Melanie Laurent, the French actress and filmmaker known for her roles in films like 'Inglourious Basterds' and 'Now You See Me,' has spent a decade trying to bring her passion project 'Freedom' to the screen. The film, a biographical crime drama inspired by the life of Bruno Sulak, finally premieres on Prime Video on November 1. But the journey to get it made was fraught with obstacles, many of which Laurent attributes to her gender.
'Freedom' tells the story of Bruno Sulak, a notorious French thief who became a folk hero in the 1970s and early 1980s. Unlike other gangsters of his era, Sulak never used real guns, relied on charm and cunning, and was known for his poetic and romantic nature. He robbed jewelry stores, including Cartier twice in one week, and escaped from prison multiple times. Yet his story had been largely forgotten by the time Laurent discovered it through Philippe Jaenada's biography 'Sulak,' released in 2014.
As Laurent explains, 'It had all those crazy elements for a movie. And I just asked myself, 'That's weird (it hasn't been made yet),' because he was public enemy number one for so long.' She recognized the cinematic potential immediately, but when she first tried to get the film off the ground, she was met with skepticism. '10 years ago, big French directors wanted to direct the movie after the book arrived. Nobody trusted me at that period of time to make a movie like this because I was coming from auteur movies, smaller movies, and I was a female director. Everything was wrong on paper.'
The resistance she faced is emblematic of a larger issue in the French film industry, where female directors are often pigeonholed into smaller, auteur-driven projects. Laurent notes that in France, 'if you are coming from auteur movies, you are not going to have a big budget for having an action movie. You have to prove yourself.' The catch-22 is that without the opportunity to direct a big-budget film, women can never prove they are capable of handling one. This is in stark contrast to the American industry, where small independent directors are often given the chance to helm major franchises based on their creative vision.
Laurent credits streaming platforms like Netflix and Prime Video for breaking down some of these barriers. 'I did 'The Mad Women's Ball' on Prime, and that was my first success. And then I did 'Wingwomen' on Netflix, which was an action movie with a big budget,' she says. 'All of this trust from streaming platforms to make something bigger and international helped me be free today and say to theaters and streamers, 'This is the next movie I want to make.'' For Laurent, these platforms represent an 'American spirit' of meritocracy that values talent over tradition.
Despite the eventual green-light, Laurent still faced challenges unique to being a woman in a male-dominated field. She notes that the film's protagonist, Bruno Sulak, was 'more feminine than masculine as a gangster,' which may have contributed to his being overlooked by history in favor of more violent criminals like Jacques Mesrine. Laurent sees a parallel between Sulak’s forgotten legacy and her own struggle for recognition. 'That was almost a philosophical question in the first place,' she says. 'Why did history and society forget about interesting ones, and we only remember the crazy ones?'
The film, which Laurent describes as 'almost like a rom-com' meets 'Bonnie and Clyde,' focuses more on Sulak's relationship with his girlfriend and getaway driver Annie, played by newcomer Léa Luce Busato, than on the heists themselves. This emphasis on romance and character-driven storytelling is a deliberate choice that Laurent believes a male director might not have made. Lucas Bravo, the 'Emily in Paris' star who plays Sulak, agrees. 'Most of the gangster movies are shot by men, and Mélanie brought a completely different approach. She made it a love story with robberies in the back. The robberies are not central,' he says. 'The same script in a man's hands would have been way more about the robberies.'
Bravo, who was eager to shed his 'sexy chef' image from 'Emily in Paris,' found in Laurent a director who saw beyond his typecasting. 'Women directors allowed me to break out of what could have been something very closed, because they see more. They're more perceptive,' he says. Laurent purposely wanted to take Bravo out of his comfort zone, giving him a complex role that required equal parts charm and danger. To prepare, Bravo studied prison recordings of Sulak, read his poems and essays, wore the same perfume, and created a playlist to channel the character. He also had only five days between wrapping another film where he played a serial rapist, making the transition psychologically challenging. Laurent's directorial style, which allowed for improvisation and spontaneity, helped him find the balance.
The production itself was a whirlwind, with only seven weeks of pre-production and a rapid shooting schedule. Laurent, who also co-wrote the script with Chris Deslandes, prioritized capturing the sense of being on the run with the characters. 'I got in the car with them with the camera, which men (directors) couldn't (due to their stature),' she says, echoing an experience similar to that of fellow French director Claire Denis, who climbed into a trunk for a scene in 'Stars at Noon' because she was the only one who could fit.
Looking ahead, Laurent is working on a script about 'two very opposite women in different cultures who need to transfer rage into peace,' reflecting her desire to explore themes of empathy and resilience. Her adaptation of Kristin Hannah's novel 'The Nightingale,' which was set to star Dakota and Elle Fanning, was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic and has not yet been revived. As for the possibility of directing a James Bond film, which would make her the first female director in the franchise's history, Laurent is both flattered and realistic. 'You are the second person to ask me that today. That is insane,' she says. 'I never even dreamed about it.' But given her track record of perseverance, it's not out of the question.
'Freedom' is now available for streaming exclusively on Prime Video, offering audiences a refreshing take on the gangster genre that prioritizes humanity and romance over violence. For Laurent, the film represents a personal triumph after a decade of fighting for trust and recognition. 'It just makes me feel like we changed, and something happened in those 10 years for female directors,' she says. While the battle for gender equality in cinema is far from over, Laurent’s success with 'Freedom' is a testament to the power of persistence and the importance of telling stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment News