When "Hide and Seek" was screened at the 2014 Edinburgh Film Festival, it won the prestigious Michael Powell Award, an honor named for the adventurous 20th century British film director whose films include "The Red Shoes." Since then it has toured the world on the festival circuit, with more to come this year. First up is Boston where it will be screened on Friday, February 2 as part of the city's Wicked Queer Film Festival's Cinema Club. (The screening is at 7 pm at the Bright Screening Room, Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston, MA. For more details,
What makes "Hide and Seek" so unusual is that it defies type - is it a thriller as its title suggests? Or is it an insightful exploration of the how societal norms concerning sexuality, monogamy and lifestyles can be challenged? Its premise is simple, but mysterious: four millennials travel to an idyllic British country retreat where they live in a commune, setting up rules and challenges to their conventional lifestyles. The four - two women (Hannah Arterton, Rea Mole) and two men (Josh O" Connor,="" Daniel="" Metz)="" -="" meet="" daily="" for="" role-playing="" exercises="" that="" help="" them="" break="" down="" their="" societal="" norms="" in="" hopes="" of="" finding="" a="" Utopian="" ideal.="" In="" some="" ways="" it="" recalls="" Johann="" Wolfgang="" von="" Goethe's="" novel="" "Elective="" Affinities"="" as="" it="" explores="" the="" impacts="" a="" sociological="" experiment="" can="" have="" on="" its="" participants. Directed by Joanna Coates, the film's leads are already finding acclaim in subsequent projects. Hannah Arterton, the sister of Gemma Arterton, has gone onto a lead role on the British crime series "The Five;" Rea Mole has scored the leading role in a new indie "Pinky," currently in pre-production; Josh O'Connor recently received stellar reviews at Sundance for his role in the new LGBT indie "God's Own Country;" and Daniel Metz continues in his role as producer with two projects in development with Coates, his wife.
(Note' target='_blank'> In the United States the film has also been called "Amorous" in order to avoid confusion with the Robert DeNiro thriller "Hide and Seek.") EDGE caught with Metz recently for a Q&A about "Hide and Seek."
A little idea
EDGE: Is this the first film you produced?
Daniel Metz: Not quite. In 2011, with the wonderful filmmaker Bryan Poyser, I co-produced a feature called "Slacker 2011." That film was a remake of the original Richard Linklater film "Slacker," as re-imagined for the current era by 24 filmmakers from Austin. Part homage and part history experiment, the film was a love letter to the original film and to the city that it captured.
But, in some major ways "Hide And Seek" does feel like the first film I produced, because it was a much more personal project and one that completely enveloped my life. I also took it much further and had more control over it, and have been more responsible for it!
EDGE: What was that experience like?
Daniel Metz: The experience of making and growing alongside "Hide And Seek" has been the best of my life. It was the project that brought me together with my wife and built some of my most cherished friendships and relationships as well. It started from a little idea that we built up and, with an unstoppable instinct, we were able to put together quite quickly; from our first conversations to assembly edit only took about 6 months (the length of my first tourist visa into the UK!). It just felt like the right - and only - thing to do, and it felt scary and it felt bigger than us.
We were so lucky to get amazing actors and crew members at the beginnings of their careers, full of passion and charisma that has already launched them all onto bigger and bigger careers. Rehearsing and shooting was hard, as our budget didn't allow any time to relax, but it was also definitely one of those special times when you know that magic is in the air.
And then once we wrapped, we had a long road working with our terrific editor, composer and sound designer. At times we felt discouraged, with Joanna and I taking turns keeping our integrity and optimism alive, but thankfully it paid off and over the last few years we have got to show the film to thousands of curious people from all over the world, and it has been such an amazing and heartwarming experience. It's incredible that a little vision that we had in a tiny apartment in London could have an impact on so many people.
Playing many roles
EDGE: You also co-wrote with your wife Joanna and star in the film. How was it playing so many roles often at once?
Daniel Metz: Complicated! I think being a writer and a producer are actually very complementary jobs; as a producer I was able to advocate for ideas in the script that I think I wouldn't have been able to do were I "only" a writer, and at the same time as a writer I was aware of certain limitations in the budget and so I was able to write creatively around them. I really think it's a good way to work and I hope to have some kind of a producer role on all of my films, although at the moment I'm focusing primarily on writing.
Being an actor on top of those is a bit trickier. It's difficult to be objective about the film when you're watching yourself on-screen; doubly so when they are sex scenes! I think it's hard to be the "bad guy" producer when you also need the actors and the crew to treat you as a performer, which requires a support and delicacy that might not be compatible with producing. Thankfully everyone on the set was very understanding and I think my inclusion in the cast was a benefit; I was able to better understand what the actors were going through and I think it brings certain things alive.
