Simone Lavoie and Maxime Giroud | Nürburg: What’s behind the news?

Marc Andre Loser
Journalism

Should we be surprised to find you two in a movie project like Nürburgwhich seems, on paper, somewhat far from your own universes?

Maxime Giroud: Yes [rires] !

Simone Lavoie: It’s an evolution, a kind of resurgence. We all love movie theaters, actually. It is true that we usually make films by authors that are perhaps a little more advanced, but we also love high-quality American cinema and feature cinema.

MG: Gus van Sant has always been a role model for me. He is able to walk in one direction and another without fear of exaggeration. bona fide fishing Really affected people, then he did movies like Jerry where the last days, which is quite the opposite. He does a good job in everything he does, without losing his identity. I understand that people may find our presence Nürburg, but I’m also amazed that filmmakers always want to make the same movie, regardless of those who have been inspired by their lives. Personally, I don’t see cinema that way.

The story relates to the rise of Vincent Lacroix (François Arnault), responsible for the largest financial scandal in Quebec history, and also to Eric Asselin (Vincent Guillaume Otis), a lesser known figure, and a former Securities Commission investigator. who will become the right arm of the crook. Where did the idea for a movie about the case come from? Nürburg ?

SL: This idea came to me a long time ago when a distributor asked me if I had a topic on my mind that would have some commercial potential. But this was not achieved at the time. People tend to think so Nürburg It is a commissioned movie, but no. This is the topic you brought up, which sparked the interest of Real Chabot [le producteur] Maxim arrived later. I think what’s going on in Nürburg With that it joins the themes I have covered in other films, as far as my stories are based on Quebec society. The Nuremberg case is much more than a simple news story. It had a resounding resonance and left a deep impression. The moral side of this story, easy greed, where people jump fences with impunity, is all amazing. This is what happened to Eric Aslin, a government employee who, at first, had a very organized life.

MG: There’s also that Quebeckers have never witnessed a scam of this magnitude, and many of us have told ourselves that they could easily have been victims of these two men. We’ve seen it in the States, but no one imagined that something like this could happen here.

Simon, you have brought to the screen yourself, and sometimes also in co-direction, all the scenarios you have written. Why did you contact another filmmaker Nürburg ?

SL: Obviously, I thought for a while that I could direct this movie myself, but as the project progressed, I thought it would be interesting to include another insight, carried by someone who can take a fresh look by contributing their experience and knowledge. I felt that Maxim could take everything to another level. I called him when the script was over, which means he’s been involved for five or six years.

MG: For my part, I felt comfortable working on a project that I hadn’t started, with a very accurate script in terms of direction. The directing challenge was to present a highly charged and complex storyline with a relatively short filming schedule. It’s an American-style script that we had to produce within the standards of Quebec cinema.

We all remember this story and the photos of Vincent Lacroix pathetically leaving a courtroom after his conviction, but the truth is that he was released after three years, and that his partner, Eric Aslin, was never convicted. Should the non-beginner to the world of finance who is going to watch your movie understand that they are not better protected today against this kind of fraud? or they?

MG: That’s the point. We just want viewers to ask questions like this. Because you still have to be very careful.

SL: Especially since today, everything immaterial and the world of finance is happening in the virtual world. Then it becomes very abstract. Fraudsters no longer need to break into a house to steal money. Facts about Nürburg Between 1998 and 2005. Since then, the number of frauds has increased. We are now in the cryptocurrency and speculative highss field and every day brings new stories. Scammers will always be able to find new ways to slip through the cracks. It is up to us to be vigilant, and hold ourselves accountable by not blindly handing over our personal finances without supervision.

MG: Many of the Nuremberg victims believed their money had been put into a place run by Caisse de Depot et placement and didn’t know the money had been sold to Norbourg, although it was relatively easy to tell. Today, we invest in virtual organizations where we can’t talk directly to someone.

L: The sentences do not appear to be proportional to the crime, although the injuries are as serious as those sustained by victims of abuse. There are people who really lost everything.

Are you happy with your movie?

MG: Yes. Basically, I wanted to do it for the general public, which had never happened to me before. I would like Quebecers to watch this movie to remember that this kind of fraud is possible. We wanted to make an effective feature film, with a good script, and I think that works well. I’m so proud of it, and I think it’s the first time I’ve ever said that about one of my films!

SL: I like pictures, too. Maxime – and Sarah Mishara in the photo – managed to capture the slightly soiled spirit of Montreal, which we rarely see in our cinema.

Nürburg Currently showing.