“I’m interested in talking about serious, easy language”: Sonya Karpunina - about the advantages of the comedy genre and the film “I Want to Get Married”

- In March, the premiere of your new film “I Want to Get Married”, which has now appeared on the net, took place.

With what feelings did you wait for the release of the picture?

- We did not have a solemn premiere due to political events, but before that, of course, I was really looking forward to it.

It was important for me that many of my friends and acquaintances from the film industry watched the film.

Those who saw it in the studio, or I showed it to some of my friends at home, received it very well, so it seemed to me that most of the guests at the premiere would like it.

I was waiting for this moment, but it didn't happen.

- Do you follow the reaction of the audience?

— There were a lot of reviews when the film was released, especially in the first two weeks.

People wrote a lot in social networks, in direct.

Moreover, the messages often began with the words: “I never write to the director at all, but you wanted to.”

And then there were some emotions. 

One young man asked how I knew everything about him, because the story of the main character is absolutely everything from his life.

The woman wrote that the film was funny, but she sobbed all over because she recognized herself in the main character.

She made a different choice ten years ago, made a mistake...

The film hooked people in terms of emotional experiences.

Someone wrote that they liked the atmosphere, music, actors, jokes.

Someone got hooked on the story.

It was nice.

It is very important, after all, to watch a movie in a cinema.

Even when I watch some serious films at home, I still get distracted - sometimes I received an SMS, then I went to pour tea, then I didn’t have time to watch it at all, they called ... So, firstly, the viewing itself turns out to be torn - you get distracted, you fall out of atmosphere.

And secondly, when there is a large hall, especially if there is a comedy ... Drama - there you and one at home can sit, worry, and then a general feeling arises: one person began to laugh, then the rest of the hall picks up, and all the time goes this synergy.

There is always an expectation, especially for the first show.

You check whether the jokes will work or not, whether people will laugh where you planned it.

Moreover, it happens that the audience very unexpectedly starts laughing in some place that you didn’t think was funny at all.

And you think: “Ah, well, well, that means it’s funny.”

• © Photo from the personal archive of Sonya Karpunina

- Really funny comedies are not for everyone.

Is this genre close to you as an author and as a viewer?

In general, how big a role does humor play in your life?

- As a viewer, I prefer drama and detective stories, thrillers.

As a director, I also tried this genre, but now I somehow managed to work more in comedy.

But I didn’t do anything specifically for this, I didn’t set myself the task of writing a comedy.

I just wrote a story, it turned out to be comedy, with jokes, with funny situations.

True, the first version of “I Want to Get Married” was more lyrical, but then, when we finalized it with the producers, it became clear that we needed to move towards a romantic comedy.

I myself love to joke, and I love people with a sense of humor.

And it seems to me that humor is an integral part of life, as well as a successful form of conversation with the viewer.

People go to entertainment movies, so comedy is easy enough to sell.

It seems to me that people go to theaters less willingly for drama.

And here it turns out that you are selling a comedy, and inside it lies a dramatic story.

I'm just interested in talking about serious light language.

Pure drama is an interesting genre, but I think it's hard for the viewer when there's too much of it.

I can watch the drama, but if it's good, then, of course, it penetrates you a lot, so you need to watch it in doses.

Otherwise, there is a lot of drama in life, but I would like more comedy.

- You mentioned the interesting reaction of the viewer, who sobbed the entire film.

Did you plan to convey some idea to the audience, to encourage them to do something?

- Initially, I did not have such a task, but then producer Alena Kremer just said that we need to convey to women: happiness is not in marriage, and you need to get married for love, and not because someone is waiting for it - society, parents or their own inner voice gives some kind of setting.

The movie doesn't say this directly, but I think it follows from the story itself.

- You tried to launch "I want to get married" for four years.

In general, in your opinion, is it a lot on average in a movie?

- For me it was a long time, I wanted to shoot as soon as possible, I could not wait.

But now I understand that all this time was spent on working on the script, on understanding the story, and it has benefited.

But, in general, it is different.

Sometimes a film quickly, easily starts, shoots and exits.

And it happens, indeed, every time something breaks, and the film does not reach the shooting.

Sometimes it is filmed, and then for some reason it does not reach the screen, or to post-production.

So I don't think there are rules here.

It is usually accepted that when the script is already there, the producers have been found, the financing is all, the film should be launched.

But sometimes there are some millions of "buts".

• © Photo from the personal archive of Sonya Karpunina

- What is the reason for such a delay in your case?

- The first year everything was completely different for us, even the script.

The main characters remained, the situation with the phone, with the fact that the groom and wife are jealous, in a word, the plot is the same.

The rest has changed a lot.

