The new Belgian series Pandore: "It's more an emotional thriller than a militant series"

This is your second big role in a Belgian series after the truce.How did it come to you?

"I was contacted by Savina Dellicour and Vania Leturcq (the other two co-authors) to whom the Artémis production box had offered to write a series.I had already worked with her on their feature films and they asked me if I wanted to join them in writing.The role has imposed itself like that.»»

You play an investigating judge.How did you work your role?

"This role as a judge is inspired by a novel by Ian McEwan called" the interest of the child ".When we started working for three, we took 6 months to brainstorm to see what we really wanted to tell.I had brought this novel which very subtly mixes the feelings of a woman and her debates of conscience as a judge.I found it interesting to see how the border between personal and professional life could become porous.When you have a place of power, you remain a woman despite everything.When you are in charge of such important and difficult decisions, how do you keep this waterproof border?We started from this starting point there and then, we invented the whole story.»»

Would you say that Pandora is a militant or committed series for the cause of women?

"I would not say that she is activist or committed.Activism is more in certain characters, who are in this movement.The series has no bias or message to give but its characters can convey a form of conviction.It is more an emotional thriller than a militant series.But we are three women in writing, we have very strong female characters in the series, it may be vehicle because of that.»»

The credits, in black and white, refers to the fights carried out by militant women in the past.Is it a tribute to these women?

"Yes, it was also a desire to say that there are things that have changed, but that the fight remains topical and that we must continue.There are these militant women but there are also the Brussels courthouse before the scaffolding.We tried to take images that resonate as much as possible with the series.And then, we asked the young Belgian rapper Blu Samu to write us a title to put above these images.»»

As for the Telephone, Bell Beat Edison to It, Discovering How To Transmit A Voice Over Wire by Capturing Sound Wave… https: // t.Co/htaezhabbj

— Mark Tavern Tue Jul 06 15:49:18 +0000 2021

There are two particularly violent scenes at the start of the series.Was it necessary to show this violence on the screen?

"We asked ourselves a lot, especially for that of collective rape.But we came to the conclusion that we had to show it because we could not save it.From the moment we show it, we must show the violence that it is.And do not try to lessen him.On the other hand, we have always tried to place ourselves from the point of view of the victim, his feelings and not to have a voyeur look.We have also tried to understand why so young men come there, what is the group dynamics, what is the injunction to masculinity that makes this thing happen.We absolutely didn't want to excuse them but try to analyze them to understand why they could get there.»»

Do you think that the #MeToo movement has initiated a new era in the fight of violence against women?

" It's undeniable.When I see all the incredible podcasts on binge audio or the books of Mona Chollet, I think there is a whole movement that is there, which is very strong.I think she will last and that this is only the beginning.The fact that the press and the media use the word female for example is a big step forward and I hope there will be others.»»

The notion of power comes up a lot in the series ...

"What was passionate about was to show how people who can do so that their own emotions, that their own frustration does not percolate in their decisions.How we manage to keep this place of power while remaining impartial and making the right decisions.Our arena was quickly the political, judicial and media worlds, which are the three pillars of powers.But the stakes in the series are more human, more universal.»»

Pandora is also an image of what Belgium could become in the near future, with the radicalization of political discourses and the rise of populism?

"We feel it very strong on the Flemish side, we know it a little less on the French -speaking side.We wanted to see how it could happen on the other side.We started from reality to go to fiction.»»

The series resembles both classic thrillers but also has a very realistic side, both in the behavior of the characters and in the dialogues.Was it a desire to want to give realism to fiction?

"We approached three circles that we did not know well.It was essential for us to surround ourselves with consultants.In all the writing phases, we asked investigating judges, political journalists and activists to share their skills with us and they correct us at every stage.»»

In a few lines

Federal elections are approaching in Belgium.But now a corruption affair shakes the summit of the French -speaking liberal party (PLF), ousting its head of the list.Marc Van Dyck (Yoann Blanc), an unscrupulous young politician wants to succeed him, by all means.A sordid manners will jostle the electoral campaign.The investigating judge Claire Delval (Anne Coesens) will do everything to wedge the culprits.His fight begins with Marc's meeting ... Between drama and thriller, Pandora is a punch series that opens the debate to hot topics, such as violence against women, corruption in politics or racism.But it is above all the notion of power that emerges from the series, on what a human being is ready to do to obtain it or how this power influences privacy.The characters in the series are all more interesting than each other and camped by top actors!Tour in Brussels, Pandora also offers striking realism.And despite a slight lack of rhythm at times in the narration, the realization, sober, fits perfectly with the themes of the series.

4/5

To view the trailer, click here