When Diane Kruger First read the script Desireshe thought it was unusual.
The film follows Daniel (Richard Gere), a businessman who discovers that he fathered a son he never met – and that the son recently died at the age of 19. He examines his son’s life by exploring what he can learn about his past, including that of the teenager. romantic fixation on his teacher, Alice (Kruger).
“It’s so remarkably ‘out there’ and yet kind of heartfelt and emotional,” Kruger told Yahoo Entertainment. “I wanted to see how [the film] would all come together.”
She also wanted to work with Gere again. They appeared together in the 2007 comedy-thriller The Hunting Party.
“I thought it would be a lot of fun to work on this film for a few days [Gere] Again,” Kruger said. “I just wanted to have fun. It’s a great movie that fits into my schedule.”
Driven by grief, Daniel behaves bizarrely. He asks Alice outrageous questions, and at one point conspires with a couple whose daughter has also recently died to throw a wedding party for their children (who have never met) in the afterlife. One of the film’s surreal scenes is a dream sequence showing Alice as a giant. Her high-heeled foot is the size of a building.
“It was very absurd, to be honest,” Kruger said of filming the gigantic scene. “I put my foot on a box and there was no one around – just me.”
Desire is writer-director Savi Gabizon’s Canadian remake of his own 2017 Israeli film. Kruger said it was an unusual experience to work with a director who already knew what he wanted to see on screen.
Gabizon told MovieWeb that the grieving parents in the film have “painful and ridiculous” needs, which are reflected in some of the film’s lighter moments.
One of the film’s clearest themes is that parenthood brings moments of both sadness and absurdity. Daniel quickly learns a lot about his son by talking to Alice about his obsession with her, which eventually got him expelled from school.
“You always want to see children as perfect little angels,” Kruger said. “But you also have to overcome winding roads of feelings and emotions. They may be your children, but they have their own personalities.”
Ultimately, Kruger hopes the film encourages people to “make the best of every situation.”
“It’s just a fantasy. … It takes the audience for a ride,” she said. “I don’t know if there is a message per se, but the film makes you think about life.”
Desire will be released in theaters on June 7 and available on video-on-demand platforms on June 8.
