“Ghost Trail” director Jonathan Millet will plumb the depths of the unconscious with his sophomore feature, “Les Rêves Tempêtes” (“The Storm of Dreams”).
Currently in development, the psychological thriller will reunite the documentarian-turned-fiction filmmaker Millet with his “Ghost Trail” producers Lionel Massol and Pauline Seigland of Films Grand Huit, this time to delve into the life of the mind.
“It’s really an excursion deep into thought,” Millet tells Variety, describing the project as an investigative and immersive experience inspired by real events and then refracted into dreams.
“I believe in films that truly pull us in as spectators, films that make us want to discover something, films that make us feel that with each scene, we’ll learn a little more,” he says. “Cinema allows us to reach, to share, to penetrate what’s normally invisible—really, the depth of thoughts—and through this film, we’ll do just that.”
Written by Millet and Florence Rochat, “Ghost Trail” played as a minimalist game of cat-and-mouse, following a Syrian rebel trailing the man who may or may not have been his prison torturer through France. The acclaimed title opened last year’s Cannes Critics Week sidebar before winning France’s most prestigious film trophy – the Louis Delluc prize – for best first feature.
Going forward, Millet wants to develop “Les Rêves Tempêtes” in a similar manner, using genre trappings to pursue a more formal authorial vision.
“Within that story, I want to feel the direction, the authorship, the sound, and all that,” says Millet. “But first and foremost, I want the film to sweep viewers away. I don’t think cinema should be elitist or closed off. I believe we can make great auteur films that are accessible, films where everyone can find their own interpretation. It’s about making bold choices while keeping the film open to all.”
And the filmmaker is only too happy to do so with the same creative partners.
“We’ve really found a powerful way to work together,” Millet says of his Grand Huit producers. “We’ve lived all these stories together, discovering the tools together, and now I want to go even further with them.”