Black Bear
Black Bearis a chronicle tell in two parts , but not inevitably linearly . The surreal film , which premieres in theatre of operations and on digital December 4 , can be likened toMulholland Drivewith its many uncommitted interpretation and symbolism . But at the heart of it is Aubrey Plaza ’s Allison , and how far she will go to encounter her creative glint .
Plaza speak to Screen Rant about her collaboration with author - director Lawrence Michael Levine , and the ways that Black Bear speaks to her in person .
What attracted you to this undertaking , and to working with Lawrence in general ?
Aubrey Plaza : Lawrence , who I will call Larry - I defy to call him Lawrence - and I meet in a hot bathing tub at a party . I ’d recollect he was a goofy hombre , I was friends with his married woman , and I was a really big fan of a movie they had made called Always Shine , which his wife guide and Larry wrote . We were just acquaintance .
Then we got cast as a couple in a Netflix show called Easy , so we spend five days shoot down this comedy together . We got to know each other , and I think it was very apparent to me that we were on the same page about filmmaking and approaching to acting and make movies . We really strike it off in that elbow room , and we had a slew of deep give-and-take about what it ’s like to be in a relationship with someone that you ’re also making a movie with , which can be really complicated . And we both are in kinship with filmmakers , so we really had a stack to talk about .
Larry , a couple month afterwards , publish the handwriting for me . He called me up and just said , " I pen this for you . I ’d like you to show it and let me know what you think . I want to do it . " I was not look what he write , but I was just altogether blown away by the script . I just thought it was one of the most unique thing I ’d ever learn , and I think that the character that he wrote for me was just so complex . Almost like two or three characters in one , which for an actor is just a dream , because there ’s just so much to dive into . I was evenly terrified and activated about it when I when I first read it .
In the collaboration process with Larry , how did he help inform that character of Allison ? From what he differentiate me , the first part come from a dream of his , and the second part almost came from a story he had before .
Aubrey Plaza : Because Larry ’s an worker too , I retrieve he was so right at directing us in our performances . That ’s kind of his real military capability , beat us to certain places and communication to us what he wants us to do and where he need us to go . But I would say that I did a band of work on my own with Allison . I have my own variety of physical process that I go through when I process on a movie , and I just allowed myself to take over some different approaches with this movie . principally because of the sort of dreamlike imaging , I felt like this was an opportunity for me to explore more abstract approaches to acting .
With Larry , even though we did n’t have unlimited discussions about it , we kind of both were on the same trip . But we were n’t talking about it so much ; Larry did n’t desire to over - discourse anything . We did n’t rehearse or anything like that , so I kind of just make for my stuff to the table .
Each graphic symbol is wrestle with their own privileged demons . What is Allison struggling with when we meet her ?
Aubrey Plaza : In the first half ? You do n’t really know ; it ’s very readable that something has happened to her that is perchance traumatic . Some would say that one interpretation of the film is that the second half take place before the first , that the second one-half was something that befall in the past and the first half is something happen in the future tense . But it could also not be , and it could also be the other way around .
I do n’t have a specific answer for what is go on with her . I think , I had my own ideas when I was inject , but I opine it ’s really just that she ’s been through some trauma . She ’s had some relationship takings , and she ’s struggling with her originative indistinguishability , and she ’s on an geographic expedition of sorts to get exalt . And it ’s that flavour when you ’re a writer , you have author ’s block , and you ’re willing to go to any lengths to get something going .
I want to talk about your costars for a second , Chris and Sarah , who are phenomenal . What did they bring to the role of Blair and Gabe that may have not been on the page ?
Aubrey Plaza : Well , first of all , they ’re both just incredible histrion . They were the two mass that Larry and I desire from the beginning ; I ’ve wanted to work with both of them for a foresighted time . Besides just a professionalism and true hold of the craft of move , they both infuse their own take on these characters . I opine the dichotomy of the film allow them also to do two separate characters like me .
It ’s singular that you bring up Mulholland Drive , because I suppose that to Sarah when we were tear . I looked at her at one point , and I just said , " You ’re reminding me of Naomi Watts in Mulholland Drive . " There ’s something that feel like that ; it palpate like this eldritch fever dream . I think she ’s just so enigmatic , and she ’s really means cockamamie than the great unwashed know about her . She really allowed herself to kind of get a little mussy and get a piffling loose . I see her as a very character A form of person that ’s very put together , and I think that she really allow herself to ransack that down and get a little rough around the edges .
And then Christopher is just - to me , he ’s like a untested Robert De Niro . He ’s just so present . Especially in the second one-half , I recall he intelligibly brought a lot of his own experiences that he ’s had with directors . I consider he was crop through some issue there . He also was notice Larry , watching Larry , and in a lot of ways he was play Larry in the 2nd half . There was a lot of lifespan imitating art imitating life . He was even wearing Larry ’s actual crownwork in the 2d half , and Larry did n’t roll in the hay that he was going to do that . There were a lot of moment like that , where you ’re like , " Oh , my God . He just said to me on camera what Larry said to me five minutes ago . "
Both of them were just quick to go . They brought their A secret plan , and it was whole mad .
Correct me if I ’m wrong but , in the 2d part , is your character Allison wearing Blair ’s clothes ?
Aubrey Plaza : Yes , and frailty versa . Sarah ’s wear Alison ’s clothes in the second half as well . If you notice , she ’s wearing the jeans and the button down shirt when we ’re shooting the movie within the pic .
So , there ’s a draw of thing like that , that are just weird little nuggets . It really impart to that dreamlike kind of thing .
Everybody ’s going to get something different out of this . What does the black bear represent to you ?
Aubrey Plaza : Well , I wo n’t say specifically what I stand for . But in a more general way , for me , the black bear is the truth in a way . It ’s kind of this present moment of trueness that maybe you ’ve been fear for so long , that you ’re lastly confronted with . And I think for me , that really resonated . Just the musical theme of something that ’s been brewing for a while , that you ’re scared of and you do n’t desire to deal with . It ’s kind of like a your unconscious mind finally winning over your conscious psyche moment .
So , the black bear to me is really the truth ; face the truth , however gnarled and scary that is .
More : Watch the Black Bear Official Trailer
