PRESS CONFERENCE – Atom Egoyan: “The feeling of guilt brought about by mistakes in life fascinated me”

Atom Egoyan spoke to the press this Friday, alongside the entire team of Captives, which is being presented in Competition. The director talked about what led him to look at the consequences of a kidnapping.

Atom Egoyan on the origins of his film:

“The idea for this film came to me when I was on the west coast of Canada. A boy had just tragically disappeared in a park near my home. There are still posters with his picture in the park, even though he has been missing for several years. This story got into my head. And the film’s story took shape.”

The director talked about his vision for the film’s male characters:

“I think all men make mistakes, sometimes serious errors, such as kidnapping a child. The feeling of guilt brought about by mistakes in life fascinated me. Each human being lives with regrets. We all try to correct our mistakes. The film tries to highlight the psychology of these characters.”

Ryan Reynolds on his preparation for the film:
“I read the script and researched by reading an enormous number of articles that talk about these tragic cases. Most of the time they lead to the collapse of the family and particularly the parents’ relationship. There is a kind of disintegration over time. This incredible story touched me even more because my brother helps the victims of such cases in a police department in Canada.”

Kevin Durand talked about how he approached his role:

“I was both honoured and terrified when I was offered this role. My character’s profile frightened me. I read a lot about the subject and got interested in similar stories in order to immerse myself. I told myself that it was a challenge to play a role such as this.”

Quotes collected by Benoit Pavan