In Belgian filmmaker Cato Kusters’ new film “Julian,” a couple make a plan to commit a globetrotting feat of activism — before tragedy strikes.
Drawn from Fleur Pierets’ memoir of the same name, “Julian” tells the story of Pierets (Nina Meurisse) and Julian P. Boom (Laurence Roothooft), a lesbian couple who decide, in 2017, that they should raise awareness of the very few number of countries with marriage equality by holding a wedding in every country they legally can. (They call it the 22 Project, after the number of nations they’re targeting.) In the midst of their journey, Julian falls ill, and the story’s tone shifts.
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Told in nonlinear fashion, Kusters’ debut feature (which bows at TIFF Sept. 5) is heartfelt and impassioned; Kusters spoke with Variety about her journey with this true-life story.
When did you first become aware of Fleur and Julian’s story?
Shortly after Julian’s death, Fleur wrote the book, and then she did a little press tour; I heard her talking on the radio. I had to park my car by the side of the road, because I was just sobbing. She’s a powerful speaker. I read the book, and the day after I finished the book, I met Fleur — we knew some people in common.
I only later learned she was already in talks to turn “Julian” into a film. I wasn’t considering myself an option.
The story moves from euphoria to something more melancholy and grave. How did you handle shifting between those tones?
At the center of the story is this huge love between these two people. You might see that elsewhere. But what’s so insane about this story is that there are so many contrasting elements. At the very height of their life together, she turns out to be terminally sick. We wanted to find a way, structurally, to have the happiness and sorrow always back-to-back, so that they would influence and color each other. That’s why we’re constantly jumping through time.
In the U.S., at least, there are a lot of fears about queer rights moving backwards. How does landing in 2025 change how “Julian” will be viewed?
Luckily and sadly, it’s always going to be a time capsule. We finish the film by saying it was 22 countries in 2017 [where same-sex marriage was legal], it’s 38 now. But watching this film in 10 years, we don’t know where it will be.
It’s scary watching what’s happening over where you live. But we are very happy to have the film premiere on that continent. It’s nice to see that a little shockwave like “Julian” is not only necessary there, it’s welcomed. I’m curious to see where it’s going to go, because there was their project, then there was a book, now there’s this film. It’s a way of blowing up the story as much as we can, to send it across borders and give it as much visibility as we possibly can. That’s, in the end, what Fleur and Julian were all about.
What does it feel like to have your debut feature set to play at TIFF?
I’m so truly looking forward to the festival. They’ve been so warm — it is very different from the competitive world of film festivals. The film isn’t released yet, not in Belgium, not anywhere, but the things that have come our way make everything totally worth it.
And I’m so happy to be able to give this back to Fleur and Julian. It’s very meta: It feels like a new chapter in the project that they started so many years ago.
Watch the trailer here: https://youtu.be/s7WLJ_-pL4k
variety.com
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