You Are Not Alone – an interview with Lasse Nielsen
Lasse Nielsen Much has been said and written about the
acclaimed Danish film “Du er ikke
alene” (You Are Not Alone). For fans of
the coming of age genre, ” You
Are Not Alone ” is what ” Star Wars ” is for the sci-fi fans. Lasse Nielsen,
who directed the film back in 1978, agreed to give an exclusive interview for
theskykid.com and its readers.
theskykid.com : “You Are Not Alone” became a classic of the
coming of age genre. Did you envision the popularity of the film when its
shooting was done ?
Lasse Nielsen : No, I never dreamed that “You Are Not Alone”
would become a classic or a cult film of any kind. Maybe because I make films with my heart and
not my head. For me, making movies are a
necessary expression and not a calculated profession.
theskykid.com : How difficult it was to cast and find two
young actors who worked together so well and
were willing to do the part?
Lasse Nielsen : We cast Bo very quickly, but Kim was more
difficult. We did screen tests for over
100 boys – but either the look wasn’t right or their acting was poor. Just a few weeks before filming began, my
co-writer – the psychologist Bent Petersen – recommended the 12-year-old son of
a fellow psychologist. When this boy
Peter walked into the studio, I knew at once that this was the boy we were
looking for. Actually, when we first saw
him his hair was so long that we had to order a haircut so we could see his
face!
theskykid.com : What was the public reaction to the film
when it came out?
Lasse Nielsen : The reaction was somewhat mixed, but on the
whole it was positive. The Danish film censors classified the film as
“forbidden for children under 12,” believing that younger children would not
understand the homosexual theme. But
some years later, this restriction was officially removed
theskykid.com : How was your film received in other
countries? Was the film ever banned or
not respected in some parts of the world?
Lasse Nielsen : To the best of my knowledge the movie was
never banned. It was shown in major film
festivals in Italy, Germany and Holland, but never widely released outside
Scandinavia. In the U.S.A. it was
released on video (one of Award Films’ best-sellers) and it continues to sell
well on DVD.
Lasse Nielsen : I
wanted to make a film about boys in a boarding school, and their honest
feelings. I attended a boarding school
myself, so it wasn’t difficult to write the story. At the time, I actually wasn’t aware that
“You Are Not Alone” was the first Danish film to show a love story between two
boys. In these 31 years since making
the film, I’ve had many letters – especially from young boys and girls –
telling me how much the movie meant to them – how much better they felt about
themselves after seeing the film. Since
that time, there have been a number of Danish films dealing with homosexuality,
but generally the gay relationship is somehow troubled and unhappy. Often one of the partners dies. In any case, there are few “happy endings!”
theskykid.com : Was the long kissing scene in “You Are Not
Alone” always planned to be the end of the film? or was it a last minute
change?
Lasse Nielsen : No.
We actually shot more scenes after the parent’s night film screening,
where Kim runs out of the room after being scolded by his father. Bo and Kim meet down in their secret spot in
the woods. Unfortunately, however, that scene turned out too dark and we didn’t
have enough money left in our budget to re-shoot. So the new ending was created in the editing
room. But of course it was always meant to be a happy ending!
theskykid.com : Do you think that the attitudes towards young teen gays have changed
since the film was made?
Lasse Nielsen : Yes, I think so. In many ways, there is more tolerance. On YouTube, for example, you can see many
young boys “coming out” as gay. And – at least in Denmark – parents are
becoming more accepting. I’m not sure
there has been much progress in U.S.A. however, where many young gay teenagers
are still driven to suicide because of general and specific social harassment.
theskykid.com : You are not
alone has a beautiful theme song. Who
chose it? Did someone talk to Sebastian and then he wrote the song according to
the film content, or did he came with songs to chose ?
Lasse Nielsen : I had worked with the Danish composer/singer
Sebastian on my previous feature, “Maybe We can.” When I sent him the script
for “You Are Not Alone” he was very impressed, and he began to write songs for
the film even before we started shooting. I remember the night he called me on
the phone and played the theme song for me. I sat there crying, because the
song was so perfect for the mood of the movie I had in mind. Sebastian has
since become one of Denmark’s leading popular composers. He also wrote songs
for several musicals that are performed frequently throughout Scandinavia. He is also famous for writing new music for
the lyrics of the German playwright Bertolt Brecht.
theskykid.com : Do you think the film could be made today,is
so why?
Lasse Nielsen : No, I don’t believe the film could be made
today. We have an unfortunate situation
of self-censorship these days.
theskykid.com: As this blog
mainly focuses on coming of age films, it would be interesting to know
if you have a favorite coming of age film that you can recommend to the people
reading this interview?
Lasse Nielsen : The films of Francois Truffaut are outstanding,
and have been very inspiring for me. In my latest film, “The Story of Net,” I
used Vivaldi’s music – much like Truffaut did in “The Wild Child.” Other
coming-of-age movies I like are “The 400 Blows,” “The Man Without a Face,”
“Streetwise,” “Young Aphrodites,” and “Nobody Knows.”
theskykid.com : Is there anyone you want to add ?
Lasse Nielsen : My new film, “The Story of Net,” has taken
three years to complete, and has probably been the most difficult film for me
to make. That’s because I was solely
responsible for the writing,directing, casting, editing – and even the
catering! It was a wonderful experience, however, working with a group of
enthusiastic amateurs in Thailand. A
number of Thai people who have seen the movie have told me that the acting is
on par with what any professional Thai
actors could do!
“The Story of Net” is focused on the experiences of one
12-year-old Thai boy. But I believe that
children anywhere in the world will be able to identify with this boy. I strongly believe that the feelings of
children are universal.
Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this interview
by sending me questions and/or discussing it with me.
Special thanks to Lasse for his informative and interesting
answers. Hope that you like the interview , pals – let me know in the comments
section below.
Interview conducted : October 2009
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