There was a different cast and, in general, the entire film crew - only me and the second director remained from the first launch.

This happens when the project does not add up - all the time there was some kind of resistance.

Apparently, it was not fate yet.

Although, in fact, the project was frozen a week before filming.

Their beginning was still shifting all the time ... And then at some point it became clear that it was better not to shoot anything at all now.

The next year, everything changed: production, cameraman, artist.

And then we all came up against the casting.

Then the project was called "Perfect Couple".

We tried Christina with Milos and realized that, yes, this is absolutely the perfect couple.

Everyone wanted to see their romantic story, but Milos was filming at Hotel Belgrade when we could launch.

Accordingly, we could shoot only after, but it was already cold.

Postponed for another year, and the coronavirus began.

Instead of an expedition to Kaliningrad, we all went into quarantine.

- Speaking of the cast - you managed to put together a very bright, stellar cast.

How was the selection?

Was there a scheduling conflict?

- It was very difficult with the schedule.

Everyone was very busy, we had to adjust.

Only Milos was more or less free, because he specially set aside a certain time for us.

But he had a tight deadline, and we couldn't move the shoot if something didn't work out.

Christina had an endless theater during this period, she flew from Kaliningrad to Moscow all the time.

Sometimes we stood idle for several days, waiting for her to return.

Marina Aleksandrova also had some big project in parallel in St. Petersburg, and Gilyov was generally filmed in Kazakhstan, from where there were flights twice a week.

Aug worked, in my opinion, somewhere in the Baltic States, she also flew endlessly, she had only two days in May.

On the same two days, it was necessary to connect Gilev, because they have a common stage.

That is, it was super difficult logistically.

Then another problem arose - already during the preparation, we realized that we could not film paragliding flights on any day, we had to wait for a certain wind.

Moreover, he is at this point, then at another, and what he is - it will be possible to understand the night before the shift.

By that time, Milos, Asmus, Aleksandrova should be ready - actors who have a heavy schedule.

We could not schedule a shift with flights in advance, it was obvious that there might not be any.

As a result, we combined a lot.

Somewhere they filmed the takeoff, somewhere else the landing.

The flight itself was filmed with understudies.

We even canceled some shifts.

We planned the location for a specific date at the end of the expedition in Kaliningrad, and two days before the shooting we learned that it would be heavy rain that day.

No matter how you pull on the situation - it's impossible to come up with anything.

Sometimes you have to shoot a scene on the street, it's raining, you go to a cafe.

And then the whole scene is about them flying on a paraglider, and not a single paraglider will fly in the rain.

Accordingly, it was impossible to shuffle anything, we had to extend the expedition for two days and, with some unimaginable efforts, get Alexandrova. 

• © Shot from the film "I want to get married"

And the cast was going in different ways.

I always understood: in order for interesting actors to want to play, you need to offer them interesting roles.

And then many wrote to me, both the audience and colleagues, that the characters of the second and third plan are very well written.

That's why I paid a lot of attention to them - so that it would be interesting for good actors to play it.

Kristina and Milos appeared in the second year of launch.

Together we have already gone some way, discussed the scenes.

And then ... I have long wanted to work with Marina Alexandrova, and here is the ideal role for her.

It seems to me that she didn’t have one, she was also interested in trying it.

Gilyov starred with Klim Shipenko in December, and Klim just told me to try it.

And it seemed that he was so non-obvious, because he hadn’t had any comedies before, but when they tried, they realized what an interesting couple they had with Christina.

He was also interested in trying this genre.

Aug - there were a lot of samples for mom.

I remember that I came to Yulia at the Gogol Center, we talked, then filmed a scene for tests.

When we began to do some kind of improvisation, we thought it would be very funny if she says: “How many times have you been married?

- Zero.

- How many times have I been?

- Five".

They came up with this during the auditions, and I realized what exactly she should play.

And Julia was interested.

Moreover, Yulia and I also knew each other before, and I wanted to work with her. 

“I'm glad it all worked out in the end.

In one interview, you said that you included a scene from your personal life in your film “Everything is Simple”.

Are there such episodes in "I want to get married"?

- Here the plot is more invented.

The story from “Everything is simple” can be presented as an everyday one, and “I want to get married” is a genre movie.

In general, it is possible to imagine that a girl in revenge begins to portray a wedding, but this is quite extravagant.

Therefore, episodes from life ... Unless some phrases, the dramatic situations themselves.

The heroes of Milos and Christina have life prototypes, but they don’t even know each other, this is a kind of fantasy on the topic of what kind of couple could be.

- Do these prototypes know that you took their characters as a basis?

- Not.

I don't think they even realize.

There are no situations borrowed from life.

That is, it's just a certain character of a person that I conveyed through the character.

