Berlinale interview: ‘Honey Bunch' - Deconstructing love in darkness
What would you for love? We sit down with Canadian filmmakers Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli to talk about their follow-up to 2020's 'Violation' – 'Honey Bunch', a haunting and strangely tender deconstruction of all the things we believe to be love and devotion.
ADVERTISEMENT
Violation directors and now partners in real life Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli bring their sophomore feature Honey Bunch to this year's Berlinale.
After their gory and relentlessly scarring feature debut, the Canadian filmmakers deliberately tone down the gore and have love on the mind. Not that Honey Bunch is a rom com by any means. Darkness prevails.
Set in the 70s, the film stars Grace Glowicki as Diana, a young woman trying to piece together her fragmented memories after being in coma. Her attentive husband, Homer, played by Ben Petrie, drives her to a remote clinic which specialises in cutting-edge treatments to restore memory. However, as the medical therapy progresses, Diana experiences haunting visions and finds herself becoming suspicious of Homer's true intentions. She must confront the possibility that her recovery may threaten to unravel a sinister truth about her marriage.
Honey Bunch also stars Jason Isaacs and Kate Dickie, and the film is a retro-futurist retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, which creepily and tenderly deconstructs common ideas of love. Most of all, it asks the question: How far would you go to be with "The One"? If such a thing exists.
We sat down with Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli to talk about the limits of devotion, what commitment truly means, and how 70s films like Don't Look Now shaped their vision for their terrific second film together. Oh, and the joys of taxidermy.
Euronews Culture: Your previous film, Violation , was a powerful and incredibly dark film about trauma and sexual abuse, and what struck me with Honey Bunch is that while it deals with a certain form of abuse, this is a love story – almost the flip-side to Violation .
Dusty Mancinelli: You're right, and without spoiling anything, Honey Bunch was born out of the fact that Violation was so dark.
Madeleine Sims-Fewer: Both these films are extremely personal to us. Violation dealt with some of our own traumas and we wanted to make something that was again personal with Honey Bunch . But also something that people would want to watch again! Because Violation is not one you watch again – and rightly so. It's a tough film and we understand when people come out of it and say 'We loved it, but we'd never watch it again.' It leaves you kind of depleted, and we wanted to do something for our next film that that showed who we are again, but that we also do have a sense of humour! (Laughs) We didn't just want to be the trauma filmmakers but wanted to explore a different part of ourselves.
DM: We ended up becoming a couple and we wanted to explore our past relationships and breakups - why they didn't work and the idea of love and devotion.
MS-F: And what devotion and committing to someone really means. It's easy to make a commitment at the beginning, and then you start to realize what that truly means - to go through all the ups and downs with someone. It can be quite horrifying at times.
DM: Like this idea of the one true love of your life – that's just not a real thing for us, and what we've learned as we've gotten older is that love ebbs and flows, and it's about renewing your commitment to the one you love in those down points of relationships. And accepting your partner for who they were, who they are, and who they're going to be.
The film deals with this theme of commitment but through grief – it asks that very universal question: What would I do if I lost you?
DM: There is a selfishness there. Not being able to let go of the person that you love is very selfish and very challenging. It's something I think a lot of people can relate to and that's why Homer's journey becomes very interesting. Eventually he does learn how to let go, but it takes him on a very twisted journey.
MS-F: Also, when you're with someone for a really long time, you change over the course of your life. You become several different people. And if that person next to you isn't with you on that ride, and they expect you to be the person you were right at the beginning – there's a metaphor in there with the character of Diana... But we won't spoil things too much for your readers!
I loved the dialogue in this film, specifically the back-and-fourths in the car between the central couple. As a filmmaking couple and a couple in real life, how much of those conversations are ones you both had together? ADVERTISEMENT
DM: That's the only way we know how to write anything – we draw from our own personal experiences. Funnily enough, I'm more Diana than Homer!
MS-F: I'm definitely more Homer! Sometimes when we're writing dialogue, I'd turn a little recorder on and then improvise a scene. I would be Homer and Dusty would be Diana.
DM: Ultimately they're conversations we've had about our own relationship, about our own ideas in love.
