A slow-burning, effective, and captivating movie about abuse, victim blaming, and rape sounds like one of the most contemporary films. These topics make headline news every day, and we hope that Unmoored, the latest feature by Caroline Ingvarsson, will do the same. Geek Vibes Nation spoke to the director and actress Mirja Turestedt about this important movie, the casting process, and the changing film industry.
Geek Vibes Nation: Congratulations on Unmoored. Where did the story for this film come from?
Director Caroline Ingvarsson: Our scriptwriter/producer, Michèle Marshall, brought the story to us. She was flying home to Singapore and went past one of the stores where you can buy books, papers, and drinks. She picked up this book, Levande och döda i Winsford (Living and Dead in Winsford), by Håkan Nesser. She read it on the aeroplane, and I think at that moment, she was just like, “This needs to be made into a film”. Nesser is a very famous Swedish author. He’s not so famous abroad, but he’s one of the biggest writers in Sweden. He has mainly written crime-related series. This was a standalone book, and it’s very, very differently written from anything else he’s done. The producer’s journey was to try and figure out how to turn it into a film. And that’s where I came on board three years ago.
GVN: And Mirja, how did you get attached to this project?
MT: The true story of why I came on board was that I was in a situation where I was a bit tired of the industry. As an actress, being around 50, you go for castings but never get the roles because despite the character being someone in my age bracket, the part always goes to somebody ten years younger. I started getting tired of that. I told my agent, “I’m going to take a big pause because I’m fed up with this.” He respected that, but then, a week later, he said, “Listen, you have to read this. This is so good. Can you please just do this one audition? And then I respect your decision if you don’t want to do any more castings for now.”. I read it and was quite pissed off because it was so good, but I felt like I didn’t have the energy for this. I got into the casting with an attitude that it wasn’t that important for me because I was always convinced that it would not lead anywhere anyway because I was so used to that. It was a long casting journey. It was from February to June. And then, finally, in June, you decided to bring me on board.
CI: She just is Maria. The confidence that Mirja has but also the intensity and how she brings you into her mind. It’s a capacity that only a few hold. Me and the producers knew that you were the perfect Maria.
GVN: You already mentioned that the industry looks down on women. In the movie, there’s a very intense scene between your character and the younger lady who makes harsh comments about Maria’s appearance, how she lives, and, indirectly, her age. Do you think women still face this problem, and if it gets better or worse?
MT: I wouldn’t say that the industry looks down on older women, but I would say that it’s a problem. But I can see a change now, so that’s positive. That’s why I was so happy about this movie and audition. This was the first time I auditioned for a woman after 40 that’s portrayed by someone of the right age. And there has been a big change actually during the last two years. Many of my fellow actor colleagues of my age in Sweden are getting more exciting roles. I can see more female directors who are good. More screenwriters and producers who are women. Exciting women are coming and doing interesting movies. Something’s changing. Before coming here, I spoke a bit with the producers and different people, and everyone agreed. But the age I’m in right now is quite interesting because this is a story about Me Too in some way. It’s about this older man who’s famous and has committed some crime, but you don’t know if he’s done it or not.
MT: It’s like that in the beauty industry. They’ve realised that the women buying the products are women around 50-60 with money. However, the companies have young women doing the advertisement. That is also changing. You see wrinkles or older faces. I feel that, especially in England, you’re interested in characters and vivid faces expressing something rather than being beautiful and shot in the right light.
CI: Aging also brings life experience. The older you are, the more experience you have to tell something. And that tells. You can show that also in a very different way. And it’s valuable, that knowledge.
MT: You always have to have something you can relate to. You can’t relate to somebody in their 20s if you’re 50 or 70.
GVN: Right at the film’s beginning, your character stands up for an abused woman by pointing out the possible cruelty her husband did to her in front of them. Would you have done the same, or would you have waited until maybe her husband was away?
MT: Oh, that’s a good question. I would have waited. I don’t have that experience, but I’ve started to realise, by reading about women in that situation, that it can harm them so much. So I may have waited for her sake until he left. However, knowing my personality, I would have done it immediately. I would have liked to support her, but it could hurt her.
