04/07/2025 - We spoke to the Swiss director about literature, the attention he pays to his actors and his love for Zurich

(© Gabriel Hill)

I’m Not Stiller [+see also:
film review
interview: Stefan Haupt
film profile], the latest feature by director Stefan Haupt, which premiered in the CineCoPro Competition of Filmfest Munich, is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Max Frisch, one of the giants of German-language literature. We spoke to the director about his relationship with the Swiss writer and the relevance of a book written over 70 years ago.

Cineuropa: Why did you choose to adapt this very novel by Max Frisch for the screen?
Stefan Haupt: I wanted to without knowing why. Four or five years ago, one of the producers from C-Films in Zurich told me he would love to make a film about a book by one of the big German-language writers, like Max Frisch, for example. Considering that I knew Frisch personally, that I have read almost all of his books and plays, and that I’m Not Stiller is one of his books that I loved the most, I immediately said: “Let’s do I’m Not Stiller!” No one had yet adapted it for the screen, and it was a huge challenge to try to do that. Although the book was written 70 years ago, the themes it deals with are very current. When you see all of these young people with their phones, always taking selfies and trying to convey the most perfect image of themselves, you realise that the issue of identity is, in my opinion, still relevant today. On the other hand, all of the questions about relationships, marriages or partnerships, the fact that we hurt each other, the way we want our partner to be, and the fact that we allow or do not allow him/her to be what he/she wants to be, are also very timely and relevant subjects.

Speaking of the male/female relationship and the character of Julika, could we say that one of the subjects of the film is the difficulty of being a female artist in a patriarchal society that sees women more as subjects or muses?
We paid a lot of attention to this subject: we gave Julika, in the guise of Paula Beer, more inner strength than she has in the novel. That said, many of her characteristics, such as not wanting to start a family and consequently abandoning her career, come from the novel. People may think of Frisch as a man from another era, and of course, he partially is, but he also tried to find a new way of relating to women on the same level. So, of course, this was one of the main topics of the film.

How did you choose your main actors, and how did your collaboration unfold?
I always pay a lot of attention to all of the actors, even those who have just one sentence to say. I really take the time to talk to them because I know how important it is to build a strong group where everybody listens to each other. In that respect, I pay close attention to speaking in a very open and honest way with each of my actors, whether they are stars or not.

I also have to say that we had the help of a great casting director who, unfortunately, is no longer with us. I loved working with her, and I was very open to her suggestions. In addition, it was interesting to have relatively young actors on board. It is also a question of the chemistry between them. We spent quite a long time reading the text before shooting. I often asked them if they felt at ease with the text or if they would like to change something.   

This is not the first time that you have made a film that takes place in the past. Where does this fascination come from?
I think I’m mostly driven by interest. If a subject interests me, I go for it regardless of the format or whether the story takes place in the past or in the present. For Zwingli [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], it is the subject that really interested me. The other thing is that I love my city, Zurich. I grew up there and I still live there. I really have the feeling that I’m better able to tell stories that are connected to me and the place I’m from. Also, I think that sometimes, through the lens of the past, one can even get closer to the present.