Michel Gondry Talks Making of ‘The Book of Solutions,’ Joys and Pains of Creativity: ‘We Limit Ourselves by Never Starting What We Want to Do’

variety.com:

Davide Abbatescianni Oscar-winning filmmaker Michel Gondry presented “The Book of Solutions” at Lucca Comics & Games this week, and took the opportunity to explore his ideas about creativity, and to urge aspiring directors to fight against perfectionism and embrace risk.

He was accompanied by his editor, Élise Fievet. Gondry explained that the self-help guide from which the film gets its name features a series of guiding principles for creativity, such as kicking off a project without hesitation, learning by doing, and not listening to others. “These are principles that stayed with me during a period of my life that has been very hard, and they’re still with me.

I think they’re still valid,” he said. With his latest effort, the helmer aimed to “revive that harsh period of his life, but with a touch of humor.” “The Book of Solutions” follows Marc (Pierre Niney), a director who seeks to overcome the demons that are hindering his creativity.

He takes his film crew to continue filming in a small village where his aunt Denise (Françoise Lebrun) lives. There, he has so many ideas that he decides to write a book full of advice.