The Friend is that stormy night you want the lights on in the entire house. There's someone outside you don't want to let in. Only to find out there is probably something inside you would like to get out.
The Friend is a good little jump film. The photography work creates a setting that you smack in the middle of the scene. It is something you can slip into between some other viewing to give yourself that little jolt.
Synopsis:Strange things happen in Ellie's House...
Fabien Montagner, the director, shares some insights into the inspiration for making The Friend and some information on other projects he is working on. He also tells what motivated him into becoming a film maker and what he likes to do otherwise.
What was the inspiration for The Friend?
I have often told myself that if I were to make only one feature film in my life, it would certainly be a fantasy film. That is because it is still a genre where everything is possible and is rich cinematographically speaking!
One day I read a collection by the Belgian author, Frédéric Livyns, called Amy's Tales. I was looking for a good source of inspiration to try to put together a fantasy story. I love paranormal stories such as Alejandro Amenabar's The Othersand James Wan's Insidious. Signs, spirits and mediums all fascinate me because they touch upon existential questions…I am very sensitive to the world of the invisible, it fascinates me. I did a little bit of spiritualism when I was younger and it left a deep impression on our place here and my relationship to the world of the dead.
In Frédéric Livyns' collection there was a short story titled The Friend, which touches on subjects that spoke to me—a ghost, relations between adults and children, a special house etc. So, I contacted Frédéric spontaneously and three years later we have managed to put together a longer version of the story.
We now need to "sell" our know-how to people who might want to finance our script. I made this very short film, The Friend, to help with that.
What project(s) do you have coming up you're excited about?
My first objective is therefore to make this first feature film. It is already a long and complicated work to convince people, partners and fundraisers to believe in the potential of our stories.
What was your early inspiration for pursuing a career in film?
As a child I was fascinated by American fantasy and science fiction films. Spielberg and Zemeckis for example. Cinema was always an escape from reality that was often less fun. I was a child who often needed to dream and with a good imagination, I thought that living out his dreams in pictures should be a nice job.
What would be your dream project?
I would dream of making a film that would happen in space. A spaceship in the middle of the universe. Space is a world that fascinates and terrifies me at the same time, that brings us back to our condition as insignificant beings. And at the same time, this immensity and this unknown, we may be the only beings to approach it... we are small but we can be great.
What are some of your favorite pastimes when not working on a movie?
I like reading, playing sports, going to the theatre and playing with my children... It keeps me busy the rest of the time!
What is one of your favorite movies and why?
Difficult question... there are so many... I'll try to be original: I have a particular affection for Contact by Robert Zemeckis. The film raises such existential questions about our place in the universe, our relationship to religions, faith and science, all wrapped in a first-class achievement, that it is inescapable to me.
You can find out more about The Friend on
And you can watch it on YouTube (link)
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