I'd really like to do more acting without those strings attached. If anyone casting a film is reading this, I'm available!
EDGE: How did the idea of the film come to be?
Daniel Metz: When Joanna and I first met, we wanted to write something together, although we didn't know quite what. In order to get our ideas flowing, we started doing some exercises. One such exercise that was really instrumental to the making of "Hide And Seek" was that we set out to make a list of the things we most disliked in the world. My list included: Text messaging, chest pains, anger, jealousy, rich people, holes in socks, shame, dogs, and inhibited sex, as well as some other things. We had this idea, what would it be like if we lived in a world completely devoid of all of those things? And then a story started forming, based on another idea Joanna had about people living in an isolated house together, and the script was born.
It was important for us to try to paint a picture of what this utopia would be like, and not to judge it or make it seem like a failure. We were earnest in our investigation of these topics, because they're important questions that I think we all face. Do we need to work? Do we need technology to be happy? Do we need monogamy, etc. etc.? And so the film is one vision of people trying to be happy, which we think is a worthwhile pursuit.
About fluidity
EDGE: The film explores sexual fluidity with unusual frankness. First, what do you think of the notion of fluidity?
Daniel Metz: This is a complicated question! I think "Hide And Seek" is foremost about love, not only sex. With that in mind, I believe love is everywhere, and we can and do love all people in incomparable ways. I wish that we could celebrate different types of loves more, whether it be romantic, non-romantic, familial, friendly, professional, etc. That's what I try to cultivate in my life; for instance I try to sign off all of my emails with "love," although I very rarely get it back!
Now, in terms of sexual fluidity, which is a sub-section of what I'm talking about, but also something that's covered in the movie - I think that what the characters are pursuing is a shedding of expectations, specifically the expectations that society projects onto us about the rigidity of sexual identity. In the film they struggle with this, but ultimately it becomes part of their lives, and they are able to have physical affection and love between everyone - not equally but uniquely. I think that this question, about the efforts to bypass certain heterosexual biases, is one of the more interesting aspects of the film, and one that audiences often disagree about.
I think limiting ourselves from love is a mistake every time. That's about as much as I want to say on that subject. I don't really feel qualified to tell other people who they are or what they should do with their holes and stuff.
EDGE: And is acceptance of it a generational thing?
Daniel Metz: Probably? I remember that stat going around a few years ago, that 93% of straight college boys said they've cuddled with another guy. That sort of hints to me that we might be being a bit more flexible in our understanding of our sexual identities. I can certainly say that our generational seems to be much more willing to explore questions of non-monogamy - at least of the ethical variety! - than old folks.
More of a back story?
EDGE: The film is a bit of a mystery as to what is bringing these four together. Why didn't you offer more of a back story?
Daniel Metz: Like I was saying before, I think for the most part the film is trying to shed the past, to let go of the expectations and pressures that contemporary society puts upon us. In that spirit, we wanted the characters to be focused on the present, and to try to look at the past as little as possible. The past is what pains them, and their experiment was the most important thing. That's why we offered so little of their back stories, because we wanted all of the attention to be on creating something new.
It's also why the few glimpses of the past are all positioned as problems in the film.
EDGE: The actors are most at ease with being explicit on camera. How did they achieve such a comfort level?
Daniel Metz: I think most of the credit belongs to Joanna, who directed the film. She is such a cool and confident director that she made all of us at ease and feel completely comfortable sharing those aspects of ourselves. Without our complete trust in her it wouldn't have been possible to have shot those scenes, and she achieved this effortlessly by being so good at what she does.
I should also mention that we had amazing actors. Hannah, Josh and Rea are incredibly talented performers who understood that this film required the desire to explore sexuality and the body, and they were able to deliver remarkably honest and brave performances because they are just that good. Joe Banks, who plays Simon, is also a great actor although unfortunately he doesn't get naked in the movie...
EDGE: What do you want audiences to take away from the film?
Daniel Metz: I hope they have group sex right after or - preferably - during the film.
EDGE: What's next for Joanna and you?
Daniel Metz: Joanna and I are fortunate enough to have two scripts in development at the moment. The most advanced one, "No Touching," is another personal film, this time about voyeurism, sexual tension and ambiguous friendships. We're hoping to shoot that in the fall, this time with a real budget and the resources necessary to make one of the greatest films of all time!
