Erstellt am: 20. 7. 2012 - 10:40 Uhr

Ohne L’Amour geht gar nichts

Starautor Frédéric Beigbeder spricht anlässlich seines Regiedebüts "Das verflixte 3. Jahr" über Liebe, Sex und andere französische Spezialthemen.

Zynisch, pessimistisch, berauscht von Marschierpulver und Quickies in verkachelten Nachtclubtoiletten: So stellt man sich die Protagonisten eines Films von Frédéric Beigbeder vor. In der kein plakatives Klischee scheuenden Leinwand-Adaption seines Werbeagentur-Schockers „39,90“, realisiert vom belgischen Bilderstürmer Jan Kounen, dreht sich tatsächlich alles nur um Sex, Drugs und Menschenverachtung.

Jetzt legt der Pariser Erfolgsautor sein Debüt als Regisseur vor und überrascht zunächst: Ausgerechnet eine leichtfüßige romantische Komödie, maßgeschneidert auf die Zielgruppe junger Pärchen, präsentiert uns das Enfant Terrible Beigbeder.

So ganz ohne Sarkasmus kommt „Das verflixte 3. Jahr“ (L’amour dure trois ans) dann aber doch nicht aus. Marc Marronier, der Antiheld des Films (Gaspar Proust), hat gerade eine dreijährige Ehe hinter sich, die ihn grundsätzlich an Beziehungen zweifeln lässt. Mitten im ärgsten, alkoholgetränkten Selbstmitleid schreibt der schriftstellernde Literaturkritiker einen Roman über seinen Frauenfrust. So wie der echte Frédéric Beigbeder, der mit Marc Marronier bereits 1997 ein autobiografisches Alter Ego kreiert hat.

Polyfilm

Nach drei Jahren ist jede Liebe vergangen und die ursprüngliche Anziehung garantiert verblasst, stellt Marronier (alias Beigbeder) in Buch und Film eine strenge Regel auf. Weil „Das verflixte 3. Jahr“ aber kein ersthaftes Beziehungsdrama, sondern eben eine französelnde RomCom ist, tritt eine bezaubernde Frau in das Leben des grantelnden Bohemiens. Marc verliebt sich Hals über Kopf in die schöne Alice (Louise Bourgoin) und möchte seinen Macho-Bestseller ungeschehen lassen. Aber dafür ist es zu spät, der literarische Erfolg torpetiert das romantische Verhältnis.

Die Gratwanderung zwischen berührenden Momenten und flapsigen Pointen gelingt Beigbeder im Kino nur stellenweise. Wie in seinen Büchern kommt die poppige Oberflächlichkeit dem angepeilten Tiefsinn öfter in die Quere. Als sommerlich-leichtes Kinovergnügen funktioniert der Film aber durchaus.

Und man muss dem 47-jährigen Franzosen zusätzlich zu Gute halten, dass er mit seinem Leinwanddebüt zumindest die Erwartungshaltung mancher engstirniger Fans unterläuft. Was Frédéric Beigbeder übrigens auch in Persona tut. Statt der befürchteten Arroganz eines verkoksten Popliteratur-Schnösels sitzt der Wiener Journalistenkollegin und mir ein extrem charmanter, verbal übersprudelnder Mann gegenüber, der noch dazu gleich die üblich chauvinistischen Sprachhürden ignoriert. „Of cöurse, i do speak fluently english“, leitet Beigbeder grinsend das Interview ein, „do you want some wodka or whiskey before?“

Polyfilm

Some people would expect a dark and cynical debut from you, but you did kind of the opposite...

Frédèric Beigbeder: Well, there was a movie made after "99 Francs" by Jan Kounen and it was very dark and I thought it was more surprising to make a romcom. But it’s very French, so there’s cynicism in the dialogue and it’s making fun of the normal romantic structure. You know, the guy meets the girl, they hate each other and than they kiss and they split and than they meet again. All the movies I like, like "Annie Hall" or "The Shop Around The Corner", they all have the same structure. So what I did, because it’s my first film, I used this structure and I put everything I like inside: Michel Legrand, Shakespeare, Charles Bukowski, the music I like, the places I like in Paris or in the southwest of France.

But what was the reason behind this movie?

