"I love to sit between chairs"

Interview with the director of the clips "Leningrad" Anna Parmas to the comedy output "Let's Divorce!"

In a sense, the diploma of the engineer of electrical equipment of the train in a sense Anna Parmas came in handy. It seems, after unhurried acceleration, it gains speed and flies on the air pillow in an unknown one. After the most popular sketch “Caution, Modern!”, Having glorified growth and Nagiyev. After joint scenario work with Avdotya Smirnova (“Two days”, “Kokoko”, “The story of one purpose”). After the million-plus clips for the songs of the cord, including the “exhibit” about Labutena, she made her debut in directing, taking off her full-length comedy “Let's Divorce!”, Which was loved by the festivals, and the audience will not remain indifferent. The plot is banal, but does not lose relevance: the husband goes to the long -legged girl.

- In the comedy I feel most comfortable. You say correctly: I’m flying, I myself can’t imagine where, although a full meter is terribly interesting, but it’s scary, I have to tell you. For example, I could not complete the script.

- Moreover, you are a professional screenwriter.

- It seemed that everything was not that: not acute enough, for sure. I tortured her co -authors until they said: "Let's be your next script, and this one is just good." It was not easier on the set. Only samples passed without torment.

- You wrote to Anna Mikhalkov the main role.

- Without limiting itself, she has such an acting range: he will play anything. But the search for her partner was painful. Whom we have not tried. But even in good artists there was not enough perception of the irony laid down in the script.

And then Anton Filipenko came to the samples. Anya saw him, gasped: 33-year-old playboy, and not at all the husband of Misha, "tortured by housekeeping." I persuade: "Let's at least see." It immediately became obvious: even in pauses, he knows how to be ridiculous. But I had to “adjust” him physically. We have men, like women. Prior to the wedding, slender, with cubes on the press, then they are fucked up. I say: "Anton, you have to get better for 12 kg, grow a mustache." He so wanted a role that he changed himself.

- What attracts you to the comedy? For the dramas of Avdotya Smirnova, you write completely different texts.

-Although Dunya and I have a similar look at things-we cannot seriously think about something for a long time, we throw irony, humor. And the acquaintance began with her offer to write the comedy “You love me”, then there were “two days”, “Kokoko” - close things in spirit. And the “story of one purpose”, in which one of the characters of Leo Tolstoy became a test. I, as a comedian from a joke, who was assigned to a serious dramatic role. The director says: "You come up, sit down, cover your face with your hand." The comedian comes up, wagging backwards, covers his face funny with his hand. The director again and again asks him to be serious. And the comedian seeks: “Got it! I'll just sit past the chair! "

You see, I always want to sit past the chair. Such is nature - I can do it best. I hate meaningfulness, pathos.

In drama, both pathos and meaningfulness are possible. When we received a prize for the “History of one Purpose” on the Kinotavr, I had the feeling that this was all for the blood that he drank from me.

- It seems to me that we had a protracted crisis in our comedy genre. Until the asshole of the gooseberries came, something began to move. Judging by the laughter at the show “Let's divorce!”, People miss the comedy “to themselves”.

- When I saw “bitterly!”, I realized: we now have a comedy. But numerous attempts to take off on Zhorin Hype failed with a bang. The matter is not the recipe, rather. In a funny sense.

- Then the “feeling of ridiculous” began to appear in the series: in the “ordinary woman”, in “house arrest”.

- Khlebnikov and Slepakov have an impeccable sense of humor.

- Yes, in their cinema there is more reality than in many social dramas.

- Because reality with all horrors and sorrows is more comical than it seems. If, of course, look at the situation from the side. Here in "Bitter!" - Parents just wanted a good wedding for children, tried. And Zhora shows how exactly they try.

- There are completely different Parmas. Anna Parmas, composing the sitcoms "Caution, modern!" The author of the famous Shnurov clips. The author of various scenarios. And hello: Parma-director.

- "Caution, modern!" - Great time of youth. Not knowing anything, we were sure that we could do everything. They shamelessly melted from everywhere.

Yes, and the school program is fresh - and all the Pushkin, thick, gogols were woven into the canvas of the plots, mixing with Tarantino and Gay Richie. With age, instead of impudence, fears and phobia come.

“But you also shoot clips like microfilms, as if all this is one stream.”

“I'm not so different.” Here, as always in my life, Dunya helped me a lot. And with the script and at the installation stage. But still, really reckless scenes remained outside the film. For example, dreams of the heroine. In one of them, her husband Masha (Anna Mikhalkova) enters the restaurant, sees her husband’s mistress there. Passing by the fireplace, she takes the poker and beats her on the head, she departs: “Woman, what are you?” Masha is already dubs her. She falls, gets up again. Young girls on stilettos begin to rise behind her. And behind the car, aunts rise - housewives, one, like a sling, waves a bag of oranges. And Vera Brezhneva behind the scenes: "Love will save the world."

