23/02/2023 - BERLINALE 2023: We talked to the director about his fascination for the ambiguous figure of Roman times philosopher Seneca

German director Robert Schwentke presents his satire Seneca - On the Creation of Earthquakes [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Robert Schwentke
film profile], shot in Morocco and starring John Malkovich in the role of Seneca, at this year's Berlinale in the Berlinale Special Gala section. We met the director and asked him how he developed the visual concept of his unusual biopic.

Cineuropa: The story of Nero and his teacher Seneca is a spectacular one, but also quite well-known. What made you want to find your own interpretation of it?
Robert Schwentke: I was interested in the conflict and the discrepancy between Seneca the man and Senecan discourse. The film could be considered a continuation of The Captain [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Robert Schwentke
film profile], in tone and theme. Both deal with the dark side of human nature and individual and collective behaviour within a totalitarian system and times in history, when basic moral and ethical principles are suspended.

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Seneca's end is the intellectual that fails against power. That's very tragic. Your approach is more a parody.
The film is an acid satire about the educated elites and their inability to stand up to strongmen, despots and tyrants – and it poses the question of whether they are victims of tyranny or opportunistic collaborators. It is also the tragedy of an artist and philosopher who pimped himself out to a corrupt tyrant for personal gain and vanity. Tacitus, a very important source for us, immortalised Seneca's suicide in his annals, but left its tone ambiguous. It is unclear whether he cast Seneca's final drama as tragedy or as satire, or a modern melding of the two. Our film follows this tradition.

Which other sources were important for you?
Suetonius, also Cassius Dio, who satirised Seneca's suicide. And Seneca's own works. Most of Seneca's dialog in the film is based on his actual writings – as is Thyestes, the play in the movie.

The film has a narrator. Who or what does he stand for exactly?
I am very fond of voice overs in films – as in Barry Lyndon or Casino. I haven't had a chance to use one myself and it seemed a good fit here. It serves as a sort of anchor and its irony is in keeping with the overall tone of the film.

At the end, you build the bridge to the modern age. Seneca ends up in the rubbish.
I'd like to leave it up to the audience to piece that one together. But it seems odd to make a historical film that isn't also about our own time. All historical writings reflect the time they were written in, its biases and cultural prejudices.

The aesthetics of the film are quite flashy. The bright light plays an important role. The colours are strong. Could you say a little about the visual concept?
The colours support the theatricality, the decadence of the world and the hightened aesthetic of the film. The flash frames are harbingers of the approaching catastrophe. 

You had already worked with John Malkovich. Did you have him in mind for the role from the beginning? And was it difficult to convince him?
John and I worked together on RED and I wrote the script specifically for him. If he hadn't accepted, I wouldn't have made the film. He is fearless in his performances and can switch registers on a dime, which was essential for this film's tonality. He infused Seneca with a lot of humanity, despite all the shots we're taking – quite an accomplishment. You feel for Seneca when he finally expires. John also has a wicked sense of humour, which I appreciate.

How did the rest of the cast come together?
I had worked with many of them on The Captain. Then there were some new actors I really wanted to work with, Louis Hoffmann and Lilith Stangenberg, for example. And it was a great honour to work with Geraldine Chaplin. I grew up with her films. I especially love the ones she made with Carlos Saura, particularly Cría Cuervos.