She decided not to use her chance

Interview with Pavel Stastny, author of screenplay and actor of the Farmer.

Q: Have you written the role of the Farmer "to suit you"?

PS: Definitely not. The farmer is a silent, bareknuckle type - definitely not me. A role of choleric, extrovert Headmaster suits me much more. The producer invited me to play the role after the script was finished; maybe the fact that I was willing to learn to master the bullwhip did count. Moreover, the Orphan was first written not as a script, but as a small, purely literary work, built especially on the language. I had to modify the text to bring some action on screen.

Q: The movie seems very dark, forlorn and anti-Christian. Was it your intention?

PS: God forbid! If you want to perceive it in this way, you could be right, but the movie does not criticize the Christianity; it only opposes the popular belief that the God will protect his followers from all harm. This is simply not true. The Christianity was created by the poorest as their last resort, last hope that hopefully, maybe, some other time and place, they could live better lives; provided that - and this is important - they will keep trying, keep hoping. Whoever loses hope, loses life; but no one promises you that this mortal life will be a happy one. Everything in a life has a price and even if you would save other's life and did not want it to pay back, the other can have different opinion. If everyone was generous, there would not be the chapter about the Samaritan in the Bible. The Farmer definitely is not a Samaritan. For him, everything has palpable value and price. He is the imago mundi, image of the world, in which everything has value which can be expressed and price which must be paid. When the orphan refuses to pay the price he requests for her life - and she was fighting, refusing him - she contradicts the basic principle of our world - the one who is right does not win, the one with more force wins. This is not anti-Christianity - this principle was instituted by God, and even if it sometimes seems that the righteous had won in the history of mankind, it is not because the right won, but because the winners write the history.

Q: But you have given no hope to the Orphan!

PS: Indeed I have. She decided not to use her chance... This is part of everyone's freedom: to decide to go against the herd, not to respect the rules, to act in a way he/she considers right. Only those who can bear the consequences can select this way. All consequences. The world does not like these people, because they contravene its conformity and willingness for compromises; the world greedily crams these people. On the other hand, to be devoured whilst holding one's attitude can be the right choice.

Q: Let's get back to making the movie. Besides other props, you wield a truly killing tool.

PS: The six feet and five pounds leather bullwhip not only looks killing, it really can break the spine with one blow. You know it and the actress knew it. I admire Adéla for her consent with making this scene with her, not with a doll. The pain must have been terrible. I also want to express my gratitude to all our crew members for the work they put in, starting with the lights and the camera, up to the cutters, who all contributed to the feel of this scene in the movie. Of course, not only this particular one.

Q: The making of which scene you remember the most?

PS: Probably the attempt at rape. It all started at the rehearsal; I apologized to Adéla for my caressing her which was to come and only for fun, I asked her whether she was not taking lessons in karate; I did not want to end up in a corner with both arms broken. Her sweet eyes in her beautiful face looked up at me and she said that she was not taking lessons in karate, but she likes taekwondo and kickbox. During the rehearsal, I learnt that she is really exercising and keeps her body in shape. The camera operator whom I know for years laughed at me saying that if rape was the only way I could have sex, I would be a virgin. I also learnt to fear this scene, because the scene "Orphan lies in her bed", which immediately precedes the rape scene, was repeated 14 times! And there was nothing else than the Orphan lying in her bed. I feared that the rape scenes would need 14 attempts as well; moreover, the room was very cold, as there was no heating. When we started, I tore the Orphan's shirt, jumped at her - and the bed broke down. We managed to stay calm. During the fight, the Farmer tears the feather bed, and the feathers fly everywhere. Imagine that: an assistant was covering us in feather, which got everywhere and bit us; I squinted at the crew, who were surrounding us, wearing respirators, looking alien, and laughing at us, trying to cough out the feathers. Anyway, the scene looks very well in the movie and in the end, we managed to make it during three-four attempts.