George Peter Barbari, born on the 28th of January, 1992 is an Argentinian-Lebanese filmmaker. He was born in Orange County, California and grew up in Batroun, Lebanon.
On the occasion of his feature debut, “Death of a Virgin, and the Sin of Not Living”, screening at Thessaloniki International Film Festival, we talk with him about the four protagonists, shooting a film about having sex with a prostitute, the thoughts of the people appearing in the movie, death, Lebanese cinema, and many other topics.
Let’s start with a fun question. If you were to pick one of the friends to get a drink with, who would it be?
(laughter) In real life or as characters in the film?
(laughter) Let’s say both.
From the characters in the film, I would choose Etienne, because I would be able to have a conversation with him, a long one which might get interesting. In real life, Dankura, because he is actually the opposite of the character in the film. He never shuts up and he is the funniest guy you will ever meet.
Since we started that way, can you tell me a bit about the casting?
They are non-actors, they barely know anything about cinema, they are just these wild boys from the town I am from, younger guys. They are people I know, but not exactly my friends, since I am older than them. I like them because they are funny, wild, out all night etc, the “cool kids” of the town sort of speaking. I wrote the script and then I approached them and I simply asked them if they wanted to be in a movie. They agreed immediately, told me they were with me all the way and I told them that we were going to rehearse a bit and that I would try to find some money. That’s how easy it was. However, I did not manage to get the money, and it took me four years to start shooting. Eventually, I met two great executive producers Reine Semaan and Christelle Younes, and they are the ones who said “fuck it, we are going to shoot this film for free”. But the boys stayed with me for four years, rehearsing, all this time waiting for us to start shooting. That is why they are so good in the film, since we did so many rehearsals.
Do Jean Paul and Adnan fight in real life too?
All the time, they never stopped. During rehearsals, Jean Paul would get into his car and leave because Adnan would not stop fucking with him, I swear to God. I was more of a daycare manager for these two. They are kids, they are crazy, that is why they are so good in the film, because they are wild in real life.
But are they friends?
They are exactly like in the film, they are friends who fight all the time. Their chemistry is also really good because they grew up together, it is the chemistry of four friends who grew up together.
Why did you decide for their trip to be about having sex with a prostitute for the first time?
The film is based on an experience I had when I was younger. Ten years after that, I was having a conversation with friends about our first time, and I was the only one with this kind of experience. As I started talking about it, for the first time actually, I realized how traumatic it was for me and how much it stayed with me through the years, how it affected me. That is why I wanted to make a film about this experience. At the same time, it is not just a film about that, it is also about life in Lebanon, growing up in a country where you are not able to express yourself, express who you are, talk about your sexuality, your thoughts, your feelings, that is what the film is about for me.
Why was the experience traumatic for you though?
Because you are thrown inside that room, and you are supposed to be ignorant, be an idiot and just stick your penis inside, cum and that’s it. I could not stop thinking that this person, the prostitute, did not want to be there. She could be a mother, a daughter, someone who is just struggling to make ends meet. I could not stop thinking about that and I felt terrible being in that situation, being in that situation with her. The unfairness of life and the fact that I had to be there, I was pressured to. After getting out of this and having all these thoughts, about what happened and why I went through, I wanted to talk with my friends about who this person is, what is her life like, but I couldn’t ask these questions, and that was the most traumatizing thing. The fact that I had to suppress these feelings, these emotions and these thoughts.
Was she as beautiful as the girl in the film?
Absolutely, that is why I wanted for the person in the film to also be a beautiful woman.
Can you tell me a bit more about this “trick” in the film, regarding the thoughts of the people that appear throughout the movie?
I like the fact that you call it a trick (laughter). I wanted to talk about her story, the story of the prostitute, what could it be potentially, that was a very important part of the film for me, to show that she is also a real person, not just a prostitute. As I was developing the script, I was thinking that something was missing. When I first wrote about the boys and their lives and what would happen to them, something still felt off and I realized that everyone they encounter on this journey, is also a person, with their own struggles, fears, insecurities, their own lives and eventually their own death. I figured that it is not fair for them, and I also have to deal with them in the movie, because that is what the film is about, an analysis of life and death, my personal contemplation on those subjects.
Did you have the people that play them in the movie narrate their own stories?
