Réal Bossé quickly played a psychopath living alone in the middle of the forest in the black comedy shitty day, the debut feature film from young director Kevin T. Landry, a self-confessed admirer of the Coen brothers’ cinema. “I don’t hate playing that type of character,” the actor admits with a laugh.
Incidentally, Réal Bossé begins to collect such roles. In the thriller Until Decline, which released on Netflix three years ago, the 60-year-old actor slipped into the shoes of a survivor who went insane during a training camp that turned into a disaster. When Kevin T. Landry saw Bossé’s interpretation of this deranged character, he felt perfect for bringing his film’s psychopath to life.
“The name Réal had already been mentioned for the role and I thought it was a good option, but it wasn’t until I saw him in Until the Decay that I had confirmation that he would be perfect for my film. That kind of madness in the character’s gaze is exactly what I was looking for in the role,” Kevin T. Landry said in an interview with the Journal.
The film Jour de merde lives up to its title. We follow the day of hell experienced by Maude (Ève Ringuette), a single mother who gets the wool eaten off her back by everyone around her, including her condescending boss, her teenage son and the latter’s father.
Hired to interview lottery winners, that day Maude has to go to the middle of the forest to interview a certain Gaétan (Réal Bossé), who has been waiting for the deadline to claim his prize of 7 million. She’ll quickly find that the new millionaire seems to value his anonymity more than his new fortune.
“I wanted to take the character of a single mother who’s already miserable in life and put her in an absurd universe where nothing makes sense,” explains Kevin T. Landry. Like many mothers who take on too much on their shoulders, she constantly gets the wool slapped off her back and accumulates frustrations. But what will happen the day it all bursts?
The influence of Fargo
Kevin T. Landry makes no secret of it: The influence of the Coen brothers’ cinema served as a driving force behind the writing of his first feature film.
“I was very inspired by Fargo and the characters of the Coen brothers,” he concludes. These are characters that trip me up. They are offset, slightly off the “track”. I think it’s the characters that are the most interesting to write.”
The filmmaker notes that Réal Bossé was an invaluable help in writing the film.
“In addition to his acting skills, I also used him for his experience as a screenwriter,” he explains. I remember one morning on December 24th when we talked about the script for several hours. I got a little lost in the various script rewrites and this discussion with Réal allowed me to rediscover what the film’s first instinct was. It saved the project!”.
For his part, Réal Bossé says he enjoys working with young directors.
“I’m interested in meeting new people,” he emphasizes. I think that’s how you learn the most. It’s fun to get a little shaken up. I’m less interested in slipping back into comfy old slippers.”
♦ Shit day hits theaters this weekend.