Few films this year are likely to stir your emotions quite like the profound French drama 120 BPM. To mark the release of this Robin Campillo production we sat down with the film’s leading duo, Nahuel Pérez Biscayart and Arnaud Valois.
Given the moving nature of this film – focusing in on an AIDS activist group in the 1990s, we asked the pair if they were able to get emotionally caught up in the film, or if that was too difficult given they’re on screen for such large quantities of the feature. They also explain whether they struggled to shake off the weight of the project at the end of a day’s shoot, and given their characters have so much hope, we wanted to know if they adopted any of the positive traits they carry, and use them top enrich their own lives outside of acting.
Biscayart also had to lose weight for the role and we asked about the challenges in such an undertaking, while they also discuss the lingering fear of death that was prevalent at the time the film is set, and how they believe activism has changed in the modern world, since the rise of social media. Finally, we asked Valois about his retirement from acting, and what it was about 120 BPM that lured him back in…
Watch the full interview below:
Synopsis
Nathan is a young man who joins an AIDS activist group in 1990s Paris. As he attends the weekly meetings, he learns that some members prefer a more radical approach to their protests.
120 BPM is released in cinemas across the UK on April 6th. Read our 5* review here.