MS-F: And then Ben and Grace, who play Homer and Diana, are also a couple. They're married in real life, and that was really important to us because you have to buy into their relationship, to buy into that connection. ADVERTISEMENT
DM: There's this moment in the film, a dinner scene early on... And he's looking at her with so much love. And that's just real love you're seeing there on screen. It's hard to act that.
MS-F: We had lots of conversations with them, too, about relationships and about these kinds of topics. There were still moments of improvisation and spontaneity in the moment, but we had a chance to kind of workshop it all.
You're also working with two British acting legends here - Jason Isaacs and Kate Dickey – how did that collaboration come about?
MS-F: I saw Red Road when I was in drama school, and it was my favourite performance that I'd ever seen. So Kate was always someone that we were hoping to work with. We managed to get her the script and I think she really liked that the character was someone who she hadn't played before. She plays a lot of villainous characters... ADVERTISEMENT
Her character's relationship with her husband is very moving – of the three main relationships in the movie, that was maybe the one that touched me the most.
MS-F: Oh that's good. All three relationships are all quite distinct. I'm really glad that we stuck to our guns with that, because there were times when there was a bit of pressure to remove part of the relationship that moved you.
DM: What I like about it is that each relationship allows different audiences to connect with the relationship that, for whatever reason, speaks to them the most. And you seem to have connected more with that one – which may say something about you...
I haven't explored that yet, but I will get around to it. I wanted to ask you about the visuals in this film, which are very retro. And naturally so, since the film is set in the 70s. But there's this greenish hue that bathes the film and contributes to this Daphne du Maurier atmosphere. Can you tell me more about this vintage aesthetic? ADVERTISEMENT
DM: We're huge fans of films from the 70s, and setting the film in that era was really exciting to us. We wanted the film to feel like it was actually made in that time, so we did a lot of testing and found actual lenses from that period. So we were shooting with the lenses used in Taxi Driver , Barry Lyndon – using those actual tools from the era.
MS-F: That was really exciting for us. To restrict how we filmed it.
DM: And to use restrictions in terms of technology, as well as camera movements. In fact, there's a drone shot in the move and it's too smooth. So we added some shake to it, because back in the 70s you could only film those shots from a helicopter. We need to add this kind of roughness to it.
MS-F: There's also something about films in the 70s - Don't Look Now , Wicker Man ... Back then it would have been called horror, but now, they wouldn't be called horror. They'd be psychological thrillers. We wanted to make a film like that where it's kind of genre-less in a way, or genre mash-up that doesn't have to sit firmly in the horror category. For example, Don't Look Now has that well of deep grief and it's really about exploring this relationship. It's got some very sweet moving scenes as well as scenes that unsettle you and scare you. ADVERTISEMENT
I'm trying to skirt around the twists and reveals, but the film also has a science-fiction aspect to it – a technology which doesn't fit in the 70s setting – and it reminded me of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone... Specifically one visual which called back the episode The Masks...
DM: Nice reference. I can see why, but Eyes Without A Face and The Elephant Man were both references for us.
MS-F: And the visual you're referring to – we wanted there to be a sweetness to that character...
That character is both heartbreaking and pivotal, as she reframes perceptions. You toy with sympathies in a lot in this film, because film history has always taught us to suspect the husband but what initially seems manipulative or shady is in fact the desperate act of a doting man... ADVERTISEMENT
DM: We knew we wanted to make a genre film but at the same time turn some tropes on their head. We wanted to take the things you expect and use it against you in a way. To misdirect the audience and it helps us recontextualise characters, something we're very interested in doing in all of our work. And you can actually watch the film now for a second time and completely read it differently and see it differently because you're not bringing any of your own baggage to interpreting why Homer is crying on other side of the bed, for example. Is something horrific going to happen? What has he done? You realize: Oh, he's actually grieving.
MS-F: Good answer! (Laughs)
Finally, considering the film does delve into what a couple would be willing to do to show or push the limits of their love, what would be your limits? The eternal ice cream headache – or would you go to the same extremes as Homer - that shall not be spoiled?
DM: Oh my god, let me tell you – Madeleine was like: 'When you die, can I taxidermy you?' (Laughs) ADVERTISEMENT
Genius! In a pose?
