Grimmfest Interview with Martin Guigui, director of Paradise Cove

Grimmfest’s first Easter Edition kicks off on the evening of Thur April 1st, 2021 with our preview night, and then continues across the evenings of 2-5 April, with a series of feature film premiere double bills with supporting shorts and Q&As with the cast & crew of each feature. In addition, there’ll be an exclusive pass holder double bill and an ARROW double bill both of which can be accessed any time across the weekend.

There’s so much to watch you won’t have time to get bored this Easter!

The new film from the multitalented Martin Guigui, director of the razor-sharp, retro-styled Grimmfest 2020 hit, THE UNHEALER, also has a distinctly Old School feel to it, albeit of a very different kind. A mischievous homage to that popular cycle of late 80s thrillers in which nice middle class couples have their lives disrupted by vengeful and deranged outsiders, this reimagines – and subverts – the genre for a new age, balancing its deliberately lurid pulp thrills with sharp social insights, satiric self-awareness, and an unsettling moral slipperiness, which constantly challenges the viewer’s sense of who to root for.

Based, unnervingly, on a real incident, the film offers a sly study in various forms of toxic entitlement, as the the driving motivations and backstories of the various characters are revealed, derailing the familiar tropes of the subgenre it draws on in favour of something ultimately more downbeat and thought-provoking. Sharply played by a strong cast, and boasting a remarkable performance from Kristin Bauer Van Straten as the increasingly deranged and murderous antagonist, clearly relishing every outrageous line of dialogue and crazed burst of action, but giving real emotional weight to the character’s quieter scenes, this is a whole lot of smart, blackhearted fun.

What drew you to the project?

Martin Guigui: When it was pitched to me, I immediately loved the title, and I’ve always been attracted to emotional character driven stories that happen in a self contained environment – plus it has all the fun stuff of 80’s and 90’s thrillers combined!

How did you get into directing?

Martin Guigui: I’ve been telling everybody what to do since I was a kid. Lol! I started making shorts in high school, directed a handful of documentaries after film school, and I made my first feature film “My X-Girlfriend’s Wedding” paid for with my credit cards, family and friends, ended up winning a bunch of festivals, but never got distributed properly. I moved to Los Angeles, focused on writing screenplays and that opened up opportunities to Direct again.

How would you sell ‘Paradise Cove’ in one sentence?

Martin Guigui: A crazy ass beautiful sexy homeless ex-star model lives under a Malibu home and she sensually terrorizes a couple that just moved in.

Were there any influences in how you approached ‘Paradise Cove’?

Martin Guigui: Occasional Hitchcockian angles (there is a memorable shower scene), occasional edgy DePalma slow track and pan shots, but mostly my comfort zone which is a combo of realism and cinema verite.

We can’t wait for cinemas to be open again, what film would you love to see the guys at Grimmfest screen to a packed audience?

Martin Guigui: Double Feature:

“American Werewolf in London”

“THE SHINNING”

What’s the best horror film you’ve seen for the first time recently?

Martin Guigui: “The Last House On The Left”

What have you got lined up next?

Martin Guigui: I’m directing “Sweetwater” which is the story of the first black basketball player to play in the NBA.

Interview by Sean Luby. Find out more and book your tickets HERE and check out the trailer below:

YouTube video
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Emily Bennett

Emily Bennett, a journalist with a passion for storytelling both on and off the newsprint. Her world revolves around uncovering the fascinating tales lurking beneath the surface. She frequently hosts movie nights with friends, dissecting the plots and debating the merits of her favourite horror flicks.

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