We had a chance to catch up with Jan Bartels, who wrote, directed and produced the short, Beauty Queen and Sonja Welter, the co-writer, co-producer and lead actress. The film is a wild and often manic psychological thriller, and the second the pair have worked together on. We’re very pleased to have this opportunity to ask them a few questions. Thanks for being with us.
Darida Rose, UniversalCinema Magazine (UM): Looking at Beauty Queen along with your other films, you seem to have a fascination for those on the outer edges of sanity. What was your inspiration for Beauty Queen?
Jan Bartels (JB): The Idea came up when I was walking through a small village on a sunny day. Children were playing in the streets, a couple of house wives were standing at the fence and chatting to each other while their men were talking about their well paid jobs. It seems all of them live in a beautiful, perfect world. But what if one of them kept a dark secret?? I looked up into the sky and noticed a dark cloud. That was the magic moment when Mary and Walter, the serial killer couple, were created in my mind.
Walter’s character fascinates me. He seems to be a kind, handsome man in an expensive suit and good manners, even an excellent cook. Him and his wife Mary live a perfect life in a lovely house in a suburban area. But behind the suburbian idyll there is an enormous human abyss. Walter does everything to make his wife happy. Other man would bring flowers for their wives, but Walter young women he hunted after work. What a couple!
(UM): This is not how most people imagine serial killers, right? What projects do you have in the works? Can we look forward to a feature length film?
(JB): Well, I’m currently writing a new story, you be surprised.
I love to create characters driven by extreme emotions like love, anger, desire, happiness, fear, jealousy and madness. If those complex characters meet, anything could happen.
For me the ideal length of an indie film is about 30 minutes. In this time period I’m able to build a tight, intense story with twists and turns without becoming too predictable.
(UM): Were you trying to make some sort of comment on suburban living with Beauty Queen? Or is it just meant to be a fun psychological thriller?
(JB): I’ve never wanted to make fun of suburban people or make comments about their way of living. But behind the curtain of some happy homes where everything is in place and no-one would be suspicious there are some crazy things happening. And that is what I’m interested in!
(UM): Walter and Mary seem quite in love and very well-suited to each other. Is this really a love story in disguise?
(JB): Of course this is also a love story -altough in an extraordinary way. Walter always wants to do everything to please Mary while she tries to be the most beautiful queen for him.
(UM): Daniel Baaden and Sonja Welter really seem to be enjoying themselves in this film. Could you speak a bit about what it was like working with them?
(JB): Sonja was the main actress in my film “False Minds”, a year before filming „Beauty Queen“. I enjoy working with her, because she is not only a very talented actress but also a wonderful person. On set she always keeps her calm and gives a smile even though it is getting difficult.
One scene in particular was very special for me while shooting. Sonja is sitting in front of a make up table. She stares in the mirror and tries to be the most beautiful woman in the world. But the more she looks at herself the more she gets upset till the point of great anger. She suddendly smears her lipstick over her face, swipe all things of the table and screams full of inner pain. That was a very intense moment of self destruction and inner desperation. It was wonderful as a director to capture her performance of a wide spectrum of emotions.
I first met Daniel the day we shoot the night scenes in the forest.
He held a heavy axe in his hand while chasing his victim and trying to kill her. I remember a scene where I was lying on the ground with the camera in my hands, filming him from below while he stands over me holding the axe in both hands. I wanted him to improvise something like looking around. I said to him: “Ok just make some action!” He smiled at me and said:“ok whatever! ” He took a deep breath and suddenly the heavy axe came down on me fast and hits the ground next to my left shoulder. He replied in a dry way:
“One more try?” Jesus, this guy really rocks! He is a very talented, intense actor and is the perfect cast to play the role of Walter. I love to work with him!
The chemistry between Sonja Welter and Daniel Baaden was great.
On set we all had a very good time and I remember lots of funny moments.
(UM): On your website you speak about your love of independent filmmaking. Could you tell us what inspires you to be an independent filmmaker?
(JB): The main reason for me to be an independent filmmaker is to follow my own visions. Most film companies tend to modify the filmmaker´s script to please the audience, because they want to make money.
When you try to please people you will fail. I’ve never done a film to please the audience. I’m against political correctness. I shoot films because I like to tell my story. If someone likes my crazy movies that’s great!
(UM): If I’m not mistaken, you’ve now co-written and co-produced two films, including Beauty Queen with Sonja Welter. Could you tell us a bit about the process of writing and producing with her?
(JB): Well after filming the movie “False Minds” with Sonja, we had a artistic connection.
One day Sonja told me her idea of a woman named Mary who lives in a pink beauty contest world and goes more and more insane. She asked me to produce that intense scene for her showreel and I told her “Sonja, this is a great scene but there is a lot more to tell!”
And so I wrote a whole story around Mary’s character. I created Walter, her husband, an ever smiling and friendly serial killer. I produced all the outdoor scenes. Sonja found a location to shoot the scenes in the house and cast the other roles. Two months later the film crew was complete and we filmed “Beauty Queen”. We are very happy that this film was successfully shown at indie festivals, with 8 nominations. We won 3 times and I received the “best director” award.
Four month later on our next project „For Sale“ the sequence of events was very similiar. Sonja had a location, and an idea about two sisters inheriting an old house. It was a great idea with a lot of potential of drama and emotions.
I expand the story in a way that 3 gangsters forced their way into the house, looking for a safe place after a robbery gone wrong.
After a while jealousy, hatred, competitiveness, and greed took turns controlling all persons in the house. “For Sale” was a big success for us.
The film was nominated 11 times, won 7 awards at indie festivals located in USA and Canada. Sonja won the “best actress award”.
Even as a co-writer and co-producer she did a great job.
(UM): Mary has delusions of being a beauty queen, and seems to want Walter to bring home beautiful young women for some mysterious reason having to do with her obsession with beauty. Are you trying to make a bigger statement about society’s demands on women to be beautiful?
(JB): Interesting question, I think Sonja can give you the best answer.
Sonja Welter (SW): There is a huge pressure on all of us not only to be beautiful but to be young, rich, healthy, even to be a perfect family. In our society, lack is created to drive consumption. The Mantra is: you can’t be happy with what you have or what you are. This feeling of not being good enough is often the reason for e.g. eating disorders and depression.
Mary, who must have suffered severe psychological trauma in her childhood, of course has a lot more psychological problems than society’s craziness.
She is a middle aged woman who wants to be special and be seen, like we all do. But she thinks the only way to achieve that is by becoming the most beautiful women of the world in a beauty pageant, a beauty queen.„Then everybody will love me!“ ,she thinks. Every time she wakes up from her pink delusional dream world, the harshness of reality hits her hard. She knows she will never achieve her dream. She is ashamed of herself and full of self hatred and anger. But she has found a solution: the beauty of young women. She wants to create a mask of the face of the most beautiful one. But no-one is good enough so they all have to die one after the other. „Fortunately“ Walter is a very talented hunter and provides her with more girls. It is a win-win situation for them. This couple is happy in their own special crazy way. Gives me the chills!