MS-F: Definitely in a pose! (Laughs)
DM: I said no, that's too creepy. And she's like: 'Well, can I turn you into a jacket?' You want to wear me? That's disgusting! So we've landed on: She can eat a little bit of me. I'm dead, so I don't care. But she must do it quickly before the cops find out!
And what about you, Madeleine? ADVERTISEMENT
MS-F: There's no limit. Dusty, you can taxidermy me if you want!
Honey Bunch premiers at the 75th Berlin Film Festival in the Berlinale Special section.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
5 days ago
- Euronews
Why has Auschwitz Museum created a digital replica of the death camp?
Due to conservation protection, shooting films at the Auschwitz site is not possible. In order to meet the needs of filmmakers, the Auschwitz Museum has made a digital replica, which was created "out of the growing interest of directors in the history of the German camp," explains Bartosz Bartyzel, a spokesman for the museum, in an interview with Euronews Culture. Euronews Culture: Where did the idea to create a digital replica of Auschwitz come from? Bartosz Bartyzel: The Auschwitz Museum has been working with filmmakers for many years - both documentary filmmakers and feature film directors. However, due to the conservation protection of the authentic Memorial Site, it is not possible to shoot feature films at the site. The idea to create a digital replica was born out of the need to respond to the growing interest in the history of the Auschwitz German camp in cinema and the daily experience of dealing with the film industry. This tool offers an opportunity to develop this cooperation in a new, responsible and ethical formula. Why is a replica necessary? B.B.: The regulations in force at the Memorial preclude the possibility of shooting feature films on the authentic and protected site of the former camp. However, filmmakers - especially those who want to reach for more narrative forms - need a space that allows them to tell the story faithfully. With a digital replica, they can do this without compromising the integrity of the historic site. Were filmmakers consulted with before the implementation? B.B.: In fact, it was the day-to-day collaboration with filmmakers and the production needs and challenges they reported that inspired the project. The idea was not detached from reality - on the contrary, it was born out of specific conversations, experiences and questions that had been coming from the creative community for years. Who was involved in the creative process? How long did it last? B.B.: The Picture from Auschwitz project is a joint initiative of the Auschwitz Museum, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and a team of technology specialists led by Maciej Żemojcin. The very concept crystallised over several months in the course of joint work and discussions. The technical team used the most advanced spatial scanning technologies to create a digital replica of the Auschwitz I camp. At the moment, the Foundation is making efforts to raise the funds needed to continue the project - to create a digital replica of the grounds of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, as well as the interiors of some of the buildings. What reactions did you receive after the announcement of the creation of the replica? B.B.: The reactions were definitely positive - both from the film community, which sees this as a viable and professional working tool, and from the general public, for whom this is an opportunity to learn about history in a deeper and more authentic way through the medium of film. The project has also been recognised in international debate, including at the Marché du Film in Cannes. Are there already willing filmmakers who will benefit from the replica? B.B.: We have already started discussions with the first filmmakers who have expressed an interest in collaborating using the digital replica. The details of these projects remain at the agreement stage for the time being, but we hope to be able to provide more information on the first productions soon. How has this project been funded and what will it take to sustain it? B.B.: The creation of the replica is financed by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation from earmarked donations made by private donors. The Foundation is seeking funds to continue the project. Its assumption is that ultimately the maintenance and development of the programme will be financed through licence fees paid by film producers who will use the materials within the Virtual Film Location. This way, the project will become a self-financing tool, simultaneously supporting the educational and commemorative mission of the Memorials. What difficulties have arisen in implementing the project? B.B.: Such large and innovative projects always face difficulties. One of the biggest was, of course, obtaining adequate funding to start and develop the project. A key challenge was also the need to reconcile high-tech solutions with the very special status of the space we were mapping. Although we are working in a digital environment, we must not forget that every step we take concerns an authentic Memorial, which is subject to unique protection. This must be a priority thought in every action.