No, most of them are from real people, and some amalgams of people I know and a bit of my own experiences as well and my perceptions on how the lives of these people were, because all of the stories heard are inspired from true stories. The train of thought I considered these people had while experiencing those circumstances. For example, Etienne’s mother’s story in the film is actually his real mother’s story. His father was in a plane crash when he was 15, and it was very hard for her…
How did he feel having that story in the film?
I asked him before, Etienne is a very sensitive person and I think losing his father at a young age really added to that sensitivity. I explained to him, just like I am talking to you now, and asked if I could use his actual story, he gave me the ok and then I went to his mother and asked her to tell me what she went through, and she did and she was very supportive of the film. We shot in her house, that is the house of Etienne actually.
The girl who appears in the house is his actual sister?
No, both her and the mother are actresses.
So, do you think about death a lot?
(laughter) What do you think? Yes, I do. Definitely much more when I was younger, but I still do all the time now. It is kind of what drives me, these thoughts about death and an effort to make sense of it, the sense that this life is not permanent, one day it is going to end. That is why I named the film “The Sin of Not Living”, you have been given this chance and most of us, don’t really give it justice.
The only time Adnan and Jean-Paul agree with each other is when they start mocking a guy they perceive as being a homosexual. Is that type of behaviour common in Lebanon?
Absolutely. It is very common for people to have that kind of attitude towards homosexuals and homosexuality in general is unaccepted. It has not been many years since homosexuality was decriminilized, before people could go to prison for being homosexuals. But still, although it is not illegal, you could say it is still not “allowed”. And this applies to the whole country. Of course, there is a huge gay community in Lebanon, but other people don’t want them there, first and foremost, and there are only a few who are out and about and they are themselves, express themselves the way they want. These are brave people, people who have been through so much… More people become ok with homosexuality as time passes, but is still very subdued.
Jean Paul does not want to have sex with his girlfriend before they marry. Is that also a common attitude?
Absolutely. Nothing in the film is exaggerated, I hate it when movies exaggerate on various aspects of Lebanon. This absurdity, that these things still happen in the 2020s is very common. Many people want to marry a virgin; they can do whatever they want, but they want to marry someone “pure”, which is utterly ridiculous.
Does he understand how hypocritical it is to be on his way to pay to have sex with a prostitute but wants to marry a virgin?
He does, but he does not accept it. No one can be that ignorant, but you can tell yourself, “I don’t want to think about it, I don’t care”, and that is what they do.
Can you tell me a bit about the cinematography, what you wanted to do in the visual aspect of the film?
The reason for the long takes is that I always wanted the viewer to feel like he is a fifth person on the journey with the boys, and that is why the camera is always with them and moves with them. The angles are a bit strange, frontal, rear, following them the whole time. The first thing I told my cinematographer, Karim Ghorayeb, is that we are going to figure out the visual language together, but I want the camera to feel like a fifth person. It might look bad on occasion, but it will work for the overall aesthetic. I loved that he was brave and intuitive enough to accept this approach, and the result was incredible, what he did with the lighting and the way he felt it out. What we did is that we just walked with them, before we started shooting, just to feel what it is like to be with them, instead of just grabbing the camera and shooting. This is how we developed that cinematic language. And it worked, most people really felt that they were on a journey with them, which is the whole point.
In terms of the lighting, the time frame of the films extends to a few hours, so we were only allowed to shoot at specific times of the day, because if we did not manage in that specific time frame, the light would be different and the film would not work, which is a huge challenge cinematographically. The fact that we pulled it off is incredible. Because the transition of light in the film is also a coming of age element, it changes as the protagonists change from being youthful and innocent, but after the particular experience, they realize how dark life can be.
I have one major issue with the movie, the scene that the image pauses on Jean Paul. Can you tell me a bit about this one?
It is a polemic scene I guess. Some people loved it and some hated it, and I get what you are saying now all the time. Let me explain a bit though. Throughout the film, you hate Jean Paul, and at this moment when the film stops for a second, I wanted you to see through him. As you see through him, at that paused moment, you start thinking about judging him and about yourself. I wanted you to pause and think about Jean Paul, if he is really that awful or if he is hiding himself under a facade. And also about who you are, and why you are judging, and if you also are putting a facade. Eventually the camera goes through Jean Paul and it becomes a blur, and for me that’s it, we are all the same at the end, a blur. But it takes time to reach this thought and so I wanted the audience to sit with themselves for a bit, because the whole film is non-stop, because that is life, it never fucking stops in 2021, everything is insanely quick and we really have forgotten how to sit with ourselves and breathe for a second and realize who we are and how lucky we are to be alive.
