The independent film Whenever I’m Alone With You has recently started streaming on the Amazon Prime platform, and the premieres of the films will soon begin. The Balkan premiere of the film is also planned, considering that the vibe of the Balkan New Wave is part of soundtrack of the film and that gives it a special charm and experience. In this regard, I am honored to have been given the opportunity to be one of the first to watch the film and say a few words.
Whenever I’m Alone With You is a unique film experience, a brave and experimental semi-documentary punk love story, a love letter to film cinematography, and above all, a tribute to Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina, shot in the spirit of the French New Wave (Godard/Cinéma Vérité/Magical Realism).
The film represents the collaboration of two former life and business partners, Vesper Egon and Guillaume Campanacci, a native of Cannes, who are signed as directors, screenwriters, producers and main actors. The film was shot on the Cote d’Azur.
Whenever I’m Alone With You had its world premiere at Europe’s prestigious Oldenburg Film Festival (ranked among the Top 5 film festivals worldwide for independent films) in September 2023, with two sold-out screenings and two encores, and was named festival favorite.
Movie synopsis
The film is set on the magnificent Côte d’Azur. Guillaume (Guillaume Campanacci) is a morbid Frenchman, broken-hearted, prone to suicide and excessive drinking, who has vowed never to love again.
Vedrana (Vesper Egon) is a native of Sarajevo, a hopeless romantic, a lost soul, who is slowly rotting away in an established relationship.
When their eyes meet for the first time, at some boring stereotypical party, they both know that this is the beginning of an unusual love story that they have never experienced before. And just as they begin to accept each other as soul mates, Guillaume’s ex-fiancée shows up on his doorstep, pregnant with his child.
Whenever I’m Alone With You is a unique “anti-romantic” romantic comedy that explores the complexities of love and human connection. In an era dominated by stereotypical romantic comedies, this film stands out for its bold and unflinching portrayal of love and rebellion, through a blend of humor, introspection and a moving semi-autobiographical narrative.
From the very first cadre of the film and the opening credits, it becomes clear that this is a movie a tribute to the French New Wave and above all to Godard. The film opens with a warning to viewers expecting to see a romantic comedy, who need an explanation to understand the film because they are stupid and because they are Americans. At the very beginning, spitting on the viewers, criticism of the American way of life and American values. And more than a clear reference to the French New Wave, which is considered one of the most influential movements in the history of cinema and manifests itself through the rejection of traditional film conventions in favor of experimentation, a spirit of iconoclasm and research in new approaches to editing, visual style and narrative, as well as engaging in social and political upheavals, often using irony or exploring existential themes.
A lot of symbolism is used in this movie and that’s why you should watch the film carefully because its essence is not in the events, of which there aren’t many, but that’s why the conversation is important, what is said but also what is thought but not said, because the subtitle is also shown for unspoken words, so that you, as a viewer, can see how the heroes of the film think one thing and say another, or keep silent about something they would like to say. It may be difficult to follow at the moment because the stories overlap, especially if you don’t know French, so you need subtitles, so two subtitles are broadcast at those moments. The words that were said and those that were kept silent are mixed up, but if you restore the scene or cadre, you can follow everything in detail.
And through gestures, a lot is said in the film. It seems that every cadre is important and significant. Let’s mention some parts that I noticed.
People who, instead of talking, crow, cackle, and coo at a party.
A man who imitates a rooster crowing and laying an egg.
A multitude of balloons that are deliberately popped by the main characters throughout the film.
A party among headless plastic dolls to the sounds of ex-yu post-punk.
A search for a television by jumping into the sea and diving.
A mysterious patient in a hospital whose face cannot be seen.
On this occasion, I will not explain what this could mean, I will leave it to the viewers, but I will refer to the most striking symbolism in the film, which is the symbolism of the book.
The symbolism of the book
The book appears throughout the film starting with the first sight of the two protagonists in which they recognize themselves as soul mates. In the old home library with many books, Vedran finds a booklet on the shelf, almost hidden and swallowed by a pile of other books. He opens it, reads it and concludes that it is a masterpiece.
Moments later Guillaume does the same.
In those moments, viewers can get the impression that the mysterious book is actually the smallest book in the library in terms of volume, but that for the two heroes of the film, it was the most important and attractive work of art they found. Guillaume even tried to steal her. On the one hand, it says that a book should not be judged by its volume and cover, but by what is written in it. On the other hand, the symbol of the open book can mean the beginning of this love story, which, judging by the reactions of the protagonists, should be something timeless. The saying “life writes novels” can be perfectly applied to this film. What’s more, the saying can be extended to say: “Life writes novels and directs movies.”
In this sense, the book can become another hero in the film, because it is always there, the couple in love carries it with them everywhere, they read it, write messages to each other and draw flowers on the blank pages. The book is by their side even when they are making love. So the book is what brings them together and what it means to them. The book is important. The book is the essence.
What book is that?
I was able to figure this out by carefully watching the film and zooming in on the scene where it can be seen. It cannot be seen casually, without the focus of attention, or while fiddling with a smartphone, but requires an extra effort to uncover it. It was not difficult for me. In fact, I understood it as a small adventure that this directing duo presented to the viewers.