France 24
6 days ago
- France 24
Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds become co-owners of Australia SailGP team
The actors, who are close friends, join Olympic gold medallist and driver Tom Slingsby at the helm of a team which was rebranded the "Flying Roos". "We're incredibly excited to set sail together in this new adventure," the Australian Jackman and Canadian-American Reynolds said in a statement. "Hugh brings a deep love for and pride in his home country, as well as being an avid fan of sailing. "He will also be bringing his overly clingy emotional support human along for the ride. Apologies in advance to Australia." Jackman and Reynolds starred together last year in the blockbuster movie "Deadpool & Wolverine". Reynolds also owns Welsh football club Wrexham along with fellow actor Rob McElhenney. SailGP stages regattas close to shore with identical high-performance, foiling, multi-hull boats that can reach speeds of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). It was launched in 2019 by American billionaire Larry Ellison and champion New Zealand yachtsman Russell Coutts. Australia, skippered by Slingsby, have won three of the four editions so far. "This is an incredible milestone for us and for our sport, having global icons Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds come on board as co-owners of our team," said Slingsby. "They bring unmatched star power, a love for storytelling and a sharp sense of humour that fits perfectly with our team." The new-look team will make its debut this weekend in New York, the sixth leg of the season.
Euronews
04-06-2025
- Euronews
Falling in Love 'is possible only in Berlin' says Jean Paul Gaultier
"I went to the Garden of Love, And saw what I never had seen." Thus begins William Blake's 230 year-old poem 'The Garden of Love'. And what a bloom has it inspired in the shape of musical sensation Falling in Love, at the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin. "I just remember how it was the first time I read the first two lines," writer and director Oliver Hoppmann explains. "I went to the Garden of Love and saw what I never had seen. And that was just, wow, that struck me, because there's pretty much everything in there for a show. There's a reference to nature, to love, I mean, what else do you need?" Well, it turns out what else you need are a supporting team of 60 performers, 50 musicians and countless backstage and office staff. Oh, and an audience, which now collectively amounts to half a million spectators. Some of whom, much to my initial dismay, clapped along rather a lot. The show centres on a young, creative but rather lost character called 'You', a deaf poet whose inability to conform leaves them dejected until an immersion into the lost Garden of Love opens a realm of possibilities. A magical place where they may finally find words, and a voice that is heard. That it is a spectacle is doubtless. From the get-go, Falling in Love showers you with light, with colour and with a wow factor that doesn't ever really go away. Your eyes dart left, right, up, through, beyond, and at every shift there is a new colour, a new depth, another stonking guitar-riff. And while you're blown away by the sheer magnitude of this visual carnival, the remaining part of your senses will not be surprised to discover that the entire thing has been curated by the French fashion stylist Jean Paul Gaultier. "Jean Paul and I, we've known each other for quite some has become a friend of our house because he loves the shows at Frederickstraße Palast," continues Hoppmann. "He travels here privately to see shows. So we have been in regular contact. And when we came to that idea of that new show, that poem, that garden of love, we said, okay, who could be that person who brings that spark in a couture way to that?" There is of course only one answer. Enter Jean Paul Gaultier. "I have had the pleasure and the privilege to design again many costumes for Falling in Love, but I also worked with other designers: Matières Fécales and Sasha Frolova. The challenge was to choose great collaborators who would share my and Oliver's vision for the show. And after our initial meetings and exchange of ideas and first sketches I was happy to give them almost a carte blanche for their sections of the show," Gaultier explains to Euronews Culture. The layered production design and the scale of that design gives you a tangible 360 degree sensation. The costumes are truly spectacular with echoes of Gaultier's iconic outfits in The Fifth Element but also The Hunger Games which, although designed by Judianna Makovsky, betrayed a Gaultier influence in places. "I have some codes that are part of my style and my fashion vocabulary," he says. "The corset and the cone bra is one of them. I always want to create something new but at the same time I use my fashion codes as my vocabulary." Theatrically it shares some elements with the We Will Rock You musical that ran for 12 years in London, and not just the wall of guitars. The flagrant pantomime nature that pervades much of the interaction is a common by-product of writing it large. And this is as large as indoor theatre gets. From the kick-off number Diamond City, it's clear the show is going to be a kaleidoscope. And you need such a thing when the whole audience is not bilingual and therefore the jokes sometimes fall flat. The audiences have comprised many nationalities but the top five are France, Switzerland, the US, Austria, and Denmark. There is cheeky titillation (the lower cheeks to be precise) and super-hench pecs on show in a