02/09/2024 - VENICE 2024: Can spending your birthday under the right star constellation really help you reach your goals in life? The Slovak-Hungarian director tells us more

(© Giorgio Zucchiatti/La Biennale di Venezia/Foto ASAC)

Can spending your birthday under the right star constellation really help you reach your goals in life? Or is it just a way of taking matters into your own hands? In his documentary-like fiction film Wishing on a Star [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Peter Kerekes
film profile], screening in Orizzonti at Venice, Slovak-Hungarian director Peter Kerekes follows an Italian astrologer, Luciana, and her clients as they try to make their wishes come true.

Cineuropa: How did you stumble upon Luciana, and what convinced you that she would be the protagonist of your next movie?
Peter Kerekes: I actually didn't want to make this movie. I have an Austrian producer, Ralph Wieser, who is a very serious person focusing on very serious topics. Since about 2011, he has always been inviting me for dinner. He told me that his producer friend in Italy wanted to make a film about astrology and asked me whether I wanted to direct it. I said no; I do serious topics. The next year, he asked me again. After three years, I gave up and travelled to Friuli. We met Luciana, and I completely fell in love. Since I don't speak Italian, I was sitting in the corner, just watching her. In the beginning, her clients were stressed and nervous. By the end, they were happy or crying. So, I said yes to the film.

Astrology is something people tend to laugh at, but you always take your characters very seriously. Were there any complaints about the portrayals?
For me, the film is not about astrology. If it were, then you would have one side that believes and the other that does not believe. That’s not interesting. For me, the human stories counted. During filming, I realised that until your relationship with your parents is solved, then your romantic relationships are in a tight spot. I wanted a very deep connection with the protagonists. We spent a lot of time discussing how it would develop.

How long did you follow your characters around for?
My first meeting with Luciana was in 2017. For years, we were waiting for money, then COVID-19 hit. But I am thankful for all of these problems because if we had had enough money straight away, the film would have been finished in one year and, story-wise, would have been flat. You would have had all of the scenarios in there, but none of the depth.

With their birthday destination in mind, the characters spring into action, as if they were suddenly allowed to live life as they’d always wanted.
It’s two fundamental things that you can also find in the Catholic Church: it's the need to confess, and Luciana is the priest who doesn't judge. She is just listening. The people have to find the solutions themselves. The second thing that unites all religions is a pilgrimage. This birthday trip is a kind of pilgrimage. People need to be alone with themselves. Of course, we had to stage some of it with a film crew.

Since you don’t speak Italian, was the filming process very different to usual for you?
In the beginning, I got a translation every 20 minutes. In the end, I had earphones with simultaneous interpretation coming through. But the best parts were filmed with the translation coming only afterwards because, not knowing the language, I had to concentrate on gestures. Often, people say something good, but it's lacking in energy. My Italian assistant said, “Yes, she said the perfect things,” and I said, “No, we have to go again; I'm not happy. The eyes were not sparkling.” It was a very interesting way of filming. The movie is not about sound or image; it’s about energy.