Asif Rustamov was born in 1975 in Baku, Azerbaijan. After studying at the University of Economics and the State University of Culture and Arts of Azerbaijan, he obtained a degree in directing at the Faculty of Cinema. He makes documentaries and short films presented and awarded at numerous international festivals. In 2014, he directed his first feature film “Down the River” selected at Karlovy Vary. He is also a screenwriter and producer.
On the occasion of “Cold as Marble” screening at FICA Vesoul, where it won the Grand Jury Award, the NETPAC Award, and the Marc Haaz Award, we speak with him about becoming like our parents, the last scene of the movie, the protagonists, having a story that takes place largely inside a graveyard, fake mullahs, and other topics.
Do you think it's inevitable that we become just like our parents in the end?
Yes, it happens very often, even if we try to escape this even when we try to reject it, it happens very often. In some points, you understand that you are a bit of a copy of your father. The way this psychology impacts the way we are trying to escape the same mistakes, becomes part of our mindset.
Tell me a bit about the very last scene. Did you want to leave it a bit open? I thought the last guy was the mother's lover. Is that what was implied? Or am I reading too much into it?
No, no, for me, it was like this. I mean, there was a clear line, regarding how I planned this story. So for me it is clear. However, you used the word lover, but we don't know if he's a lover or not, it's just our imagination. Because this is a cliche, when you see the guy who brings the flowers to a woman who was killed by her husband, you think it is her lover. But actually in life, there are so many lines, that he could be somebody else. For me the story is built specifically, but for the audience it is always open. So, I don't want to explain my version because much more interesting versions could rise in the head of the audience, much more expressive. For example, if it was a jealous crime, why didn't he kill the lover? Was it because he didn't catch the lover? The audience will probably think a lot about this and their version may even be better than my version.
For me, the protagonist, the artist, is a loser. He wanted to be an artist but he didn't make it, his father pushes him around, his girlfriend exploits him. Is that your opinion also, would you also call him a loser?
I don't want to label him as a loser, but I think he lies to himself. He lies to himself that, as a person he's not as his father, he's just absolutely different. He listens to music but does not enjoy it, he draws pictures but not so successfully. He needs to find himself. In the scene when he finds his father naked, and all the masks are down, and the whole thing is quite emotional for him, in the end he reacts just like his father. And after that, he realizes that he is just a copy and all his life is like a balloon ready to burst. After this, however, he changes and becomes who he was supposed to be from the beginning.
Check the review of the film
A large part of the movie takes place inside the graveyard. Why did you make that choice?
In the beginning, regarding the script, I wrote a small synopsis, but I didn't have a clear path. The main character was a painter but I did not know what kind of painter he is, where he works. One morning, I was listening to a radio programme and one guy, a painter who was working in the cemetery as a grave painter, came to the studio for an interview. He explained about his life, how he became an engraver, how he is unhappy, how he imagined himself before etc. It was a very sad story and it was told in a very sensitive way and I felt his pain even through the radio. I thought it was a fitting profession for my protagonist and so I rebuilt a number of things around the cemetery and I rebuilt the script a bit, although the main story was the same.
This thing with the fake mullahs, does it happen in reality?
Yes, it happens very often because the people who work in the cemeteries are not real mullahs. In order to be a real mullah, you have to study a lot, for years abroad in Iran or other religious centers and after all this, working in a cemetery is like having an MBA from Cambridge and working as a cashier. No real mullahs go to the cemetery, so there are usually former convicts who earn a small amount of money. Almost all of them are fake mullahs actually. This is a big problem, even the Islamic rulers are trying to control the situation somehow and change it, but it is very hard. It is a very typical story so most Azerbaijanians have met someone like this at least once in their lives, and me too of course.
Can you tell me about the casting? I read that you had to change the actors at some point.
Regarding the father, I was sure about Gurban Ismailov from the beginning. He is a famous actor both in cinema and theater. I did castings for the rest. I found the Girl accidentally because one of my friends, another producer, just came to say hello and to see the reference photo of some short chapters and he told me that he knew an actress that fit what he saw. We invited Natavan Abbasli and eventually cast her for the movie. The most difficult part was the Son. We found an actor, but about two weeks before the shooting, he started acting a bit strangely and we had some problems with him and we decided to stop our collaboration with him. I did not know who else could play and suddenly, one morning, as I was searching Google for young Azerbaijani actors, just to see who is around, I found the photo of Elshan Asgarov in an interview and I realized I knew him and that he plays a lot of episodic roles and he is very good. Then I invited him and a few days later, we signed a contract.
Regarding the nude scenes, were the actors comfortable with them?
I have also shot nude scenes in my previous films. I love stories where the erotic is presented as something that is not special, I don't want to hide some parts of life and show only what is allowed. For me it is just a part of life. I feel that if there is passion in the story, as in the one “Cold As Marble”, it is impossible to show it without having erotic scenes. It was ok for me and the actors are professional so they did not have any problem with them.
Did you have any problems with censorship though?
No, this movie was actually financed by the Ministry of Culture.
Has it screened in Azerbaijan?
There was only one small screening, where we were invited to show the movie. The owner of the movie is State Film Studios, so I cannot do it myself, and they have not shown any signs of wishing to promote it.
Can you tell me a bit about the situation in Azerbaijani cinema now?
It was really tough after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is slowly rising, but it's very very slow. Last year, our President signed a law about the opening of a new Film Agency, which is very good news. I hope it will work normally and will change the industry, but for now it is also very slow. For the past few months, there has not been any sign of life. It will take a few years as well. I am not hopeful for these few years, but I think the future will be very good, because there is a very nice young generation which are passionate about cinema and are open to study abroad and make movies and are independent in their way of thinking. So I think that if the Agency will work in a normal way, there are enough human resources in Azerbaijan for cinema to improve.
Are you working on any new projects?
We're working with my friend Roelof Jan Minneboo in another script. We already have a first draft but it is still early in the production, we need to work on the script and then deal with fundraising, so it will take a few years at least.
Last question, if you were to have a drink, would you have it with the father or the son?
The father of course.
