Interview with Julien Lange concerning his latest video, Viridis.
Black Crows : Why this title Viridis ?
Julien : It is the scientific name for a plant used in the making of ayahuasca (Psychotria viridis, Ed.). The subject derives from this plant and the hallucinations caused by its consumption.
Black Crows : How did you arrive at the idea of making this film which is a little strange and unclassifiable ?
Julien : To be frank, last winter, we filmed the project Visions with Black Crows and at the end of the season I found myself with a stack of images and I had to do something with them. So I did the opposite of the usual with a scenario imagined backwards. It is not how I prefer working, it is a lot more interesting to work on your film in continuity. But, finally, I am pleased with the result.
Black Crows : And, why this concept of linking a x²film to a shamanic plant ?
Julien : It was while talking to someone about DMT (Dimethyltryptamine, Ed.) and the fact that we all naturally possess it in our bodies. This correspondence between our body and a molecule that we can consume interested me. I have read quite a lot of things and discovered that there were a lot of interpretations which travel in parallel dimensions, real or unreal. Even if I have never tried this type of thing, I think that psychedelic trips could lead to other dimensions. This gave me the concept with which to begin.
Black Crows : So… You went to take ayahuasca in Peru.
Julien : No, once I had imagined the concept for the film, I decided to film an introduction in Indonesia where I was planning to go. I already had the idea by the end of the winter.
Black Crows : What reception has it had? This affects a sensitive field even if it is only a work of fiction.
Julien : I am unable to gage people’s honesty, but I have had some good feedback. They have said that it is different, and that is a great compliment because that is what I was looking to do, produce something new. It has also been selected for the IF3 in the short-film category. That’s quite rewarding.
Black Crows : Weren’t you afraid of criticism, of a certain complacency, towards ill-perceived substances ?
Julien : No, I used this means as the initiator of the film, by I stayed very abstract. My goal was neither explanatory nor an incentive. He drinks a drink, he has visions and I played with special effects. Besides, this doesn’t necessarily want to make you drink that drink.
Black Crows : Ayahuasca is also called liana of the dead, of the soul or of the spirits. Does this have anything to do with a tribute to your mother who recently passed away ?
Julien : No none, it is true to say that I didn’t even think about it. No, simply my mother was one of the first people to read this scenario and she liked it.
Black Crows : And this season, with a project that you have been able to prepare in advance, what is the concept ?
Julien : I don’t want to say too much, but it is a story of opposition and symmetry.