There was still a dream - male synchronous swimming: her husband Misha, police Fedor and neighbor pop up around Masha in the pool (“My windows are opposite yours”). All these "daisies" begin to make their feet. In a word, funny and bright. But it did not enter. It seemed to me that I was able to keep the plan of full -length cinema. It turned out that I could do this on a small segment. And here: as soon as we insert these funny dreams into installation - everything is reset, they have nothing to do with the main plot.

- You can let out a film with bonuses - the dreams of heroes.

- I even talked about it with the distributors. There was so much shot ... The mistake of a novice director. Previously, it seemed to me that from our scripts Dunya Smirnova threw all the best.

- Like any author, I saved offense.

- Of course ( laughs ). And I ran into a pernicious desire to tell about everything right away. There is also a bunch of secondary heroes. But it was necessary to build a holistic story.

- But you also wrote scripts for clips as a movie, telling them about different social cuts, about the city, about life around. You were not a professional clip maker?

- No, never.

-And here is some kind of aunt came to the cord. It is not clear where the engineer’s diploma is from ...

-With a diploma of an electrical engineer.

- And makes a clip that “removes” all other clips. Due to what?

- Yes, no one set special tasks. Clips are a joke for the Internet. There was lightness in everything. After the blessed "exhibit", however, it was already achieved with difficulty. As if you are considered in binoculars. "Well, how will you surprise us?" Saved the cords. He is an incredible customer. “What did you want there? Come on! "

- But did he give a topic?

- No, but helped a lot. After the "exhibit" I had a stupor. I wanted to “drink” “in St. Petersburg” as a story about a hipster, who rushed from Moscow to look for happiness. But it did not go in any way. The cord says: “Listen, let's think about a person who at least once in his life wanted everything to ... send.”

- And there are such people around us ...

- Yes, almost everyone. How easy it was with clips! And with a full meter, I only learn to cut off the secondary from the main thing - ruthlessly, and at the stage of the script.

- How did the cord accept clips? Was there generally "acceptance"?

-He was sent to the cassette-master-a reduced finished clip. Then he called: “Class! We release. "

“ What is your clipmaker chip?”

-The fact that I am not a clipmaker. Therefore, no one thought of "such nonsense". Although no, Bori Khlebnikov back in 2003 was a beautiful clip of Shnurov’s “Road”, in which he opened Sasha Yatsenko. Borya was also not a clip maker, and made an expressive small film. But then YouTube was more modest.

- It seemed to me that "Let's divorce!" - The story is largely personal. You also raised the children yourself. Increasingly, we see films as a way to get an injury, if not resolved, then approach the problem.

- Well, yes, probably a movie can help, but not at a sharp stage. Cinema is not an ambulance.

- There are friends for this.

- For example. Or: “You need to turn to a good specialist,” my mother thinks.

- How much is this personal story in a general comedic plan? Still, the director portraits himself in the cinema.

- I agree, I am cunning: for a debut I chose the topic that I know. All that I have, probably, this is an observation - I like to spy and eavesdrop. I see how, in a crisis family situation, everyone around us begins to help zealously. How to distort the person who revolves Yula. "What should I do?" It seems to me that this has responded in Ana. It is beautiful because it is deeper than the material. In the scene, for example, with friends, I did not set any additional task. They calm her down: “Yes, who needs him, your Misha! You might think, the queue was lined up after him! " But she looks so ... You see, this reaction is a real gift.

- Anna Mikhalkova plays between notes, capable of in the simplest remarks, gestures to invest additional meanings and moods. Irony, for example.

- She has a rare sense of humor. We shot the scene when, forgetting the swimsuit, goes along the pool in linen - at the children's holiday.

And so the dresser cooks it, and she says: “I am 45, finally they began to shoot me naked. Thank you for living. "

- Does it seem to you, laughter unites or shares?

- Watch how the reactions to the films of Zhora Kryzhovnikov was polarized. Fiction. I almost quarreled with my beloved Borea Khlebnikov. In this regard, laughter, of course, shares. Everyone has a position - what you can laugh at, what is impossible at.

- Is it not only about the Petrosyanovsky level of humor?

- Shnurov correctly remarked: “In Russia there are two types of comedy:“ Old songs about the main ”and KVN.” If you get “between” - it is dangerous, this is a possible failure, the picture of oil “did not wait”.

“ But gooseberries are not KVN, and not“ old songs about the main ”.

- Therefore, the people split. I adore him for absolute accuracy in the replica and reaction to it.

