“Isle of Fire” director Andrew Annie rips the film strip about the famous rain scene from “Pride and Superstition”.

Directed by André Ann island of fireJane Austen’s odes abound Pride and Prejudice. Not just in the dialogue or characters that are the modern stone of the Regency-era setting, but also in the entire scenes, which serve as a direct response or reference to the original book or its various screen adaptations.

In a conspicuous sequence, the film recreates the cult interplay of Elizabeth Bennett, Darcy, and Mr. Fitzgerald, starring Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadden, Joe Wright’s 2005 film Between Noah (Joel Kim Booster, who plays the writer) and Will (Conrad Ricamora) as they pass the butcher’s, the verbal kiss is one of the most clear. island of fire Cheers Pride and Prejudice– Adapted world.

But it does so clearly through the stony lens, from director to writer to lead actors, providing a fresh (and refreshing) way to get a taste of the rom-com family period. The scenes between the characters of Booster and Ricamora, especially the ones where they exchange barbs and hugs, are electrifying. This is, of course, a result of the duo’s strength and acting chemistry, but also the authenticity of the take.

“I think it’s really important to have actors who are completely weird so that when they kiss they don’t think, ‘Oh, I’m straight and then I have to play gay,'” the director said. hollywood reporter In the most (dramatically) romantic moments of the Hulus movie, the power of Asian gays is at stake on screen. “The authenticity of your experience with the stone really gives subconscious testimony: it is a stone. This is a weird kiss. ”

Talking THRAnne posted a creative choice around modern, gay storytelling, covering everything from writing and acting to sound and cinematography, contributing to one of the film’s most vulnerable and surprising odes to Jane Austen and rocky romance.

What was your overall artistic vision or concept for this scene, including references to the 2005 film, and how does that fit into Noah and Will’s larger love story?

When I read Joel’s script, it was written as a meat-in-the-rain battle, and I immediately thought of the moment of Joe Wright’s adaptation. Pride and Prejudice. I noticed that Joel was pointing to this scene. I love Joe Wright’s adaptation. I think it’s brilliant and one of my favorite movies. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to make this movie. I love this movie about the modern qualities of Jane Austen’s writing. From a very emotional place, I thought on stage that these characters are finally telling each other the truth. They will end up facing each other. Finally, they name what they held close to their chest during the film.

I think a lot is because of the rain. You want to get out of the rain. These characters are wet and angry. I think there’s something about the rain that just ups the ante. At one point, the studio offered to let us rain because it was expensive. This is a pain in the buttocks. It will delay you. But Joel and I feel this very strongly because there is an emotional cause for the rain. I think these characters wouldn’t be right with each other, there wouldn’t be so much immediacy and urgency to utter these words if it weren’t for the rain on stage.

Noah and Willie first understand what he thinks of them in another reality. Capturing the emotional sincerity and insecurity between two Asian gay men on screen is no stranger to you. How did you feel studying your previous work on this particular scene?

I think there’s something about the scene that, for me, is the moment when things need to get worse before they get better. I think it’s part of the emotional process that a lot of people want to miss, but it’s very important for establishing any kind of relationship. So I really like the desire to go to dark places. There are many accusations, there are many attacks. But I think it’s important for stone people that we sometimes have moments to come to Jesus. (laughs.), even if they are not completely accurate. Sometimes it simply arises from a crush or a kidnapping moment. But it was really important for me to find a real sense of insecurity in both characters. It stands out in the environment, in the rain and even in the wardrobe. The two are in shirts, again coming from a lingerie party. I think it was important, especially for the moment at the end of the scene where they touch each other so intimately. As rude as they are to each other, we also wanted to discover such fleshy pulp in the scene.

I think that, more than in my other works, this is a very dialogic scene and it was very important for that moment. The scene was rewritten a bit after we got Conrad Ricamora because Will’s character wasn’t initially written as Asian-American. We had to make some adjustments to the cast of Conrad because there used to be more differences between Will and Noah, but now they had something very important in common. So we had to highlight other differences, and what I think Joel took away from the character is the correction. Being straight is something that a lot of people perceive as a privilege, and I think it’s a really fascinating way to talk about the privilege of the Mr. Darcy in a gay context.

You didn’t use needle drops or compositing to fill in the scene’s soundscape. Why did you want the full sound of the storm as the main backdrop for the actor’s dialogue?

I think it’s very important that the scene be stormy. I wanted the look and sound to reflect what is going on emotionally between these two characters. I think it’s raining hard that I should immediately yell at someone. Instinctively, these characters are already on their feet. They are ready to argue, even if they don’t realize it. It’s a bit like the moment at the dance floor lingerie party when Noah and Will are pushed around by a crowd. There is some situation that forces them to come together and then they have to deal with each other. So in this scene, yes, they have to yell at each other from the start to understand each other. We highlighted this in our sound design.

Our sound designer, Gene Park, is brilliant and knows a thing or two about creating environments. he was a sound designer Summer Solsticewhich is a very different movie. (laughs.) But I think this is just a sample of your sensitivity. We added an additional rain sound to make this scene really dramatic the way we wanted it to be. It’s over. There is an almost sound rain. It’s a distant rain. We really wanted this storm to hit us. So I love the images. It was raining very hard from the rain towers. It wasn’t a spray. Our cinematographer Felipe Vara de Rey did a wonderful job of lighting the rain so it shines like jewels. If you look at Conrad’s left ear, to the right of our frame, a stream of rain falls from his earlobe. Simply brilliant and I love it. This is one of my favorite themes. I really wanted the audience to feel as experimental as possible.

One of the biggest differences between the two. island of fire”The rain scene and the 2005 film is where the camera goes and how it shapes the conversation. Why did you want to frame these characters with more darkness and moonlight?

Felipe and I had a very, very complete list of this sequel, and it was very candid. We didn’t want to overcomplicate the visual design of the scene as it’s a straightforward scene. We didn’t want to do anything floral. We wanted the visual design of the scene to be as straightforward as the emotions of the scene and the characters. So one of the things we did was to be very purposeful throughout the scene, we got closer to our characters, but we also got closer to the eye line. We really start to get into each other’s perspective, whereas before the stage, we play them more objectively and then it becomes more and more subjective because they really delve into each other.

I found the lighting very interesting. The film is a very flashy sunscreen palette and lingerie party sequence, and especially the rain scene and then the after party scene, Felipe and I talked a lot about switching to another mode and wanting to play in the dark. It’s hiding things in the shadows. That these characters are covered in darkness and something very specific hits them, whether it’s the dance floor light or moonlight. So I think that strategy really gives the movie the quality that Joel writes in the script, which is that time on Fire Island lasts forever.

Did Joel and Conrad play differently in their performances in different takes, and if so, how did that affect the ending?

We play with the power dynamics of debate from different angles. I remember asking Conrad to try to lead him to where he was fighting fire with fire and cursing Noah. In another case, I asked Conrad to defuse the situation and discuss it with Noah. For Joel, I tried to show different degrees of pain. Do you realize what Willie is telling you? Or does it bother you? i believe brian [Kates] And I weave different works together, creating micro-fragments of aggression and pain throughout the scene. The more the scene felt like a tug of war, the more it came to life.

The interview is edited for length and clarity.