Patricia Rozema’s first comedy feature, “I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing,” screened at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, where it won the Prix de la Jeunesse. It then opened the Toronto International Film Festival. Her other credits include “When Night is Falling,” “Mansfield Park,” and “Into The Forest.” She won an Emmy for writing and directing a Yo-Yo Ma/Bach film, “Six Gestures.” “Anne with an E” and “Mozart in the Jungle” are among her TV credits.
“Mouthpiece” will premiere at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival on September 6.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
PR: Lena Dunham meets Charlie Kaufman. A grown-up “Inside Out.” A fierce millennial woman is radicalized upon the sudden death of her mother.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
PR: It’s emotionally honest and free and timely.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
PR: I’d like them to think, “Wow, she’s so talented. How does she do it? It’s almost magical.” That kind of thing. Also, maybe they’ll think about how amazing my co-writers and stars, Norah Sadava and Amy Nostbakken, are too.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
PR: Aside from the typical time and money issues we’ve all come to know and love, I found balancing all the very different forms of storytelling, so it wouldn’t feel like a pizza with too many toppings, challenging too. Also keeping the tone somewhere that allows for pleasure in the absurd but also sorrow.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
PR: Telefilm Canada, Breaking Barriers Film Fund, Ontario Media Development Corporation, tax credits, and the startling generosity of several artistically sensitive private investors who trusted my judgement. This last piece allowed us to make it without selling off territories in advance.
First Generation Films’ Christina Piovesan and Jennifer Shin came on as producers with me. I started a new production company called Crucial Things with this movie.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
PR: I think it’s a virus. Some people just need to transform their emotions into some other form in order to understand them.
I also have a terrible memory, so I have a burning need to capture what I find beautiful, new, or necessary.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
PR: Best advice: Auguste Renoir said, “Make it simple but bursting at the seams.”
The worst advice doesn’t bear repeating.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
PR: Love the doing. Draw from life, not from other people’s life or art. Take the thing you are criticized for and amplify that.
The reaction to the film is generally — except for this movie — the same as the reaction to the script. So get that right.
Focus only on the goal. Look past the barriers. Ignore assumptions about your gender. Don’t waste valuable artistic time worrying about the sexism all around you. Just get it made.
And as my dad, an ally before we had a name for such things, always said, “Don’t let it beat you.”
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
PR: “The Piano” by Jane Campion. Not until I saw that and was entirely moved and affirmed by it did I even notice that all of my cinematic heroes had been only men.
W&H: Hollywood and the global film industry are in the midst of undergoing a major transformation. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?
PR: I’m being invited in a genuine and enthusiastic way to a seat at the table with the “real” filmmakers. I welcome it and am thankful to all the women and men who spoke up to help create this brave new world. But sometimes I want to say, “Where the hell were you when I was 30?”
On that note, “Mouthpiece” touches on the tragedy of missed potential.
