CRISTINA JACOB TALKS OH, RAMONA!
"They banned my first cut of the trailer"
Daniel John
Out in theatres on Valentine’s Day and available on Netflix since early summer, ‘Oh, Ramona!’ is a coming-of-age story that follows sixteen-year old Andrei as he becomes a man. From a sex-zero to a Netflix and chill-love-hero. When did you know you wanted to make a film based on Andrei Ciobanu’s novel?
It started with my colleague-editor telling me there was this book for young people that had got very successful. I told myself there must be something there, if they took their noses out of Facebook and made the effort to read it, that’s how it started. It then took two years and a half since we started writing the script until the premiere. It's been a long writing process, at least six months, six others for casting, rehearsals, preparation, the shooting itself, as well as my longest editing and postproduction so far.
What do you think it was about this story that got so many teenagers and young adults to go pick up a book?
It's a book about them and their interests. Just as with HBO's new series 'Euphoria', what really pays is the courage to mirror exactly what they think and do at that particular age. We all went through the same transformations and had the same feelings, we tend to forget it when ageing but let’s be honest, we’ve all been through that emotional rollercoaster, only with different means of action and expression.
What books got your attention as a teenager?
'The Collector' by John Fowles, 'The Idle Dandies of the Old Court' by Mateiu Caragiale, and 'Maitreyi' by Mircea Eliade.
How did you first get your start making film?
Long story, really wanna know it?
Yes...
I think you start this job as a baby, organizing your toys and assigning them roles and missions, in order to build a story that will keep you interested for the next hours. Remember that thrill? For the others you are just a toddler on a carpet, yet you know you are the master and commander of your fictional universe. Then life happens and you try “serious” professions. For me, it was a path that took me through law school, journalism and sales. In the end, I came “back” to making movies. I know no greater enthusiasm than starting a long day of work on a set by shouting, “Hey guys, let’s play!”
Which was the first film you ever worked on?
My first film in film school was a movie that I had dreamed from start to finish. I dreamed it at night, I woke up, I wrote what I had seen and felt. It's called 'Report on Indifference'. It was simply beautiful. I still have the same feeling with every new film. The thrill of searching, discovering and unveiling. Guess I’m lucky to go to work like a treasure hunter, it makes long hours fun.
What draws you to the kind of stories you tell?
So far I have just made friends with comedy. Four films based on love stories narrated in a comical way. I like it, I feel good about comedy, it’s a messy, noisy, always surprising home to live in. But you have to go out eventually. That's why I want to challenge myself with other genres. It’s not totally new, because in my films you can find somewhat more genres. There are dramatic moments, action and so on. I want to take that further, exploring darker stories or period dramas. But hey, I like them all and I think I could work happily in any genre if I fall for the story. I think cinema upgrades life, your daily sandwich might be boring, but with the same ingredients a chef could turn everything into a fantastic gastronomic experience.
Also a photographer, does still photography ultimately speak to you in the same way the ones "in motion" does?
Definitely. Whenever you tell a story and you first see it, it’s a series of images. Storytelling is describing in the most vivid way the images of a different, lifelike reality. Both art forms go hand in hand and boost each other. The rest is about practice, style, inner emotional filters and so forth.
Your two previous films ‘Selfie’ and ‘Selfie 69’ are also two of the most popular Romanian films, domestically. But ‘Oh, Ramona!’ is perhaps unique in how it succeeded to reach a much bigger audience worldwide. One kinda gets the feeling that was what you were going for?
My only idea was, still is and always will be to make the best I can with what I have. That’s my idea of a success story. As a child, I have always wanted to be the first. I could tell you some school courtyard dramas. Then I found out it’s better to be the best, for that, it’s important to make mistakes, in order to learn. I think I have learned something good with each film, then I applied that in my next homework. Success is just a byproduct, a consequence of hard, relentless work, with constant passion and hopefully growing skills. The morning before a shooting, you don’t rehearse your Oscar speech in the bathroom mirror, you just freak out not to disappoint the people who trusted you with their talent, money, time, and most intimate feelings and emotions. You want to do your best and be better next time. Like a soldier. Who thinks about medals on a battlefield? You pray to live to fight another day.
What are some of the reactions you have gotten from people seeing the film, all over the world?
Most were overwhelming ones. Now, with the great success of the movie on Netflix, I get daily messages from all over the world. The film was dubbed or subtitled into twenty-seven languages. It's funny to hear it in other languages. It’s even scary sometimes, when you think something you made up by yourself on a piece of paper has now a global existence and touches people in so many different cultures. Most people ask me to know what happens next.
It’s quite a diverse cast. While Bogdan Iancu is Romanian, the actresses playing Ramona and Anemona, are Polish and British respectively, how did you cast it?
It was a huge process, I saw over thirty thousand actors in six months, from all over the world. These ones were simply the best suited at the time. I put great value on the actors, just after a good script. They are the vehicles who transmit the message and you need the best available vehicles, strong, resilient, adaptable and with a lot of charm. If your actors are not outstanding for your story, you can have all the special effects in the world, the magic won’t work and your audience will be disappointed.
