18/03/2022 - The Northern Irish actress has presented her directorial debut, a psychological thriller-drama starring Cosmo Jarvis, at SXSW, picking up an award in the process

For her psychological thriller-drama It Is in Us All [+see also:
film review
interview: Antonia Campbell-Hughes
film profile], Antonia Campbell-Hughes not only takes on the role of director, but also acts in the film. We talked to her about her link to Northern Ireland and the inspiration for her story. The movie has just premiered at SXSW, picking up a Special Jury Recognition for Extraordinary Cinematic Vision, for its cast and crew, in the process.

Cineuropa: Where did the inspiration for this story come from?
Antonia Campbell-Hughes: It was a combination of factors. I think everything we write, personally, has to come from an essence of truth. I was born in this place in Northern Ireland; I left when I was two and only re-visited it in my twenties. I grew up with this idea of what Northern Ireland represents. But if you fly there, and take a bus from either Belfast or Derry to Donegal, which is two hours away, I found that it really evoked this unique feeling of you descending into a new place. It is so emotive as a landscape. I really wanted to exhale that.

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Then, while spending time there, I kept hearing about these kids who take cars and drive around, since there is basically nothing else to do. A lot of terrible car crashes keep happening; it’s really tragic. I saw children that are like a tribe: they are so powerful and so strong in their fearlessness. They lack the maturity and the control over this urge to feel their very existence and challenge death. I was so fascinated by this, in contrast to the men I would see in cities, who don't have that inner core of vitality and life – but they have everything else.

How is the title of the film related to this?
Because that essence that the boys have is in every human, we just let go of it. It is replaced by this survival instinct that comes with commerce, work and, in the end, life. I specifically chose that phrasing because I wanted people to think about the individual words, rather than abbreviating, because it's necessary. It's hard to say, and that is intentional.

How did you develop the main characters?
For the boys, I was inspired by a photographer I had been following. She is a young girl who was taking photographs of her family, documenting the Midwest. The photography was evocative of the type of energy I saw in these kids riding horses in the countryside – it’s a very raw energy. Hamish, the protagonist, is one of the men I see every day. Bringing them together, I wanted to show how people can connect in moments of tragedy. Traumas connect us, and we see that every day: barriers are broken down when people are put in a very explosive moment together.

How did you decide on the actor who would play the main role?
I had worked with Cosmo Jarvis on a show, when we were both acting, many years beforehand. Just watching him, I realised he was my kind of actor. I instantly realised that he would be perfect for the role. Beyond craft, I am touched by actors who allow us to see parts of their soul.

Wasn’t it difficult for you to play in the film and, at the same time, be the director?
Yes! It's something I thought about a lot. A lot of actors have become filmmakers, but I think you are a filmmaker from the beginning. I am very interested in concepts, and finding a tool to realise them and to communicate. In the end, it was economy, but on the day, it was hard. I felt distracted. I really feel that it occupies two different parts of your brain. As an actor, I am a vehicle: I was supposed to be open, as it's bodily and you have to serve another person's vision. But as a director, you are constantly in your head; you are constantly trying to watch and help others.

How did you develop the aesthetic concept of the film?
The visuals were there first – actually, they were the main character in the film. I have said before that the movie was a science-fiction in a pastoral setting. This landscape evokes this feeling in me, this sense of dislocation and disconnection. In this context, the house should be at the heart of everything, like a mothership in space. It’s a place the character goes into, and suddenly, the air changes. I designed the floor plans and the setting in detail. Moreover, we deliberately chose not to use drones or cranes, because it was important to feel the movement in the cars.