Humility is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of André Øvredal. While the man is humble, he is ablaze with creativity and a distinctive voice. However, it was I that was humbled recently when interviewing Øvredal. I had asked for the ability to record a video interview via ZOOM to share with you all. I was even given an extra 10 minutes with my subject. My fatal flaw was a trust in technology and my choice to download the interview to an external hard drive. In a split second the previous 20 minutes going over André Øvredal‘s new film MORTAL, his techniques in writing and directing, his rules of thumb for any new filmmaker, they all vanished. The video file was gone and all that I had left to share were my recollections of a brilliant conversation. This left me humbled in the worst way. So, I am left to bring you my impressions, memories, and paraphrasing of a chat with André Øvredal, one of today’s more exciting filmmakers.
I had just viewed MORTAL the night before. Øvredal‘s new film follows a Norweigian/American Eric (Nat Wolff) who discovers that he might be a descendant of Norse Gods. After being taken in by the police Eric is thrust onto a journey of self-discovery and heroic adventure. You can read our full review here.
As Øvredal and I began our ZOOM call, it was apparent that there were no aires about him. A polite Scandanavian, his humor is light, his demeanor courteous, and his words chosen wisely. We exchange the usual acknowledgment of the exhaustive pandemic and we begin.
MORTAL was a project that Øvredal began to develop just before he joined the production of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark with Guillermo del Toro. Of Del Toro, Øvredal explained that he learned so much from the Mexican auteur. “What is striking about him is his humanity,” explained Øvredal. “He could be in the most stressful situation and he never fails to take the time to give each and every person his attention.” We asked if Øvredal would do another movie with Del Toro and he said, “Are you kidding? I would do anything with him. I’d go get his coffee.” We finished that bit up with Øvredal confirming that they are in pre-production for Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark 2. So, did you hear that everyone? The sooner we get through this pandemic, the sooner we get more Scary Stories. Your call.
What always strikes me about Øvredal‘s films is his ability to marry the fantastic with grounded reality. Be it Norwegians hunting trolls, an autopsy gone horribly wrong, or in this case, a loner who might be a Norse god, we have a sort of stable approach to chaos and adventure. “With any of my movies, I only do one big ASK of the audience,” explained Øvredal. “You can’t ask for an audience to follow you beyond that.” In the case of Trollhunters; Trolls exist. The Autopsy of Jane Doe; A cursed corpse. MORTAL; we have a man with superhuman powers. He explained that this is key in holding the audience and taking them along for the ride no matter how fantastic things get.
Øvredal’s advice to filmmakers is to keep going and use the time that we are facing right now very wisely. As he spoke with me via video from some other part of the globe he explained that artists never stop creating. They just don’t. As we head into what might be another year of fighting COVID on a global scale his advice is to create how you can right now and be ready.
So it is here that I thanked Øvredal for his time, his kindness, and most of all the amazing films that we have seen from him so far. Then the technical fail of all fails occurred and I lost the ability to share the full conversation with you all. If there is a feeling that I could leave you with it is that Øvredal is one of the more exciting directors to appear on the scene in years. It’s not just because he plays in our genre of choice, it’s because he knows what storytelling is and its importance. Again, I urge anyone who is into superhero or adventure movies to see his latest MORTAL. It plays like the first act of a much larger adventure and I would love to see the rest. You might just agree.
