"Moah", the prehistoric series without dialogue or music

Tigran Mekhitarian plays the hero of the prehistoric series “Moah”.

-

• “Moah”, broadcast this Thursday at 8:40 pm on OCS City and available in full on demand, is the first French series in live action without dialogue and without music.

• This 10x26 minute fiction follows the complicated life of a prehistoric man named Moah.

• The actor Tigran Mekhitarian tells

  20 Minutes

  how he slipped into the skin (animal) of the character, almost silent.

A silent series that will be talked about. 

, broadcast this Thursday at 8:40 p.m. on OCS City and available in full on demand, is the first French series in live action without dialogue and without music.

And for good reason !

Created by Henri Debeurme, Benjamin Rocher (who also signs the production), Bertrand Soulier, based on an original idea by Henri Debeurme, this 10x26 minute fiction follows the complicated life of a prehistoric man, named Moah, there is 45,000 years trying to survive in a hostile environment.

The actor Tigran Mekhitarian tells

how he slipped into the skin (animal) of the character, almost silent.

They don't speak, but you will understand everything.

MOAH, the prehistory of a guy, from October 1st.

pic.twitter.com/tNCdTPzSNt

- OCS (@OCSTV) September 25, 2020

"We had 13" words "of vocabulary"

Moah

makes the daring bet of a narration without dialogue.

The emotions, reactions and intentions of the characters go through the interpretation of the actors.

“I am a child of the theater.

This is exactly what excited me in terms of the game, ”says Tigran Mekhitarian.

Some onomatopoeias make it possible to express essential needs such as "drinking", "eating" or "making love".

“They were all invented by screenwriter Bertrand Soulier.

In all, we had 13 "words" of vocabulary.

What to understand the ins and outs of this (pre) story.

For the most elaborate memories and thoughts, director Benjamin Rocher relies on a clever device of insert shots that allows the viewer to dive into the psyche of the characters.

“To be honest, sometimes I would shoot things without really understanding the why and how.

When I saw the series, everything fell back into place, ”jokes Tigran Mekhitarian.

"To be able to be understood without being contemporary"

To prepare for this atypical role, Tigran Mekhitarian has reviewed a few Charlie Chaplin films.

“I quickly realized that wasn't what was going to help me, even though Chaplin is a good benchmark for body precision.

What is complicated with

is being able to be clear and make

understood without being contemporary.

The people in silent films are contemporary and the challenge for us was not to be, ”the actor explains.

And to add: “I also watched

and all the references that Benjamin Rocher gave us, but that's not what inspired me.

The real preparation took place during the rehearsals before the shoot.

“We agreed on how the characters should move.

Benjamin didn't want something too animalistic, he didn't want monkeys.

He did not want us to move as in 2020 either. We had to find a happy medium, ”he explains.

"Moah talks about relationships between human beings"

“When Moah looks at the sky, he is happy to be there.

He is happy to be alive.

He has his heart set on him and will do anything to help others if he sees that he is in need.

He is naive, but also lively and intelligent.

He is not necessarily smarter than the others, but he asks himself more questions.

He is more curious and seeks solutions, ”he sums up.

But prehistoric man has one flaw: “He loves power.

Beneath the filthy hair and animal skins, Tigran Mekhitarian succeeds in infusing a lot of humanity into the tribe's heartache.

"The characters are very human and look like us, everything starts from there", explains the actor.

The patriarchal system, the thirst for power, the quest for identity or the first love story, the themes tackled by this prehistoric series strangely resonate with today's concerns.

“As in a play by Molière,

speaks of relationships between human beings: betrayal, friendship, loyalty, love, jealousy.

There were only contemporary things to play, ”he believes.

And to insist: “After 45,000 years, we have not changed!

We are the same, even if we have built buildings, we do not change ”.

"You had to eat almost uncooked meat"

Moah

was filmed in the fall of 2019 over seven weeks, in the Dordogne, in particular at the Gorges de l'Enfer, the largest rock shelter in Europe, classified as a historic monument.

“It was difficult, we were turning in the mud.

It was raining and it was cold.

We wore animal skins, we had to eat almost uncooked meat, we filmed in caves by minus I don't know how many, and not once has an actor or technician complained ”, recalls the 'actor.

Why such great abnegation?

“Everyone felt that a shoot like that, there wouldn't be two.

We felt we were doing something special and special.

We wanted to go all the way, ”says Tigran Mekhitarian.

Result?

"The series, sometimes funny, moving or distressing, is a narrative and visual feat", had rightly greeted Frederic Lavigne, the artistic director of Séries Mania during the announcement of his selection of the canceled edition due to Covid -19.

All by turns, funny, burlesque, contemplative, cruel, poetic and confusing,

offers an unexpected vision of human nature.

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