GVN: There’s a scene where your character enters a bunker, but we don’t see what happens. Throughout the movie, we see more and more what could have happened. There’s a scene that shows everything, but it could be a dream because she wakes up right after that. We eventually find out what happens. Would you have done the same as your character did in that scene?
CI: Maria comes into that space with her luggage. So when she sees another woman being suppressed, she doesn’t know that it’s being done to her. We always discuss this. Maria sees herself as a very woke feminist and a strong woman. However, she doesn’t see her double standards. She’s blind to the fact that she’s going through abuse herself. She feels she has the right to tell when something is wrong when a woman is not standing up for herself. That is a super fascinating facet of Maria’s personality. As the film continues, we see her double standards coming through more and more. Those double standards are what many women have.
MT: If I was together with that kind of man, and being that hurt and angry, not getting the answers and being insecure, I think I could do the same thing. What she did isn’t strange at all. What is strange is the behaviour afterwards. When we were supposed to start shooting, I read quite a lot about people who have ended up in that situation. And I thought it was so interesting because no matter who you are if you end up in a situation like that, you can’t predict what will happen next. You try to get out and to find a way out, which must be so anxiety-inducing. I think every single person can come into those situations.
MT: People do strange things when stressed and don’t know how to escape it. And I would like to see more of the perpetrators’ perspective sometimes. Why do people do these strange, horrible things to each other? What was their thinking? How did they end up there? What is interesting about this movie is that it’s not the same thing here, but it’s the moral aspect of why she is choosing what she’s choosing. And it has a philosophical part that is interesting too.
GVN: Because of all the topics, such as victim blaming, rape and abuse, the movie becomes very heavy, emotionally loaded and dark. How could you guys let go after a day of shooting and not take that heaviness?
CI: I think you became Maria. You exercised a lot. She went into this training routine. You were so fit at the end of the process. You were so insanely focused. You were mentally preparing for a fight in a positive way.
MT: I had to be in good shape because I worked for 14 hours every day for two months in every scene. I thought, “I need to be in good shape, otherwise I can’t do it”. however, back to your question. I didn’t let go because I was in this bubble a lot.
CI: I didn’t let go until the night of the premiere. It has been hanging over me for so long. The premiere was a relief.
What do you hope that people will take away from this movie?
CI: That’s a good question. Many things. What is guilt? I don’t want to tell people what they should feel. It’s more about creating a discussion. When they’ve finished watching the film, I want to hear dialogue. I’m inquisitive for conversation. I hope the movie starts a conversation or thoughts about “What’s bad, good, wrong and right?” and “What’s morality?”.
MT: Many men think the male character isn’t bad, which is super interesting, whereas the women understand my character.
GVN: Is it still like that?
CI: Yeah. Oh, the amount of people… It’s fascinating because many women say, “Oh my God, I got repulsed by him the second I saw him”. Men say, “I’m like him; he’s not that bad.” They think the female character is the bad one. They say, “We just hear what the rape victim says. We don’t see it happen. So how do we know that he’s guilty?” This is still the point of view I get from viewers.
MT: We’re facing a significant backlash because of people like Andrew Tate and Russell Brand. It’s happening all over again. Of course, nobody has evidence because it has yet to go to trial. But with Russell Brand, something has happened. However, men are now convinced that it’s like a conspiracy of all these women, the world, the media, and whatever.
CI: Also, take the separation of Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner. They’re separating, and he’s accusing her of being a bad mother just because they’re separating.
MT: I think we’re going to see a backlash. Women will be victimized or seen as lying or having another agenda. Some of them do, of course. It works the other way around as well. Some men haven’t done those cruel things and then get falsely accused. It can happen both ways.
GVN: This film premiered at the BFI London Film Festival. Are there any other festivals Unmoored is going to?
CI: Yes, but we can’t say which ones yet.
GVN: And any official release dates?
CI: No, not yet.
GVN: Well, thanks a lot for the interview. And good luck with the movie.
Unmoored was screened during the BFI London Festival on the 5th of October and will have a repeat screening on the 10th of October. You can check for last-minute availability here. No UK/US release date has been announced. The movie is courtesy of Desmar.