We talked to BAFTA-winning British director Molly Manners (In My Skin 2, One Day) about her feature debut, Extra Geography [+lee también:
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Cineuropa: This was your first time as a feature director, after racking up considerable experience in TV. What is it that you missed about the TV world? Did you expect it to be different?
Molly Manners: The process of working with the actors and heads of department, the pre-production phase, and the internal development of my vision all seemed very similar to my previous experiences. So, it didn't feel intimidating to go into it; instead, I found it thrilling to be able to tell a whole story within a feature, with such an exciting and brilliant script.

Your director’s statement mentions drawing from your personal experiences in an all-girls school. How did you use that, and did the two main actresses incorporate any of their own real-life experiences into their characters?
Reading the script awakened memories of teenage girlhood and intense, world-changing friendships. These personal experiences allowed for a deeper connection to the material and a clearer understanding of how those relationships define one’s world at that age. I wanted the film to do that for viewers, too. And the girls did the same, even though they're part of a different generation, just like Rose Tremain, who wrote the original short story, is also from a different generation compared to screenwriter Miriam Battye and me. They inevitably drew from their own, much more recent and vivid experiences of intense friendships. I guess the human relationships and the stakes are kind of all the same, no matter what time period you experience them in.

The action is set in 2003, but what emotional or universal experiences do you hope today’s teens recognise in the movie, despite them growing up in a different world? Were you hoping to “educate” them in some way?
I hope the film feels truthful and authentic, and that teens can relate to it. I also hope the story makes them reflect and realise that some of these early friendships are some of the most important relationships you'll have in your life. I wanted to leave sufficient space for viewers to layer over it their own unique interpretations and personal histories. As for the setting, in the early 2000s, we didn't have all of this tech. The original short story captures the essence of an empty summer, where the end of the school year leaves a void. Without the modern, constant stream of digital distractions, the characters are forced to constantly work on all sorts of projects to fill that space and occupy their time.

Were there any aspects of teenage girlhood that you felt cinema has historically failed to portray and that you were determined to get right? Was there anything you wanted to specifically steer clear of?
There's such a rich heritage of US high-school movies that's so brilliant and that represents a big part of my education while growing up. And then there has been a strong influence from photography references, but I didn't really have any specific films in mind to use as direct inspiration or as examples of what to avoid. I'd describe Extra Geography as a slightly warped, uniquely British take on the high-school movie genre. It's got its very own kind of British sense of humour and a particular tone to it that I hope feels slightly fresh within the genre. The language also stems from the academic setting, where the girls use a very distinctive vocabulary.

Miss Delavigne is a fascinating adult figure. What kind of role did you want her to play for the girls?
Boarding schools are real, so the setting is more than just a backdrop: it’s a central character that forces these girls to grow within the confines of an institution. Crucially, they’re also the “left behinds”, who have not been picked up at half term. The teachers around them are not particularly warm, so I think that’s important for their relationship, since they only have each other as guides in this cold, institutional cradle. They need each other, which enhances their mutual love, in this sort of survival mechanism. In this scenario, I think Alice Englert played the role of Miss Delevingne brilliantly. She had a very layered approach to the character. I really wanted to find a very truthful version of who Minna and Flic decide they would randomly fall in love with because they treat love as an academic project and as something that has to be “learned”.