Can you tell me a bit about the editing?
I am the editor, and we had an assistant editor. But I have to tell you the truth here,the executive producer I mentioned before, Christelle Younes, is the one who actually edited the film, although she does not want that credit for herself. I mean, I edited the film, working on my laptop and trying to make the best choice, and of course, I fucked it up completely, because I thought I was amazing and everything I do is incredible, and the world has to see it. Of course, that is not the case. I did the first draft and I was like, “World, there you go!” but when she saw it, she told me that we should sit together and work this out.
How long was it?
It was not much longer, but it was so much more, so many more words, the voice overs were so much longer, pointless things between scenes which I insisted on keeping. After six months, I watched the first draft again and I thought it was the worst piece of shit I have ever seen. It was really Christelle who helped sculpting the film and I am looking at it and I am so thankful for her being there, and everything else that was in it before, I am so glad it is out. Bottom line is that the film would not have been where it is now if it was not for Christelle. She hates hearing that, because she always wants to be in the background.
I think it is very important for filmmaking to let your ego go, and surround yourself with people you love.and trust, because they are only going to tell you things that will make the film better. And you need to hear them, because sometimes you get so obsessed with your vision that it goes out of control and you need someone to guide you back to where you should be.
You seem to be so wise, despite the fact that you are only 29 years old. What happened to you ? (laughter)
(laughter) I have been through a lot in life, I can say that now, and I have overcome a lot and it has made me who I am. I don’t regret it, I can express myself better now, I feel calmer, and I am going to use the word mature here, because I realize I was an idiot before, with my ego and a constant hurry to get everywhere as fast as possible. I realized how to calm down, that is what saved me in life.
Can you tell me a bit about Lebanese cinema? Is there an industry?
The industry is non-existent and I am really angry at Lebanese cinema and it was very important for me to make this film because no film that speaks my language has ever come out of Lebanon. Maybe a few back in the day, but now, the Lebanon portrayed in films is not my Lebanon. It feels exaggerated, catering to what the West expects from us and I am so sick of that. Because we have so much to say; the country is a unique one. Why the fuck nobody is speaking the way I speak, literally. Because we are all over the place and we are fast and we are loud and we are portrayed in films as calm and European. And I am thinking, “Stop lying, stop catering to what other people want to see from us, you have your own voice, use it because it is beautiful and special”. Because Lebanon is an insane place, it has been through so much, and you realize how much people have to say. This is what creates the need to create, in order to talk about all that stuff. And people just want to say what the West wants to hear from us, let’s check all the boxes. It has become formulaic, everyone is following the same formula and I am so angry at that. All the producers in Lebanon told me no, they did not want to take up my film, and that is why I did not get any money, because I did not check all the boxes.
Has the film screened in Lebanon?
Not yet, but it will be in February.
Is there an issue with censorship?
Yes, a huge one. We had to give the film to the police and they would decide if it would be screened. I removed a lot, because I did not want it to be banned or censored, I did not want it to be like those titles that make it in the festival circuit but nobody sees it in its country of origin. I want people to see it and feel something, that is why I made the movie. I do not feel like a revolutionary, I am a person who felt really lonely at some point in my country, and I want people to feel less alone, that is what I want to give to the people who watch my film back.
So the edition we see in Thessaloniki is the cut one?
Yes, I removed everything before, I followed all the regulations the police mentioned. In the beginning, they told me that I just could not make this film. I asked them why, in surprise, and told them that I have been writing it for years. Then they told me I had to remove a lot and I told them that I will, they just have to tell me what to remove. And I did.
And you don’t feel disappointed?
Absolutely not. Because it was not important, it was stuff like talking about the country, literally cursing Lebanon and the roots of the Cedar Tree. I feel the film is stronger because of it.
Are you working on anything new?
Yes, I am writing at the moment. It is based on a true story about two snipers in the civil war. After the end of the war, they went to the place where the snipers of the Christian militia was situated, and they found a lot of writings on the walls, really sick, hard things. One of them stated, “If my love for Gilbert is a sin, then send me to hell”. When I heard that story, I could not stop thinking about it, because it is about two guys who found each other there, and the only way to stay there is to keep killing people in order to manage to build their relationship.
A gay sniper love story.
(laughter) That’s exactly it.