- He also studies all the time, explores the history and matter of cinema. In some interview, you formulated the idea of ​​happiness as independence from another. Partly about this your cinema with the final song of the cord "The stars just shine." In your opinion, if you closely associate life with one person, you will most likely be unhappy. I'm not sure about that.

- Of course, there is no recipe on how to build a relationship. In our history, Masha suddenly realizes: well, this family plane does not take off already ... Maybe someone will manage to raise it. I want to show that the option of liberation is possible. Nevertheless, parting exclusively with suffering is associated.

- A classic romantic comedy offers an option - to fix a falling plane, seal. And again to take off.

-Our producer Sergei Selianov at the stage of the script said: “Maybe at least someone will pass it on. At least a neighbor. " You see, the general rule will do it: at least some, but a man. Without it, no way.

- But the feminists are happy, because women in your cinema are larger, more powerful. At least by virtue of the talent of Anna Mikhalkova. No matter how much you are looking for her partner, it is almost impossible to find equal. The character of her heroine has self -sufficiency, even if she herself does not yet understand this. Not a woman in this film, but a man is looking for - to whom to lean.

- And I, however, I think so sincerely.

- We have a weaker sex today we have men?

- In general, yes.

- It seems to me that every couple is a noun and an adjective. In your version, the adjective is not necessary.

- You see what kind of thing, film screening can be anything. In life, everything is more complicated. If I start, as in life, to complicate, blur everything, the viewer will confuse. It seems to me that options are possible. If alone is sad - go to the cafe, to sites: Find your man. It will be a “adjective”, or unexpectedly turns out to be a “noun” - it does not matter. Do not dig in your misfortune, do not revel in the walls: "Well, why are I so lucky!"

- At the recent Kinotavra, a feeling of fresh, non -trivial female directing again arose. I mean the film by Nigina Sayfullaeva “Fidelity”, Natasha Meshchaninova “The Heart of the World”. How do you feel about this? Or you would like to say: "This Parmas shot a cool comedy."

“I think that women players come simply because they have not only a desire, but also the opportunity to break into this male profession, and then:“ We follow the result. ” Women most often shoot about what they know and feel. Nigina with marginal frankness told the story of a woman’s self -identification.

Men-sponsor made in the cinema. They just were bad. And I looked and thought: "How we spoiled our men - we never tell them the truth."

Like Masha in our film, a soothing lover in the bed stage: "It's okay, next time." You see, we always say to them: "Yes, everything is great, no one noticed your fakap." We try not to offend, understanding what wound we apply to this delicate flower. We will not arouse guilt for dissatisfaction! And Nigina took and showed how and what in fact we feel, including in the field of sex. This is a feminine view of a man, at a relationship. Before that, the men tried to describe: what a woman feels in the genre of "okay." But in some men-players, not even women, but girls live. I watched with great pleasure the movie historia Grigory Dobrygina “Sheena667” about the love ordeals of the married provincial man who found a virtual mistress. I see empathy to his characters and tenderness in his directing.

- So, directing is an ambivalent concept?

- If the director has both the female and masculine principle - you feel the truth of relations, volume. As, for example, Avdotya Smirnova made the final of the "Stories of one purpose." Initially, a lyrical completion was supposed to the music of Bori Grebenshchikov, and she cut it off, cut everything - the final was absolutely male.

- To what extent are you worried about the special circumstances of our reality? You have an almost adult son, you see the arrests of students ... You say to your son: “Do not go to the demonstration, is it dangerous”?

“I will answer you honestly, I'm a cowardly person.” Three years ago she transferred the children to Tallinn - Estonian passports for the whole family. I understood that both the son and daughter enter the teenage zone and will be very active. And I will begin to freak out all the time. In such a selfish way, she tried to protect herself.

“ But sooner or later they can return.”

- Of course, this is a temporary solution to the problem for an eternally busy parent: as if everything is fine in the rear.

- And what to do with all these courts, sentences, arrests? Do not pay attention? Engage exclusively in cinema?

- It seems to me that it is important to maintain common sense. When such a terrible event arises as the arrest of Ivan Golunov. When they grab and plant children, it is unbearable. And then you need to do what you can. I don’t know, to speak, support, go to pickets, go to court.

- For what? Around, everyone says: "It is pointless."

- Absolutely not pointless. There is a cumulative effect, it may not be immediately. When the process began over Kirill Serebrennikov, everyone came to support him and his colleagues. Then they also said: “Ah, they will forget it soon!” Not forgotten. And when they fabricated the “Ivan Golunov Case” - a critical reaction worked on a high note. And the authorities won back: “What is it with us? Come on, let out. " So you have to continue.

At the same time, there is a feeling that the people split into two camps, and both fall into hysteria. This separation is a dangerous thing. The divided society is easier to manipulate.