The secret of Piece of My Heart
‘This was a it-had-to-be project’
If you find yourself crying embarrassingly during a press viewing on a Tuesday afternoon, you know; this is something special. Piece of My Heart, the production debut of Daan Schuurmans and Bracha van Doesburgh, is a gem. An important part of it are Jan Kooijman and Daniël Boissevain.
Let’s get straight to the point: I sat crying uncomfortably during this film. I found it incredibly beautiful. Especially your character I found so profound.
Daniël laughs: ‘Thank you, that’s a good sign. I immediately thought when I read the script: he’s not a jerk. A total chaotic, not a villain.’
Jan, for your character you could surely draw from people from your dance past. Who did you channel for this role?
‘In dance films, it often becomes either very clichéd or many things just don’t add up. Only in Black Swan is that company structure portrayed very well, and I think Dana (Nechustan, director of Piece of My Heart, MM) did that very well. A company is a very hierarchical system: one person leads the pyramid, here played by Gijs Scholten van Aschat, with a few people around him. Toby, the character I play, is a sort of vassal who hangs around him and has to guide and direct the dancers while knowing that his own position is also not safe. That makes it exciting. I found it quite funny to play something that draws back on my background, on my first career.’
I liked that there are layers in the film that people with a dance background will recognize and others won’t. For example, you see a barre training where the teacher marks everything with his hands, while the dancers will later perform it with their legs.
‘Exactly what you’re saying happened. Dana went to watch a training session at the European School of Ballet and was so impressed because the teacher demonstrated half a lesson with his hands and then the children did the tendu exercise with their legs. That had to be in Dana’s film. You also see many scenes where the dancers are sitting on the ground, that ‘sitting on the ground’ is such a dancer thing, that makes this film very authentic. Dana has really looked closely at the real dance world.’
Was it difficult to act with two inexperienced actresses?
‘You didn’t really notice that. They may not have acting experience, but the film is about their world and in that they are familiar. Dana can explain with so much love what she wants from you and which direction she wants to go, that it must have been a really safe environment for them.’
Jan: ‘Dana has a lot of experience with that too, look at Zusjes and Dunya and Desi, those are all less experienced actors. I think she really enjoys that, a lot of her stories are about those kinds of relationships, close friendships, a sister bond. In her wrap speech, Dana also said that it seems like everything she has done so far has led to this film. A it-had-to-be project.’
What I also find beautiful about the film is that they are not filled characters. I’m curious why Olga’s father has become so ambitious for his daughter.
Daniël: ‘I felt that too. What could have happened to make him that way? I was curious about that.’
Jan: ‘Oh no, that’s just a typical ballet parent. Usually, it’s the mothers, I must say. But for me, it’s a standard case where the child has to fulfill what the parent dreamed of and what that person didn’t succeed in.’
What does the film bring?
Daniël: ‘I thought a lot about friendship. Putting your own ego aside for the other is a beautiful interaction in the film. And accepting that sometimes someone is better than you. That acceptance is the only thing, otherwise it’s unbearable.’
Jan: ‘I hope, and I also think it will happen, that people will embrace Elaine and Roos in their hearts. They are fantastic girls, great dancers, and actresses. They will bring us a lot. I hope this will be a beautiful start for a further career. I can’t imagine there are people who see the film and don’t embrace them in their hearts.’
Piece of My Heart will be in theaters from December 1.
Image: Film Piece of My Heart
