Bilbao, Leeds, Antalya, Brisbane, St Kilda and many more.
They have also screened on Australian television.
As
well as directing and co-writing Watermark, Georgina also set the
direction in visual design for Watermark and photographed her
other films. Georgina's style of filmmaking builds on the strong visual sense
she developed early in her career with her work in painting, photography and
sculpture. Her artwork has been exhibited both in Australia and
internationally. Georgina has degrees in arts and economics. Since 1995,
Georgina has been working with Kerry Rock as one half of the Potoroo Film's
team.
About Kerry Rock
Kerry
Rock joined with Georgina Willis in 1995 to form Potoroo Films. Potoroo Films'
philosophy is to create stylistically individual works on film. Most recently,
Kerry has collaborated with Georgina Willis on their debut feature film Watermark. Kerry
co-wrote and produced Watermark. Prior to Watermark, Kerry
produced a range of short films which have participated in a wide range of
international film festivals. Kerry is currently working with Georgina Willis
on new feature projects. These include Etc Etc, a film about identity
and Detour, a road movie.
"I
was passionate about making Watermark. Georgina and I wrote
the script together and I knew that Georgina had the strong visual sense to
bring it to the screen. I believe that in your first feature film, you can take
a chance and make a strong statement. We had the opportunity to make a film
that was stylistically provocative, but also very emotional and thought
provoking. It is a film with a strong sensibility, but also a level of rawness
that gives it freshness." Kerry Rock
"Watermark was a
challenging film to make. Georgina and I had worked together on six short films
prior to it and we had developed our own approach to film making. We aren't
always conventional in our approach. In the short films, we had no crew. We
haven't been formally trained in film, but we've enjoyed developing a very
individual filmmaking style. Watermark is a reflection of our
history in film and sets the path for our future collaborations." Kerry Rock
"Je
me suis jetÈe corps et ëme sur ce film. Georgina et moi-mÍme avons Ècrit le
scÈnario ensemble. Je sais que Georgina maitrise le visuel avec art et
conviction. A mon avis, et dans tout long mÈtrage, on peut, et surtout quand cíest
son premier, se premettre de prendre un certain risque et de dÈclarer
ouvertement ses points de vue. Nous, nous avons voulu crÈer un film dont le
style dÈrangera certains, sensibilisera d’autres et fera rÈflechir beaucoup. Ce
film ý la fois humain et spontanÈ ñ cíest ce qui fait son originalite"
Il
n’a certes pas ÈtÈ facile de rÈaliser un film tel que Flaques díeau. Jai
toujours travaillÈ en Ètroite collaboration avec Georgina et avons realisÈ
ensemble six autres court-mÈtrages. De cette longe association, est nÈ ce style
cinÈmatographique qui nous est particulier. Nous níavons pas suivi de formation
cinÈmatographique spÈciale; par contre nous avons tirÈ Ènormement de plaisir ý
dÈvelopper un style de prise de vue unique. Flaques díeau rÈsume en
quelque sorte notre expÈrience dans líart du cinÈma et pose dÈja les jalons de
notre future collaboration". (Kerry Rock).
About the cast
Jai
Koutrae, portrays Jim the central character in Watermark. Jai trained
at the Centre for Performing Arts and the College of Dramatic Art. Jai has
performed in theatre in Australia, Hong Kong, London, Ireland and the Middle
East. Watermark is Jai's most significant film role to date.
Prior to Watermark, Jai had been developing his skill in a range
of short films and independent dramas.
"What
I liked about playing Jim was being able to turn the performance inwards,
ensuring that the emotional journey was there without the complication of
dialogue. I identified the points in my mind in the script where Jim had to
reach key emotional peaks and built my performance around that." Jai
Koutrae
"The
young Jim was easy - an enthusiastic, energetic young person in love. It was
more like my own life. In the older Jim, I slowed down held back on impulse. I
felt that I was carrying his emotional turmoil with me, drawing me inwards.
" Jai Koutrae
"Ce
qui m’a surtout attirÈ dans le role de Jim, cíetait le fait de pouvoir
intÈrioriser ce rÙle. Je me suis efforcÈ de parcourir le chemin sentimental
sans pour cela tomber dans le discours compliquÈ. Jíai tout de suite cernÈ les
points saillants du scÈnario qui cherchaient ý mettre en valeur le cÙte
affectif du personnage. Jíai essaye díinterpreter ce rÙle avec toute líenergie
dont je suis capable" - Jai Koutrae (Jim).
"Le
rÙle díun Jim jeune Ètait en fait assez facile ý jouer. Jim est un jeune homme
enthousiaste, turbulent et amoureux. En fin de compte, il se comporte un peu
comme moi. Un Jim plus mšr, est moins impulsif et s’est assagi entre temps.
Dans le film, jíassume carrÈment la condition Èmotionnelle pesante de Jim, et
míincite ý un repli sur moi-mÍme" – Jai Koutrae (Jim).
