In his feature directorial debut, Arthur & Clara, filmmaker Kieran Bourne explores the complexities of identity, vulnerability, and human connection. Centred on two strangers brought together under unexpected circumstances, the film examines the ways in which our relationships with others can challenge our perceptions of ourselves and open the door to personal transformation.
We spoke to Kieran about the inspiration behind the film, his approach to storytelling and the importance of finding authenticity in an increasingly disconnected world.
What was the initial idea behind Arthur & Clara? Was there a particular experience that prompted you to write it?
The initial idea was to make a version of Annie Hall that I could afford back in 2015. That basically meant two people in one house. We had gone to Cannes for the first time and we met a Producer on the plane who told us that we should only come to Cannes if we have 90mins. So perhaps a bit underwhelming but that was the experience that prompted me to write it.
Both Arthur and Clara retreat to the countryside hoping to find something within themselves, only to encounter one another. What interested you about the tension between seeking solitude and needing human connection?
The most important aspect of life is finding out who we are and why we do what we do. That pursuit of personal understanding and worldly relevance interests me as I feel I’ve always been pursuing usefulness. That probably comes from my upbringing and growing up in a matriarchal family. If a man is useless then they were not kept around.
Arthur and Clara both work in creative industries, where identity and public perception can become tangled up with professional success. Why did you choose to make them a filmmaker and an actress, and what does that allow you to explore?
I was constantly looking for transitional elements. So the examination of a creator and a person that serves as part of a creation allowed me to explore the balance and equal nobility of those that are meant to lead and those that serve. What obligation does a Director have to an Actor and what obligation does an Actor have to a Director? They both need each other and since that was the underlying theme of the movie it came easy. Plus, it’s what I know about personally and professionally.
How did you balance the characters’ flaws and frustrations with the need for audiences to empathise with them? Were you ever concerned that viewers might find either character difficult to like?
I think more about the audience experience of the movie and so it’s more about feeling where the interest is rather than thinking about balance. There was some feedback in the post production process but we found that any experience of dislike or difficulty empathising with a character was due to us needing to find a clearer way of communicating the story. Once we felt happy with that part, it stopped being a concern.
Do you see moments of uncertainty as inherently transformative or is personal change something that requires us to actively confront the things we’d rather avoid?
Transformation, evolution etc are painful processes and requires us to be in situations we have never been. Especially when facing the unknown the only thing that you can trust is yourself and what you know up to that point. So entering into that cave and discovering that the only thing to fear is yourself will always be moments that I see as key to becoming the best version of ourselves.
Did making Arthur & Clara change your own understanding of identity, connection, or vulnerability?
Very much so. The original script from 2015 never explored those themes of identity or vulnerability. In 2020 during covid lockdown, George Floyd was murdered and being a Black man in a predominantly white area in England made me really confront that issue of race and my responsibility to it. Also, just being able to gather more experience as Writer, a Director, an individual and a collaborator really helped me get a sense of myself. For better or worse. You’ll have to ask those close to me.
What do you hope audiences take away from Arthur & Clara about the relationship between being understood by another person and understanding yourself?
That it is something we need and we should be slower to reject each other on the basis that we may not share an algorithm. We can be different, we can disagree but unless you want to cause harm there is zero reason to avoid conversation, debate, reasoning and understanding. And honesty with ourselves, in an objective sense and holding ourselves accountable to that.
What makes a story worth telling for you? When an idea first comes to you, how do you determine whether it has the potential to become a film?
A story is a lesson. Will it help a person survive? That’s the purpose of a story. We don’t live in the wild anymore so our stories may need to be adapted for the complexities of 21st century living but it’s all still about survival. Whether it should be a movie is simple: do I think it will be interesting to watch? Whether it’s a dialogue scene in a kitchen or a battle in a galaxy far, far away, as I long as I want to see it, it can be a movie.
How has your understanding of filmmaking evolved from your earlier work to directing your first feature? Are there things you approach very differently now?
Preparation. Preparation. Preparation. I never went to film school so I’ve learned from doing but as my approach was very improvisatory, as in I’d write it then make a movie with whatever and whoever was available, preparation was a low priority. Moving into features and the expertise of the collaborators involved and the amount of collaborators, requires me to know everything beforehand and being able to communicate it in a blink, and to riff, and to pivot. So that part, yes. Everything else, I don’t do much differently that experience doesn’t naturally evolve.
When you look back on your career in ten years, what would you hope to have achieved, either creatively or professionally?
I hope that Arthur & Clara is someone’s favourite movie. I hope to have made more movies, and if the Easter eggs weren’t enough, that one of them is a Star Wars movie.
Arthur & Clara had its World Premiere at the 33rd Annual Austin Film Festival.
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