Kiwi writer/director Daniel Borgman makes his feature film debut with The Weight of Elephants, a New Zealand drama based on the award-winning novel Of A Boy by Sonya Hartnett. The story follows sensitive 11-year-old Adrian (newcomer Demos Murphy), struggling with his fears and anxieties since the disappearance of three kids in his small town.
The Weight of Elephants is screening at this year’s New Zealand International Film Festival. We asked Borgman a few questions about the film.
Hello from Flicks. What have you been up to today?
Yesterday I went surfing. In Denmark. The waves were really small and it took us 2 hours to drive to the surf spot, but it was fun. It’s only 9am now, so I haven’t done too much yet. I went and let the builders into my new apartment. I biked over there. Then biked back. I ate breakfast. That’s about it.
Your movie, ‘The Weight of Elephants’, is based on Sonya Hartnett’s award-winning novel ‘Of A Boy’. What makes the book appealing to adapt to film?
I’m not sure that there is anything specific about the book that makes it appealing to adapt. But I liked the character, Adrian, and the way that we travel with this one boy and see how different experiences shape him and have the potential to destroy him, that these experiences are something he must overcome.
How did you come across your young lead actor Demos Murphy?
We did a massive street cast, all over the country. We were struggling to find our main character. In the end Demos was suggested to us by a friend. This was in the final days of our casting, and everything was getting pretty stressful. Demos came in and his sensitivity and openness was what made the difference.
What are the challenges involved when working with kids and such dark material?
I think as long as the young actors are fairly solid in their own lives, and you have built a lot of trust then you can take them any place. Children are pretty smart I think, and it’s about respecting their intelligence.
Could you share your strongest memory from filming?
Doing the underwater stuff definitely had the biggest impact on me. It was the first time as a film maker where I felt uncomfortable about the position I was putting my actors in. I was on the side of the pool by the monitor and Demos was in the water, having to swim beneath a series of covers. All I could do was just sit and watch. Obviously we had divers in the water and all the safety was taken care of, but it was a really tough shooting situation, and it was scary to watch.
What was the last great film you saw?
Rust and Bone by Jacques Audiard.
What are you thinking about doing next?
I’m writing on a film about family relationships and suicide. It’s told from the point of view of a 17 year old girl. I want to explore love; what kind of love there is, how different kinds of love can work, how to overcome the absence of love and the way one can be driven kind of crazy by love.