Sandra
Stockley is Louise, Jim's wife. A graduate of Theatre Nepean, Sandra also
trained with Jacques Lecoq in Paris. Upon completing Watermark, Sandra
directed and performed in her debut play, Gabriel, in New
York. Following this, Sandra moved to London to perform in Crazyblackfuthaf***in’self at London’s
Soho Theatre.
"I
was intrigued by the complexity that Louise develops in a struggle against
invisible forces, which are woven from her husbandís continuous deceit. Louise
lives a half-life and it is her struggle to smash through the illusions of her
marriage that drew me to her. She portrays the dilemma, which I believe many
women inadvertently find themselves in." Sandra Stockley
"To
me, Watermark lives and breathes the internal worlds of its characters.
From Georginaís direction, I always carried a great sense that the sensory
worlds of each character and their relationships with each other were being
portrayed filmically." Sandra Stockley
"C’est
la lutte que mËne Louise contre toutes ces forces invisibles qui mía rendue
vraiment perplexe. Louise, par la complexite de son caractËre, sait dÈfaire la
toile pernicieuse quía tissÈe son Èpoux. Louise passe la moitiÈ de sa vie ý
síinsurger contre les illusions qui caracterise sa vie maritale. Cíest ce qui
mía touchÈe chez elle cíest le dilemme qu’elle affronte et la faille dans
laquelle beaucoup de femmes tombent par mÈgarde" Sandra Stockley (Louise).
"A
mon avis, Flaques díeau ravive et fait ressurgir les mondes intÈrieurs
inexplores jusquíalors. Dans sa mise en scËne, Georgina met en relief, et díune
facon superbe, le monde sensuel dans lequel Èvolue chacun de ses personnages.
Elle dÈpeint leurs comportements ý líÈgard de chacun, tout en adoptant les
rigueurs de líart cinÈmatographique qui síimpose" Sandra Stockley
(Louise).
Ruth
McDonald is Catherine, Jim's early love. Ruth won a drama scholarship at the
age of 13 and has been acting ever since. She trained at the Actors Centre in
London and the National Theatre Drama School in Melbourne. Watermark is Ruth
McDonald's first major film role. Ruth is a versatile actor whose career has
spanned radio, television, commercials, theatre and film. Ruth divides her time
between London and Sydney.
"When
I read the script of Watermark I knew it was going to be a beautiful
film. The story hooked me in and the character of Catherine intrigued me. Her
personal journey through the film is epic and I loved that she was both strong
and vulnerable. This film deals with humanity with all its passion and
frailty". Ruth McDonald
"At
the audition I realised that Georgina and Kerry were extremely passionate about
the way the film would be shot and what they were looking for in their actors.
The excitement and vision they brought to the film was infectious." Ruth
McDonald
"AprËs
avoir lu le scenario, je me suis dit que cela ferait sans aucun doute un trËs
beau film. Líhistoire m’a envoutÈe et le personnage de Catherine mía intriguÈe.
Son parcours dans le film est Èpique et cíest cela justement qui mía emballÈe.
Catherine est ý la fois un personnage fort et vulnÈrable. Ce film reprÈsente
pour moi la nature humaine avec toutes ses passions et dans toute sa
prÈcaritÈ Ruth McDonald
(Catherine).
Quand
jíai rencontrÈ Georgina et Kerry ý líaudition, jíai tres vite remarquÈ quíelles
Ètaient fonciËrement intÈressÈes de tourner un film de ce genre. Pendant toute
la durÈe du tournage, elles ont rÈussi ý insufler cette ardeur aux acteurs. Cet
enthousiame et cette vision qui Èmanent du film, elles ont su nous les
communiquer" - Ruth McDonald (Catherine).
Ellouise
Rothwell, is Jim's daughter, Jasmin. Ellouise is an AFI nominated actor
who began her acting career with training at the Ensemble Studio in Sydney. Watermark
is Ellouise's first major feature film role, and follows her
successful television debut in My Brother Jack.
'Watermark is like a
silent film where the power comes not from dialogue but purely from emotion and
imagery. It is a wonderful place for actors to work from." Ellouise
Rothwell (Jasmin)
directed
by Georgina Willis produced by KERRY ROCK
featuring
JAI KOUTRAE RUTH MCDONALD SANDRA STOCKLEY ELLOUISE ROTHWELL
written
and edited by GEORGINA WILLIS & KERRY ROCK visual imagery and design
GEORGINA WILLIS director of photography PAUL KOLSKY additional director of
photography DAVID PERRY camera assistant BRUNO PIETRZAK original music composed
by ALLYSON NEWMAN sound recordist GRANT BEED sound mixer JON LESLIE hair and
makeup YASMIN BORDER & Natalie Pisano hair colouring and styling ELDAR HUSELJIC
other assistants DAVID DAVIDSON SARAH MCLEOD MICHELLE LEE JEMMA CUMMINGS NIMROD
SZTERN-ADLIDE, ALBA PENNINGER, CAROL CHOW
press
book translated by NICOLE BANNISTER
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