Juliette Binoche, the celebrated French actress known for her Oscar-winning role in The English Patient and collaborations with directors like Leos Carax, Abbas Kiarostami, and Olivier Assayas, has unveiled her first directorial project. The film, In-I In Motion, premieres today at the San Sebastian Film Festival, documenting her immersive and demanding journey in creating a dance show with British choreographer Akram Khan during a sabbatical in 2007. This Juliette Binoche directorial debut captures not only the making of a performance but also the intense physical and emotional challenges Binoche encountered throughout the process.
In-I In Motion is an unusual blend of intellectual, political, and visceral elements, reflecting the complexities of artistic creation while showcasing Binoche’s willingness to push boundaries. Transforming 170 hours of raw footage, securing music rights, and shaping abstract scenes into a coherent film made directing nearly as grueling as performing the dance itself, Binoche revealed in an interview with Variety ahead of the festival.
An Unconventional Artistic Partnership Takes Shape
The collaboration between Binoche and Akram Khan did not start as a typical artistic project but rather emerged from an unexpected moment during a massage session. Su-Man Hsu, who worked as a rehearsal director and performed shiatsu massages, pressed into Binoche’s back and provocatively asked, “Do you want to dance?” Prompted by this sudden question, Binoche agreed, leading to her attending Akram Khan’s show, where she was mesmerized by his choreography. This initial encounter sparked an invitation to improvise alongside Khan for a few days, forming the foundation for a unique creative partnership.
Binoche described their artistic process as both fascinating and daunting, involving profound emotional and physical challenges. “It takes courage,” she said, explaining how confronting another person’s craft demands vulnerability and resilience. Both artists experienced moments of being “totally lost,” with Binoche’s body struggling to adapt and Khan wrestling with emotional readiness. The metaphor of standing
“on the edge of a cliff”
encapsulated their willingness to leap into the unknown repeatedly to develop their craft and realize the show’s artistic potential.
From Stage to Film: Capturing a Tour Across Continents
Following the creation of In-I In Motion, Binoche and Khan toured with the performance over 100 times around the world. It was during their stint at the BAM Theater in New York City that actor and director Robert Redford urged Binoche to film their piece. Encouraged by Redford’s fervent recommendation, Binoche recognized the potential of preserving the project on film but faced logistical challenges, lacking production support or a clear plan. Fortunately, her sister stepped in to record seven shows from various angles, providing valuable footage for the eventual film editing process.
Financing the directorial debut came through a Norwegian investor, Ola Strom, and his partner, Solène Léger, who approached Binoche after Cannes expressing interest in supporting a personal project. The couple’s backing enabled Binoche to take the necessary time to digitize the reels and navigate the complicated process of music licensing, essential due to the multiple pieces used during the rehearsals and show. Managing 170 hours of footage required patience and perseverance, with the editing phases oscillating between frustration and satisfaction.
The Editing Struggles Behind the Film
Binoche described the editing phase as a rollercoaster, with alternating moments of creative fulfillment and despair.
“Sometimes I was very happy with something, and at other moments I was desperate because I just felt, ‘This is bullshit. This is going nowhere,’”
she admitted. The first cut of the film extended to nine hours, compelling Binoche to create photographic storyboards of each scene to visualize the final product better. This approach helped her move past the abstraction and enabled decisive cuts, gradually shaping the extensive footage into a more focused narrative.
Her collaboration with editors evolved over time, with multiple editors and an assistant editor supporting the painstaking process. Despite the complexity, Binoche’s determination and attention to detail ensured the film would ultimately represent the depth and intensity that accompanied the original performance.
A Physically and Emotionally Demanding Journey
The dance show was far from a light venture for Binoche, who shared that the experience pushed her to extreme limits.
“I was less frightened of taking risks. It really brought me to the edge of fear,”
she reflected. She often worried each night that she might not survive the physical and emotional pressures, describing the dual challenge as unique compared to many acting roles. The show’s emphasis on combining demanding physical performance with intense emotional expression resulted in moments where Binoche felt overwhelmed but driven to continue.
Beyond dancing, Binoche was deeply involved artistically, co-creating choreography and writing much of the piece’s politically charged dialogue and monologues. The narrative took cues from her personal experiences, including themes of love and trauma. She recounted an early infatuation sparked by observing a man during a screening of Casanova, weaving this youthful desire into the show’s storyline. The narrative also explores darker moments, such as her character’s violent assault, mirroring incidents from Binoche’s own life, making the project profoundly intimate and resonant.
Akram Khan’s Personal Story Interwoven
Khan contributed his own raw and painful history to the performance, recalling a betrayal from childhood that deeply affected him. Binoche explained that the show features a depiction of Khan’s youthful trauma set within a Muslim environment, revealing the complexity of his personal background. Khan initially hesitated to include these intimate elements, partly because his father was still alive at the time, but the collaboration’s evolving nature allowed these layers to surface. Their joint exploration resulted in a piece that transcended a simple relationship story, reflecting broader emotional and social themes.
Binoche on Directing and Artistic Control
Despite the demanding nature of her debut, Binoche expressed enthusiasm about directing more films in the future but remained open to life’s unpredictability. She emphasized the importance of seizing opportunities such as this two-year sabbatical to engage deeply in personal creative projects. While she acknowledged that actors participate in creation during filming, she pointed out the inherent dependency actors have on directors’ vision, explaining it as a co-dependent dynamic. Actors hold significant influence on set but have limited control over the final editing phase, affecting how they engage with the promotional life of a film.
Perspectives on Artistic Resistance in a Changing World
Binoche used her platform to discuss broader themes about the role of artists in society, drawing from her experience serving on the Berlin Film Festival jury. Reflecting on the history of filmmaking under political pressure, she cited Sergei Eisenstein, who was unable to finish his final film due to Stalin’s intervention, as an example of the artist’s struggle to retain independence.
“It’s part of what it is to be an artist is to be a resistant,”
she said, asserting that resistance signals a healthy society because it reflects diversity of thought and challenges the status quo.
This viewpoint connects directly to contemporary issues faced by Israeli artists like Nadav Lapid, a recipient of the Golden Bear while on the Berlin jury with Binoche, who currently faces governmental pressures and risks isolation. Binoche praised Lapid’s talent and resilience, encouraging patience and perseverance despite setbacks such as festival boycott controversies. She affirmed his significance as an artist with a unique perspective and expressed fascination with his work, even writing a preface for his upcoming book.
Honoring Global Cinema Amid Political Challenges
Binoche also touched on the recognition of Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who received the Palme d’Or at Cannes and was selected as France’s official submission for the Oscars. She appeared supportive of the cross-national acknowledgment, remarking,
“It’s wonderful. It should be on the Iranian list, but if it’s the French list, let’s go for it,”
highlighting the often complex relationships between artists’ national identities and the international film community.
Juliette Binoche’s directorial debut represents not only a personal artistic milestone but also an example of how deeply intertwined creativity, politics, and personal history can become in contemporary performance art. Through In-I In Motion, she exposes the strenuous journey behind a unique collaboration and sets a precedent for exploring boundary-pushing works in both film and dance. As Binoche continues to navigate her dual roles as actor and director, her career signals a commitment to embracing risk and engaging with critical societal issues through art.
