71 Questions, Netflix & a Jaws monologue

France. Toronto. Belgium. London. 29 year old Writer/Director Justine Leaux is certainly not afraid of new challenges, or new countries. Full of energy, laughter and cinematic passion, it’s here in London that she has found her filmmaking family and written and directed her first short 71 Questions. I met Justine after the screening of her film at CineShots in South London and immediately knew I should talk to her more about her filmmaking style and ambitions. Who knew we’d end up chatting Jaws, Tommy Wiseau and Netflix.

In the Curzon bar on a dark and cold January evening, Justine and I found a small table for two and quickly nabbed it. Surrounded by film posters and buzzing cinemagoers, it seemed the most appropriate venue to discuss her filmmaking experience so far. What followed was a couple of hours of film chat and shared opinion about certain screenplays, but more on that later...

Originally from France, Justine moved with her family to Toronto as a child and grew up with a passion and desire to make music. Like many of us, she found she was putting too much pressure on herself to succeed and realised she needed to find another creative outlet. (It’s probably a good moment to remind everyone out there to be kind to yourself. You really don’t need to be your own harshest critic). Whilst in Belgium and looking for creative inspiration, Justine discovered Raindance in London and within two weeks had booked a train and arrived in the capital to start learning. This was the beginning of Justine’s filmmaking adventure and where she “fell in love with the whole film and tv thing, [realising] video is the perfect artistic medium because it encompasses all the others; dance, theatre, art, music...” It’s also where she met new friends and started to build a network of like minded creatives to work with.

Relatively early on in our conversation Justine tells me she believes that everything happens for a reason and her filmmaking path so far certainly appears to have been serendipitous. After working on other people’s films in roles from runner to script supervisor, the latter cemented her confidence in being able to make her own film. Through a friend, she met fellow creative Itunu Olowo, who went on to become the Producer for her short 71 Questions. 

So, what is the film all about? Essentially it’s a one location interrogation story, in which the subject can only answer yes or no to a barrage of blunt quick fire questions. Shot entirely in black and white (for a neo-noir feel), it provides little in the way of back story, allowing the audience to make their own decisions and judgements on what they see. Only towards the end of the film, does the viewer gain more information on what has led these characters to this point. Justine is clear that her intention was to explore people giving “black and white answers to a very nuanced situation.” It’s a great concept, not least because throughout life we often boil very complex situations down into two categories: right or wrong. For a small film, it sparks many questions.

As a first time Writer/Director, who on the face of it seems like a confident young woman, I was interested to ask how Justine found the whole process of letting people read her script. She told me it was a “few months before I had the courage to show it to someone [and the] feedback I got was conflicting”. It’s a hard part of the entire process but she was pragmatic about it. “If something comes back that bothers everyone, then work on it. If it’s different things then it’s probably a matter of taste”. I couldn’t agree more.

With a one day shoot and no real budget to speak of (Justine estimates they spent around £200) certain compromises had to be made. Perhaps the biggest of these was the location. Initially Justine wanted to shoot the whole film in a large empty warehouse, but due to money and availability, she realised she had to put that plan to one side. “Once I did, everything became much smoother and I can’t thank Itunu (my producer) enough. She was so organised and responsive. I couldn't have done this without her”. 

With a small cast and crew on set, Justine says the shoot was very convivial and everything went as rehearsed. Amazingly, they even managed to wrap early, she says with a smile. Having set her first film loose and with festival success in the UK, France and Italy, I asked how she feels showing her ‘baby’ to the world? “It’s made me realise that nobody cares. Either they’re gonna like it or not and then they’re gonna move on with their lives. It’s liberating”

Now embarking on her second short, which she is holding auditions for next week, Justine is building slowly. She plans to go from one location to two and wants to explore different genres. For a self confessed procrastinator, her New Year’s resolution is to shoot two films this year and have a draft finished for a third. Somehow I don’t doubt she’ll hit that target.

Having weaved a path through her filmmaking journey so far, Justine concludes by saying “I see myself as an audience member first”. It’s a statement we can all relate to, whether we love the collective joy of sitting in a cinema surrounded by others, or hunkering down alone in our pyjamas entirely engrossed by Netflix. (An experience we agree is a double edged sword - neither of us has actually finished watching The Irishman, mainly because it’s far too easy to press pause and promise yourself you’ll come back to it later. Cinema doesn’t afford you that procrastination). 

The Netflix sidechat continues. You get so many recommendations from people, it becomes an overwhelming task to try and keep up with the amount being produced. Plus there is the inevitable taste debate; what one person thinks is great won’t necessarily equate with your own opinion. It’s true but just because someone doesn’t like something, doesn’t mean it’s rubbish. I stand by the fact that people can’t tell me something is terrible and then spend the next twenty five minutes talking to me about it (you clearly enjoyed it on some level!) Just to be clear, Justine doesn’t do this, but she does agree and then tell me I need to watch The Room by Tommy Wiseau (in the cinema surrounded by others). 

“Look at Tommy Wiseau - you never know what people will connect to. The room has become one of my favourite films. “I’ve seen it so many times, I will never get bored of that film. I love the story behind it.”

When I ask Justine what her ultimate favourite film is, we jump from The Room straight to Jaws. “I love it...everything is perfect in that movie. It has one of the best monologues - Quint’s monologue in the boat at night - it’s one of my favourite pieces of writing”

Speaking of writing, we both quickly agree that Back to the Future is the perfect screenplay and personally, I’m ready to take on anyone who disagrees. With another swig of coffee and moving from Zemeckis to Jordan Peele by way of Aaron Sorkin, it’s clear that Justine has a love of writing. So where would she like to see herself at some point in the not too distant future? 

“I would love to come back to music but at the moment I’m having a blast with the film stuff. My dream situation would be making movies and music, juggling the two. I would love to be making a living from creative work...to find my audience.”

Ultimately I think that’s what we all want - to find the audience for whatever it is we have created, be it collectively or individually. It’s also quite possibly the hardest part of the whole filmmaking process but Justine gives me heart that our audiences are out there. Who knows, maybe you are about to become a part of hers?

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