Using a device invented to convey the words of a rape victim, “Sans Knock” will update a social documentary. Meeting with director Alex Pukin.
AlloCiné: without knocking stands out with its device from the documentary harsh sensu. How was this atypical project born?
Alexei Pukin: I wanted to make a film about the story of Ada, who was raped three times by an acquaintance. I met him before the MeToo movement became world famous and I think Adam, like me, knew that direct display in front of the camera would be a bad idea. At the time, the public, which knew very little about rape, feared it would be hostile to Ada, that she would consider her behavior more problematic than that of the attacker. I have seen clearly that people who have not experienced rape often do not want to identify with the victims because we were raised in a society that constantly blames the victims, but maybe also because we live by the idea (completely wrong in my opinion) that everyone deserves what They will happen. It was also thought from the beginning that it is fundamental to identify with people who have experienced a similar story. We wanted to create a team around these individual stories, which, nonetheless, each of them is an expression of the same story, of male domination. It was therefore necessary to find a tool that would bring both distances that would make this story understandable and that would allow the viewer to question the rape.
The film is exciting when the skaters and the actors are wearing masks and mastering emotions.
The stakes of the film were that Ada’s story would resonate with other people who were very different in gender, age, social background, and so on. And it was very nice to see during the filming that all these people could identify in one way or another with this woman who was only known by a written account.
Watch a documentary without a device?
I do not think there is a documentary without a device. The simple fact of installing a camera in front of a person is a device to me. Simply put, this device is considered “normal” because it is so banal. Anyway, I’ve been thinking for a long time what would be most fair in terms of staging this movie. When I was little, I wanted to be an actor and I was fascinated by how a lie could reveal some truth. I feel that there is something performative about acting: role-playing forces you to try to understand the person you are playing. It changes your perceptions and, consequently, your perception of the world. This also prompted me to choose this fictional device for my documentary.
Did the actors contact their model?
We shot 28 people (the last half is in the movie). It would be quite restrictive for Ada to make contact with each performer. Each person embodied this text with their own sensitivity, their own reading grids, which, to me, makes this story more universal. If while editing we decided to make it almost indeterminate what belongs to Ada’s story and what belongs to the 14 people who interpret it, it is because, in my opinion, all these stories belong to the same story. Knowing who lived what does not seem relevant to me. I believe it is important that these destructive stories really happen and are unfortunately extremely common.
Did some of the actors refuse to approve of certain testimonials?
No. We started filming exactly that in Weinstein’s case and at that time many victims and witnesses were in need of conversation. I was more or less familiar with the story of each of the characters in the film, and I tried to get them to interpret chapters of the text that would suit their own experience. These are, for example, police women who interpret parts of a complaint. For the interpretation of the chapters that directly describe rape, I have chosen professional actors who have not had similar experiences. If the idea was to allow the people in the film to tell their own story based on Ada’s story, it was not a matter of causing them suffering or trauma. I had the feeling of walking on egg shells throughout the film. I knew that the stories entrusted to me were very painful for many of the characters in the film. It is also very soft and gentle compared to what we had in the hurries.
The Without Knocking Trailer:
Source: allocine
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
