Myself and Adrian couldn't remember when we first met and we couldn't remember when we first decided to make a film so we thought we'd play around with that. If the whole thing were to take place in his mind then why not have a Beckett-like sequence, a waiting for Godot -type thing. When I dream it's random so why not imitate that. Introduce a bit of fun into it. Like the guy who asks him the time throughout the film. He could be seen as the tyranny of narrative. That you need an ending, you need a running time, you need a structure. If you're making a film about someone then you have to make an artificial narrative and force it on to someones life. I always liked the idea of making a film that acknowledges that. You point out the issues but do them anyway.
On some level I'd like to think that by acknowledging the issues that you free yourself from them in some way. Because you're being honest with the audience and allowing them to think about them too. To allow the audience when they are watching it to reflect upon it. Adrian has a very interesting face. He looked like a man who had gone through stuff. He just has a great face for cinema. It was nice to make a film with no talking heads, where we didn't have to go and interview his contemporaries.
You do talk to novelist Kevin Barry or at least Adrian does...
With Kevin, we were in the area and Adrian knew him already. I think that Kevin is probably the most gifted writer in Ireland at the minute. I knew that he would have stuff to say about storytelling and dreaming. And we were n the are so I thought why not go have him in there too. It's about that thing about me getting to meet people that I admire and in some way trying to collaborate with them. I spoke to Kevin about we were going to talk about, but again Adrian didn't know.
And the Real Arts process was good?
It was just the idea of what would it be Adrian and watch this film alone in a dark room. What would it be like? It must be terrifying. When I see myslef in a film I want to die, so what must it be like when the film is ostensively about you. I genuinely felt stress about being protective of him and not letting him down. If the film came out and a reviewer had a go at Adrian or at the film...I'd care less if it was at the film than if they had a go at him. If you get a bad reaction then it kills, because you've opened up your soul. From making films I realise just how hard it is to make films. So i'm always conscious of that.
34 CinÉireann / February 2018
Jacques Derrida & "The Science of Ghosts"
in Ghost Dance (1983)