Des Vivants on France 2: “Of course, there are people who don’t want to continue” … screenwriter returns to the first scene of the series attempt

This Monday, November 3, France 2 broadcasts the first two episodes of Des Vivants, its new event series directed and co-written by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade (Sambre), which follows the fate of the seven Bataclan hostages.

On the evening of November 13, 2015, they confronted the terrorists for more than two hours in the narrow corridor of the Bataclan. From their miraculous survival, a unique and unbreakable bond was born.

The director of the series returns to the first scene

A difficult subject means an exhausting scene to watch. And it is with a very powerful scene that the first episode of The Living opens.

In this sequence, which lasts several minutes, the audience can really follow the survivors after they are freed from the hostage situation. They wander the streets, among the injured and the emergency services trying to help them. An opening scene that sets the tone for the rest of the series.

During the interview, AlloCiné asked Jean-Xavier de Lestrade if he was not afraid of scaring the audience from the first moments. And he told us that was definitely a question he asked himself at the channel.

““Yes, it was a real question, but at the same time, it was clear to us that we didn’t want to start with what was happening at the Bataclan and the hostage taking.”

“We wanted to save it for later. However, on our way out of this hell, we couldn’t help but start with our soups at Boulevard. And by the looks of these bewildered, tired and completely lost people.”

“It sure is a way to get into a series that is pretty brutal. And of course there are people who don’t want to continue. This is a risk. But I bet people will come back after a few days thanks to word of mouth.“

It was also necessary for the director to show the reality of these attacks in a raw and true way. “We also had to show the violence experienced– explained Jean-Xavier de Lestrade.

“In this case, the long shots are unusual. The audience has no idea when it ends and continues… It’s completely unusual and not what we’re used to in the construction of the series..”

If this opening scene may confuse more than one person, we can only advise you to continue watching the series, which very subtly deals with the issue of reconstruction after such a tragedy, without falling into any voyeurism.

Catch the first two episodes of Des Vivants this Monday, November 3 from 9.10pm. on France 2. For those who are more impatient, the series is already available in its entirety on the france.tv platform.