Directed by Luc Besson and screened at this year’s AFI Fest, “The Lady” tells the extraordinary journey of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner, and her husband, Michael Aris, whose love endures despite circumstances of distance and long separations and a hostile regime.
Besson’s film recounts the epic story of the peaceful quest of the woman who is at the core of Burma’s democracy movement. Her father, General Aung San, was the instigator of the Burmese revolution, and this automatically made Aung San Suu Kyi (Michelle Yeoh) pre-destined for the role.
She spent 14 years under house arrest in Burma apart from her husband Aris (played by David Thewlis) and children for the most part, and had no access to televisions, press or telephone. The film is a story of devotion and human understanding set against the backdrop of political turmoil that continues today. “The Lady” was written over a three year period by Rebecca Frayn and she interviewed key figures in Suu Kyi's entourage in order to reconstruct the story of a heroine.
“She is a hero of mine and a source of inspiration.” - Barack Obama
“Your determination and courage continue to inspire friends of freedom around the
world” - Bill Clinton
“She's my hero” - Bono
Film Slate Magazine’s Jasmina Nevada caught up with Besson and stars Yeoh and Thewlis on the red carpet during AFI Fest at the Chinese Theater, before the Gala screening of “The Lady.”
Besson, whose talents as a writer and director are stamped on movies like “The Fifth Element” and “The Transporter” series, stated that like the protagonist in “Sophie’s Choice,” who had to choose between her two children during the war, Suu Kyi had to make a choice between family and country. He was blown away by the script and knew that he had to bring this to screen. He and his team spent several months adjusting the script from a documentary style to give it a more cinematographic feel.
He encountered difficulties in portraying a real life story of someone he had not met at the time, and had to do a lot of research. He managed to message Suu Kyi of his intent to create the film and met her sometime later. He recreated the house in which she spent most of her time in intricate--if not identical--detail. The film was shot in Thailand, not far from the Burmese border and shot in the Shwedagon Pagoda and in Rangoon with a hidden camera also, to give that Burmese feel, as permission to film in Burma would not be granted.
Jasmina Nevada: What attracted you to bringing this script that is full of passion, love, struggles and political issues to screen?
Luc Besson: The love story, it is one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever read since ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ This woman is fighting for peace and democracy; she doesn’t want any power, money or fame. She is a model, a goddess for me and I was very proud to be able to tell her story.
JN: What was it like for the casting process? Did you know immediately at the outset that you wanted to have Michelle Yeoh as the leading actress?
LB: Actually she got the script first and she asked me that she wanted my help a little bit, not as a director but as a friend. I read the script, fell in love with it and I asked her, ‘Do you have a director? As I wish I could do it?’ And she fell from the chair and was so happy and it was a wonderful adventure for us all for two years.
JN: So it took two years from script to screen?
LB: Yes.
JN: Are you pleased with the final result?
LB: I am thrilled and to be honest; I had a screening two weeks ago with Burmese refugees. To see them crying for two hours filled me with joy. I am a happy man today...
Yeoh, who shot to international fame with “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” bears a striking resemblance to the lead character due to her slender build, Asian background (Yeoh was born in Malaysia), and features that resemble Suu Kyi. Extremely passionate for the role, she learned the difficult Burmese language over a period of months, thoroughly speaking the language like a native.
Yeoh read all literature relating to Suu Kyi: her books and her philosophical outlook of non-violence, as Suu Kyi is a Buddhist. Yeoh also discovered that Suu Kyi had never spoken in public, yet was able to get the attention of a million people. She was the only crew member at the time granted a visa to meet Suu Kyi, and recalls how their meeting was like a moment out of time, and how the house was surrounded by books and was overwhelmed by her warmth, generosity and strength.
JN: For me you seem always attracted to powerful roles that have a true to life message. Is this correct, and why do you choose these roles?
Michelle Yeoh: I think every time I choose a role I hope that I will learn something from it; it will be a new experience. It will enlighten me and enrich me as a person, not just in experiences but in the inner self. I think that this time I found a real life hero to be really inspired by.
JN: How did you feel about that portraying this real life hero and bringing that to screen?
MY: At first it was very, very daunting because Suu Kyi is so recognized, so loved and what she means to millions of people. She is a beacon of hope to people for democracy in the non-violent way. I mean the armor is faith and the weapons are their passion.
When you embody someone like that you hope that you can continue to deliver her message. I hope that is what we are doing and that we are aware of who she is. Also understand a little bit of what she is talking about and feel for her and her country...
JN: So your message was to bring all of that forward to the screen...what were you hoping that the audience would perceive from your performance?
MY: I hope that the audience will be taken on this very exotic adventure to this beautiful land called Burma, meet extraordinary people who are selfless and who will put the needs of others before their own. They will see the joy and also the grief. I think that is the magic of cinema, whereby if you can be touched by it…I hope that you can be aware and now you will know and the choice is then yours. That is our prerogative, we have always been able to choose what we want to and decide what we want to do. I hope that you will decide and lend a hand to these people who desperately need our help.
JN: So it is not only a heartfelt film, delivering a political message and a personal journey, but also to bring awareness…
MY: Absolutely…You have got it.
“In physical stature she is petite and elegant, but in moral stature she is a giant. Big men are
scared of her. Armed to the teeth and they still run scared.” - Desmond Tutu“
"Aung San Suu Kyi is an inspiration for all of us who believe in freedom of speech,
democracy and hunan rights." -David Cameron
Veteran actor Thewlis, who has appeared in everything from the “Harry Potter” franchise to “Kingdom of Heaven,” also had a daunting task ahead of him when it came to “The Lady.” He concentrated on portraying the chemistry between the two actors rather than the resemblance, and had to find the challenging delineation between the twin brothers which he played (Aris’ twin brother Anthony is also a writer and a scholar of Tibetan studies).
He had very little to base it on, relying on some TV footage (Michael Aris died in 1999). He had to be imaginative in all the other circumstances as a father, husband and teacher, to bring the role to life. He was lucky enough to meet Anthony. David saw the love and devotion of his character, how the man had unconditional love and respect for his wife and never questioned her actions, and with this was able to distinguish differences between the two brothers.
JN: Your role as the twin brother…What attracted you to this particular script?
David Thewlis: Well the real story...the love story, and Luc Besson was directing it. I have known Luc for years. I have never read anything that had such an emotional impact on me straight away as soon as I read it. I read it twice and I was in tears both times and I have never read a script like that.
JN: How was it acting with Michelle Yeoh?
DT: A little scary. I thought that she was going to hit me most of the time. It was very nice and I was relieved to find that she is a really beautiful young lady, not a terrible ‘actress’ type...yes, she was great…
JN: Are you pleased with the outcome and why?
DT: Yes. Luc tells the story as it needs to be told. It is a developing story and is there to shed light on the cause of Burma and…Suu Kyi's cause and I am very happy with it.
“Suu Kyi's struggle is one of the most extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia in
recent decades.” The Norwegian Nobel Committee (1991)
"Please, use your freedom to promote ours" (Aung San Suu Kyi)
Links
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1802197/
