Light up the Void  

On December 12, 2022, Potemkine bookshop hosted a public conversation with Gaspar Noé, Françoise Lebrun and Alex Lutz, centred on Vortex. The event brought together the film’s director and two of its main actors for a discussion about the project and its making.

Gaspar Noé spoke about the origins of the film and his intention to depict aging and loss of autonomy without dramatization. He explained the use of the split-screen format as a structural choice, allowing parallel experiences to unfold side by side rather than merging into a single perspective. The approach, he noted, was designed to preserve duration and everyday gestures rather than impose narrative emphasis.

Françoise Lebrun discussed her work on the film, describing a process that required close attention to timing, repetition and physical presence. She emphasized the importance of trust on set and the balance between freedom and precision in the way scenes were developed.

Alex Lutz reflected on stepping away from familiar registers and focusing on restraint. He spoke about the challenge of playing a character defined by gradual wear rather than dramatic turning points, and about working within a framework that avoided overt emotional cues.

Questions from the audience addressed the representation of end-of-life experiences in cinema, the role of time in the film’s structure, and the varied responses Vortex has received. The discussion concluded with broader reflections on how cinema can approach these subjects without simplifying them.