celebration of athletic prowess and beauty. Choreography and technical elements come together to form something genuinely beautiful; a dancer abseiling down a waterfall enchants the mind while a wonderfully-engineered fountain dance is candy-popping fun. And all the camp, kitsch, multicoloured vibrancy sometimes finds its way into the audience. There's no fourth wall here. We're allowed into the pop video, the dream, the trip. The guitar-toting character of Leon is part game show host, part Worf from Star Trek. I wonder if all this colour has left characterisation as a second thought. The colours don't really inhabit the character types they represent in any physical or vocal way which leaves us having to try to recall them. Gaultier himself admits his greatest challenge on this production "was the soloists and how best to express their nature and their feelings through the costumes." There is something tribal about the colours here. We have three camps: red, green and blue, all in their various ways offering modes of expression to the poet to colour their world. The theme of deafness and isolation is encapsulated by the character of 'You', which brings a profound level of meaning to the carnival. "I try to focus on vision, on touch, on vibrations," says Justyna Woloch, who plays the deaf character of 'You'. "There is, built into the stage, a vibration plate in the middle of the hexagon that was purposefully made for people with hearing problems to be able to feel when to really be on the music and not be off the beat." Woloch is not deaf but took over from deaf performer Hearns Sebuado when she took the role of 'You'. "The plate helps me as well because, of course, I hear music and I immediately start moving but I really consciously have to try to stop hearing it, which is really hard. And so many times during the show I'm touching the vibration plate and trying to really block out all the sound." To illustrate the genesis of this element of the show, Hoppmann tells me about a deaf poetry slam that he attended 10 years ago where he suddenly understood the frustration of those with hearing impairment. "I'm a hearing director in a room of non-hearing people with performers on stage who are only using sign language, German sign language, to recite their poems. And I didn't have a clue what they were saying. There were, like, verbalisations and an audio description." "There was a verbal translation for people who were hearing and couldn't understand sign language," he recounts. "But, you know, a director always wants to be ahead of time, right? You want to know what comes next, what happens next. And I couldn't because I had always to wait until I got the translation. I really felt it. I'm the last person in the room that understood." It is without a doubt impressive that the themes of deafness and isolation are part of something so vast, loud (in both colour and sound) and inclusive, and the Palast itself plays a fundamental part in the proceedings. With an unrivalled stage area of 2,854 square metres, and near-perfect sight lines for the whole audience, as well as a trailblazing air-conditioning system via the actual seats, unusually visual treats can be clearly observed in comfort. Also playing a role is the wider geographical context. The inimitable city of Berlin. "I love Berlin," admits Gaultier. "I have been coming regularly for years. There was still the wall dividing the city the first time I visited. And this show is possible only in Berlin with its unique history and unique feeling." Disco ball shoulder pads, bike helmets, glitter g-strings with regency wigs run amok on the enormous stage. Every number is a brilliant pop video leaving little room for sentiment but plenty of fuel for entertainment. Gaultier is resolute on what's important. "It is a show, a Grand Show and I think it is most important that the audience enjoys themselves, that they enjoy the story, the music, the dancing, the special effects, the costumes. Whether that enjoyment is through form or the substance is not crucial for me," he says. Another thing that will not have escaped the audiences are the extraordinary number of crystals in the design. This is thanks to a partnership deal with Swarovski who provided a staggering 100 million crystals in all cuts and colours, which I am assured is a new world record in live entertainment. I'm not convinced there was an old world record to beat but it certainly fits the 'sky's the limit' remit. Profundity may be hard to detect among a sea of crystals but there are important themes at work amongst the glitz. There's an anthropological callback to Levi Strauss in the play's symbolic handing-over of the written word from the character of 'Me' and then to the character of 'You'. Walls created by isolation are broken, which takes on its own emotional evocation after the confinement of the global pandemic. The astonishing acrobatic performers (audiences genuinely screaming with disbelief at the physical feats) fall out of windows onto trampettes and ping back up again only to throw themselves out again is a nice metaphor for human romantic behaviour. The silly shapes we bend ourselves into for love and visibility. And on the philosophical note, when quizzed about upcoming fashion trends, Gaultier responds with something that probably should be on a poster. "I don't look at fashion as much as I used to. And trends are just trends but the style is something that stays. If you are too fashionable then very quickly you become unfashionable. As the French say La Mode se démode." Falling in Love is booking until 5 July 2025.
