Fantastic Fest: Annette Kellerman studies ZOOLOGY with director Ivan I. Tverdovskiy

It's that time of year again, and Fantastic Fest is now in full swing. One of the first films of the fest this year for me was Ivan I. Tverdovskiy's ZOOLOGY. Even in the most solid dramas at Fantastic Fest films, there is usually always a WTF element that makes the film fit the fest catalog, and ZOOLOGY certainly doesn't disappoint in this category. While I elaborated on this in my review, http://www.aintitcool.com/node/76306, this interview might be a bit weird without the knowing that the main character grows a tail. Having cleared that up, I hope you enjoy my talk via email with the director about his quirky and surprising film.

Rebecca Elliott: Why a tail? Did you draw inspiration from other stories or films?

Ivan I. Tverdovskiy: No I purposefully wrote this story in solitary confinement. I did not want to have any references, as an attempt to steal a “thing” or structure from another movie would result in failure for such a project. Only a conversation with myself and my actors. The tail is a metaphor - you will see it after watching the movie.

RE: The tail seems to be a source of horror as well as eroticism. Can you talk about how the tail facilitated these themes and others in the story?

IIT: The tail is merely an organ, as well as a hand. Someone loves the refinement of a female palm. Another person things about how she went to the bathroom a few minutes before. A third person feels like masturbating - while looking at the same palm. Same goes for the tail.

RE: Can you talk about the prosthetic itself, the design, the apparatus, and any tricks you had to employ to get the effect you were after?

IIT: It was extremely important for me that the tail must not be done with VFX. We worked with a group of specialists from Europe who helped us create a unique animatronic that helped the actress to actually feel the tail. It’s something that it’s very difficult to imagine, to properly act with it - a person must feel it. It was my “must-have” condition. And in the end it helped the actress Natalia Pavlenkova a lot - so that she could become her character.

RE: Can you elaborate on the context of Natasha's job at the zoo?

IIT: It’s not really as important. She is an office worker. She works in accounting. Here other colleagues don’t even come outside of the office and don’t see real animals, don’t interact with them. They interact with this world only “on paper”, and they themselves in fact look like animals. Natasha’s personality represents a contract to her co-workers, she is friendly and tries to feel for people, as a result it seems that it’s much easier for her to communicate with animals then with people.

RE: How were you able to shoot at a zoo? That must have been fun and challenging?

IIT: It was quite a story. We shot in a provincial zoo in winter where there was no electricity for several weeks. There was no electricity not only in the zoo, but in the whole regions. So people could not get operated in hospitals, could not get food. And of course it was dangerous for animals who needed warmth as well. Luckily, there were no lethal incidents, but I did think quite a few times where was the real zoology and who were actual “animals” - those in the zoo, or those who let this crazy situation happen in the midst of winter.

RE: What's next for you?

IIT: I am now writing a screenplay for my new film and also working on a documentary about Russian road police (that has been in the works for over 4 years…) I will soon behind rehearsals at one of Moscow’s theaters and will have a play coming out soon!

RE: Thank you so much for taking time to answer some of my questions about ZOOLOGY!

Well, there you it. A short but sweet email chat with ZOOLOGY writer/director. The film plays at Fantastic Fest in Austin one more time on Monday 9/26 at 8:15 pm. Thanks for reading!

Rebecca Elliott

aka Annette Kellerman