But, again, the way I see it.

- You already have experience as a director, screenwriter and actress.

Which side of filmmaking is more interesting for you, closer?

- Directing comes first.

On the second, probably, scenarios.

Although the writing process itself is difficult for me - I have to sit alone with a computer for a very long time.

That's why I like directing more - constant communication, tests, choice of nature, expedition - a very busy working life.

When you sit and write for a year, you start to miss it a little, you want some kind of action.

On the other hand, you come up with everything that you will then shoot.

Now I'm already thinking where I would like to spend the year.

It is clear that filming is less than a year, but with what people, what story, what I will then edit for two months, what to watch ... Cinema is a long-playing story in which you will live for a year, two, or even more .

I have very little acting experience.

I probably wish there was more of it.

But about ten years ago, I went to auditions and every time I approached them as a director.

It is clear that I was not offered outstanding projects, mostly ordinary films, let's say so.

There are always questions to the script, to the director, and I had, it seems to me, too many.

For acting work, you need a director, whom I will follow.

I really like working with Klim, but it doesn't work out that often.

• © Photo from the personal archive of Sonya Karpunina

- You starred in your film "Everything is simple."

How do you like this experience?

How much more difficult is it to work both in and out of the frame at the same time than just behind the scenes?

On the one hand, it's more difficult.

First you need to play the scene, then look at the playback, play it again, watch it again - more tasks.

While the site is being prepared, you are sitting on the make-up, but you should be on the site.

Everything expands over time.

On the other hand, it’s easier: you don’t waste time working with an actress, you don’t need to explain or convince anything, you just do it the way you see it.

And then, when you are filming yourself, you can direct the scene from the inside.

Often the directors, when they play themselves, during the partner's remarks, disconnect from the acting existence and begin to observe the stage from the side, like directors.

This gives a very interesting effect.

As if the character rises above the situation, like a demiurge.

I would still shoot at my place, but a super-coordinated team is needed so that, in addition to directing and acting, not to be distracted by solving administrative tasks.

Everything should work very clearly - then you can experiment.

But in general, of course, it is an interesting experience.

When you act and shoot, you start directing the story from the inside.

You can provoke your partner right in the scene, come up with something, say something differently, calling him to improvise.

So you can, of course, work with actors.

You ask one of them to do something unexpected in a scene, not according to the script - the second one has to adapt, improvise.

Often it turns out something interesting, lively reactions.

Sometimes, right during the shooting, you want to correct something, but you can’t: comments on the walkie-talkie will bring down the whole scene, and then the moment is lost.

And when you play by yourself, you can lead the scene where you need it in the moment.

On the one hand, relying on the reactions of the partner, on the other hand, keeping the whole story in mind and understanding where you would like to take it.

— Can you tell us what you are working on now? 

I'm trying to figure out where to put all my efforts.

There are several options to choose from.

But surprisingly, I have several proposals, one way or another related to pregnancy.

I'll probably choose one of them. 

Now I am taking care of my children and my family.

Well, I work with scripts.

I need to decide which of the two to focus on.

But all the same, if you were sent material, you analyze it, think about how to improve it.

Analytical work is already underway.

- Working on a film, like raising children, requires complete immersion in the process.

How do you manage to find a balance between family and work?

- Hardly.

As I said, they sent me several scripts about pregnancy, and two of them are also career related.

Apparently, the topic is topical.

I feel guilty all the time, it seems to me that I either did little work or did little work with the children.

But that's probably how it always will be.

I don’t know, let’s see what films will be, what children will be like in 15 years, how much they will complain about me to a psychologist.

- Last year, all of Russia watched the first space film crew with your husband fly to the ISS.

Tell us how you experienced this time and with what emotions you let it go.

- I was very worried - this, of course, is a non-trivial situation.

It was very exciting when they took off, although it seemed that everything should go well.

In my opinion, in any such situation, the hardest thing is to wait.

This is the unknown, you do not understand what is happening at the moment.

To be honest, I then flew away on vacation, I realized that I needed to switch to something so as not to focus on all this.

When they were already at the station, it was hard to imagine that there, in a metal box somewhere in orbit, Klim was flying back and forth in a circle.

And I was very worried when there was a landing.

But, in general, everything went well.

They were in orbit for only 12 days, but it seemed to me that an eternity had passed, a whole life.

- Didn't you yourself audition for the role that Yulia Peresild eventually got?

- Firstly, I was preparing, and the shooting was planned in parallel.

I told Klim that I also want to go into space.

He told me: "Forget it."

Then he says: “You are filming a film, do you want to participate in a space casting or shoot your own film?”

I say: “I want to make a film,” and he: “Well, that’s all there is to talk about.”