Is there any special scene you remember filming?
Only one? Scene twenty-five. It is the scene where Andrei arrives at Ramona’s home and they fight. It was a very intense night, with a lot of method acting. I truly thought Ramona would hate my guts the next day, but it seems it helped her a lot in her further work as an actress on other productions. Hearing that made me feel less guilty for what I had to put her through, she took it with a warrior’s heart and won the day.
The original book, contrary to the film, is quite descriptive of its sexual scenes. In the film it’s more innocent and tongue in cheek?
It's interesting to see how different cultures react. The UK audience felt it was rather dirty and bold. The Americans too, but in their own way, they banned my first cut of the trailer on Facebook and YouTube. In my own vision, it was a rather politically correct edit, but even so I had a lot of reactions that it is too explicit. I am still officially confused. Of course it was quite a challenge to turn a sexy story into a sexy movie without showing nudity. That’s where all the visual analogies come from. I wanted to reach an audience under eighteen, and had to cope with the limitations of the industry, therefore I adapted and went for something more creative. As for the Romanians, it was quite an opposite reaction. Even if half a century of communism has left us with prudish reactions we evolved at least to the point of knowing what, between a nipple and brains flying on walls in slow motion, could really traumatize our teenagers. One world, different cultures.
Working closely with the author, who also co-wrote the script, how much say did he have in your approach to the adaptation and its new tone?
To my joy and relief, we were always on the same page. We worked very well as a team, we remained friends and are both happy with our decisions for the film, which were not always simple to take. It is nice when the movie is the only one that counts and not our egos. Then each one is happy to come with ideas and my role is to choose the best ones.
Today there are a lot of discussions about representation, for example such as that women should direct female super hero movies. How did you, as a female director and screenwriter, approach telling this story from a male perspective, as the film is very much told through the eyes of Andrei's sexual awakening. Was it something you thought about?
Of course I had that thought more than once. But it helped a lot that the book had been written by a man. The 'Selfie' series also have young women as heroes. Yet somehow I have always been attracted by more boyish stories. On the other hand, many directors tell their stories as lived from a female perspective, so I think I will be pardoned if I do the same. It’s more thrilling and somehow more sincere, as always, wearing a mask allows you to be really you. Not to mention, that psychologically, nobody is a hundred percent something. We have different, balancing sides to our personality, characters that live in us and need to express. All we have to do is dig them out and let them breathe. I love people as they are. I do not believe in equality. A man is not equal to a woman or the other way round. That’s what makes us special, that is what makes life interesting and worth living. I was born in an egalitarian utopia and wouldn’t wish that existence to anyone. All ideology apart, it’s boring, trust me. Plus, surprise, it is unfair every other minute! Don’t get me wrong, I do love pandas just as anyone but what is the point of saving them in the name of preserving diversity while at the same time we are turning our sons and daughters into “persons”? As a woman and a filmmaker, I choose any drama over that comatose “equality”. Adam is truly Adam because of Eve and Juliet becomes Juliet thanks to Romeo. Call me old-fashioned but I’d rather be fair than equal.
While Romania remains a popular filming location for both European and international productions, 'Oh, Ramona!' stands out as a rare global success. With so much being made locally, do you think Romanian cinema is poised for greater international recognition?
Romanian cinema has grown a lot in recent years, getting respect and rewards mainly in festivals. See all the films that won in Cannes, Berlin, and so on. Without false modesty, I think my films now prove we can also reach for public success. I think this example has given courage to many directors and we will soon witness a diversification, as far as genres are concerned. Romanians are born storytellers. We might not have highways, but ask anyone "why?" and they will surprise you with dark comedies, corruption thrillers, paranoid conspiracies, new-age mystical journeys and family melodramas. Having a Romanian friend is like getting free cinema tickets for life, anyone should try it, even those Hollywood investors, who complain about having to hear the same two-three stories over and over again.
Which Romanian films would you recommend for someone interested in exploring the country’s cinema further?
Freshly released, 'The Gomera' by Corneliu Porumboiu. Also 'Sieranevada' by Cristi Puiu or 'It’s Dangerous to Lean Out' by Nae Caranfil. My all-time Romanian favourite movies are 'The Reenactment' by Lucian Pintilie and 'California Dreamin' by Cristian Nemescu. Unfortunately, both of those directors have passed away.
Rom-coms are traditionally coupled closely with Hollywood gloss and glamour. But maybe you’ve now given the rom in rom-com new Romanian meaning. Will you continue on this path of romantic comedies?
I feel like I can do more and I want to discover new territories, like fantasy and series. I've already developed several different projects. Of course, that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon comedy completely. It's an incurable disease, in any drama you can also find its comic side. I'm now heading more towards fantasy and family films, but not exclusively. Directors like Ridley Scott, Martin Scorsese or David Fincher touch all sorts of movie genres. Even if there’s a complicated math in each of their choices, it all comes down to liking the story and feeling you have what it takes to tell it in a catchy way. It sounds easy when I put it that way. Believe me, it’s not, but it’s definitely worth the ride.