It is about the great Franz Kafka and his masterpiece The Process. When we know this fact, the film gains a different perception because it is one of the most significant novels of the twentieth century that deals with the absurdity and meaninglessness of bureaucracy, the loss of control over one’s own life, the feeling of guilt and fear in front of an unknown authority, isolation, alienation and existential anxiety. A work that should have been burned but was not. On the contrary. In this case, it participated in the construction of the story.
Music in the film
The music in the film is a special attraction because it includes the New Wave of the Yugoslav music scene, a country that no longer exists, which disappeared in the fires of war, failing to cope with the spirit of the times that ruled and which brought and imposed some new rules and principles, but which continued to exist through the art that was created at that time, inspiring some younger generations who slowly built their own paths and tried to re-ripple the rough surface of the Dead Sea with some new wave. Those avant-garde eighties of the last century gave rise to excellent music that was ahead of its time, which is still listened to and inspired today and sounds very fresh and new. This is also confirmed by this film as we listen to it while watching the events unfolding on the film screen.
The film uses the music of four bands from the ex-Yu area, which based their musical vibe on new-wave, minimal electro, post-punk, dark-wave, gothic rock, gothic punk. These are the following bands: Idoli from Belgrade (Serbia), Phantasmagoria from Zagreb (Croatia), Pauk from Zavidovići (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Bukowsky Band from Belgrade (Serbia).
In addition to the Yugoslav New Wave, the soundtrack is complemented by original music by Vesper Egon and her band La Petite Mort, as well as great classical compositionssuch as Rossini’s Figaro, Strauss’s Spring Sounds, but for me the most important one is Rossini’s Magpie the Thief, which more than half a century ago provided a powerful audio background to Kubrick’s cult film A Clockwork Orange, which pushed boundaries and set standards.
Taking all this into account, we understand that this film is not only an homage to the French and ex-Yugoslav New Wave, but also to classical music as a timeless spiritual creation of Homo sapiens, to quality European existentialist, allegorical, psychological, and surreal literature from the early twentieth century, as well as to the masterpiece of cinematography A Clockwork Orange, which was pure punk and a rebellion against the system and established norms and values, and which left a strong impact on many great artists such as Andy Warhol, David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, the Sex Pistols…
Here’s what director, lead actress, producer and screenwriter Vesper Egon has to say about the music used in the film:
After realizing how much ex-YU music influenced our film, we decided to shape the soundtrack using songs from the ex-YU scene of the ‘New Wave’ era, along with music I created with my band La Petite Mort (Jonathan Burkes/Steve Abagon).
Legendary bands from the golden ex-YU music scene of the 1980s—such as Idoli (the immortal Vlada Divljan, Srđan Šaper, Nebojša Krstić), Phantasmagoria (Tomi Edvard Šega / Robert Gelo / Darko Toth / Tihomir Preradović), Pauk (Jayco Selak), and Bukowsky Band (Gorjan Krstić, Zoran Petrović)—donated their music to our project, truly enriching the film and turning it into an intimate and nostalgic portrait of a very special romantic love story.
Without their support and contributions, this film would not have been possible. Every festival we’ve participated in so far has always been impressed and enchanted by the music in the film, which has been a frequent topic of conversation.
Whenever I’m Alone With You has received critical acclaim and recognition at film festivals around the world. It has been praised for its outstanding performances, innovative direction, creative editing, and compelling soundtrack.
With two Best Actress awards, recognition for Best Original Music and Best Soundtrack, an honorary mention for Best Actor, and awards for Best Director, Best Film, and more, it has already proven its appeal to both critics and audiences alike.
So far, it has won 25 awards at international film festivals in the past year.
List of awards:
BEST ACTRESS AWARD (Vesper Egon) at MatiFF-Matera International Film Fest, Italy
BEST ACTRESS AWARD (Vesper Egon),
HONORARY MENTION BEST ACTOR AWARD (Guillaume Campanacci)
BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC IN FILM AWARD
(Vesper Egon, Jonathan Burkes, Steve Abagon & La Petite Mort Band)
BEST SOUNDTRACK AWARD
(Idoli/Bukowsky Band/Phantasmagoria/Pauk & La Petite Mort)
at Girona Film Fest, Spain
Bi-monthly Winners:
BEST FILM AWARD
(Vesper Egon, Guillaume Campanacci)
BEST DIRECTOR AWARD
(Vesper Egon, Guillaume Campanacci)
BEST SOUND DESIGN AWARD
(Kai Morrison)
BEST EDITING (Guillaume Campanacci)
&
Year End Winners:
BEST DIRECTOR AWARD
(Vesper Egon, Guillaume Campanacci)
BEST EDITING AWARD
(Guillaume Campanacci)
at T.I.F.A., Tieté International Film Fest, Brazil
BEST INDIE FEATURE AWARD
(Vesper Egon, Guillaume Campanacci) at CANNES World Film Festival
HONORABLE MENTION
BEST ENSEMBLE AWARD
(Vesper Egon, Guillaume Campanacci)
at RED MOVIE AWARDS
BEST FEATURE FILM AWARD
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM AWARD
BEST ROMANTIC FILM AWARD
(Vesper Egon, Guillaume Campanacci)
Milasa film Awards
BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD
(Vesper Egon & Guillaume Campanacci)
Brighton Rocks Films