When you make your first film and you are an old man like me, it’s better to follow the rules. It helps not to be totally ridiculous with your first film. For my next film maybe I’ll be more crazy. If I go and start to reinvent cinema, then I’ll make a shitty first film. And because I’m scared, I did this film. It is the film of a scared director.

The lie is in the center of the romantic comedy genre - isn’t it schizophrenic since it is so important for you to discuss the lies of consumerism?

Yeah, well, the film is about writing a novel with a title that creates problems. So it’s about the publishing business and the character of the publisher is based on personal experience. It`s also an angry film against romanticism and how it is used to make people think about love in a nonrealistic way. "Love lasts three years" is the translation of the original French title and people talk about that a lot. "You think everyone hates each other after three years?" And I like when films or books create discussion or debate.

Polyfilm

The book was published almost fifteen years ago, have your views changed in the meantime?

The film is very different from the book. It is more the film of a forty-year-old. There is more distance. The book is more angry, sad and depressed, very pessimistic. Today I have grown up a little bit and I am a wise old man. And I know that love is of course very difficult, painful and complicated. But if you think that love does not exist or it is impossible - it’s better to kill yourself. I think of love as the strongest drug. I’m addicted like Robert Palmer. I don’t wanna go to rehab.

What do you think today about the 3 years rule?

I’m scared because I’m in my second year with my girlfriend. So every day I’m scared that I or she will leave. But I think it’s good when you’re scared. It’s important to be scared.

But the term "self fulfilling prophecy", it can be very true…

So you think I was doomed because I wrote this book and now my life is obeying my own prophecy? I think you’re right. That’s exactly what happened. I could never stay for more than three years with anyone. Except my daughter. Even my cat left me after three years. It’s very sad.

Polyfilm

Do you prefer the isolation of writing or the teamworking spirit of movie making?

I don’t prefer anything. I love to be alone. I think sometimes it is great to be alone in your house, doing nothing except writing, with the wind in your hair, haha. Cinema is like having sixty people around you, they all have ideas, they’re always changing what you wrote. If you accept this, it’s great. It’s great to have sixty different brains working on the same story. But at first it’s a little bit surprising. I thought I would be god on the set. But I was just the director and everybody’s making suggestions all the time. And they are always right. If you don’t listen to them the movie will be horrible. And I’m not a film director, I’m an author learning a new language, so I was listening. Especially to the actors. Many times they wanted to change the lines and it was okay for me. Yes, I know, it’s weird to hear that actors have brains.

Back to the center of your film: Is there also the idea, that friendship between man und woman doesn’t work?

I don’t believe in friendship with women, it’s true. I have one good friend who is a girl and I didn’t have sex with her. But she was the girlfriend of one of my best friends for a long time. So she was not possible. And now we are good friends. But it is very rare. In my film, when Alice says to Marc that they could be friends, I don’t think she believes it. I think it’s bullshit.

But why do women always try to have such friendships and guys disagree?

Because maybe guys want to have sex with the girl. And the girl wants to talk. Before. Haha. Girls don’t want to be desired only for their body or their pretty face. They want to be understood and desired for their deep thoughts and the beauty inside. But sometimes you’re attracted to a girl just because she’s pretty and you sleep with her and you want her to leave very quickly afterwards. It’s true. I know it sounds bad, but I prefer to say it. Haha. It’s a message to the women who read this: After the sex, please leave the room. Go away.

Polyfilm

Without spoiling too much: The ending of the movie is not very different from typical romantic comedies. Do you believe those characters will stay together after three years?

I don’t know the answer. What I like, when I see a Woody Allen film or read novels by Francoise Sagan or Goethe, is: They ask questions but they don’t answer them. That’s very convenient for an artist because you can say: Love lasts three years. It’s fucked up. But you can fall in love and I don’t know in the end. Politicians have to find solutions to problems. We don’t. That’s cool.

Do you have already ideas for another movie project?

Yes. In fact, your first question was about the darkness and that I’m a very mean and cruel and sadistic person. I’m working now on a film much more violent. So that my crazy gothic fans will be pleased.

You have crazy gothic fans?

Yeah, I have a lot of fans in S&M. They send me coffins with my picture in it. Or have my picture on the wall with darts in it. In Russia I met one girl who had tattoos with sentences from my book “99 Francs” on her body. She wanted me to sign with a marker on her breasts. Which I did of course.

Polyfilm