Meet Raphaël Pettigrew | Writer & Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Raphaël Pettigrew and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Raphaël, can you tell us about an impactful book you’ve read and why you liked it or what impact it had on you?
One of my favorite books of all time, and one that I happened to have read recently is “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” by Joan Didion. It is a powerful reflection of the American dream but specifically within the hazy and enchanting realm that is the end of Manifest Destiny, otherwise known as California. As a California transplant, having moved from Quebec at an early age, a great deal of my childhood and early life was spent trying to decode this Mecca of opportunity and success, especially coming from a socialist society with an emphasis on the community, and not the individual. Joan Didion is the only writer I have ever read that has successfully explained California, its fiercely individualistic nature, and why it is so alluring to millions of people across the globe.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When California prays for water, I think of Quebec’s snow pack. I try to relate the two, even through their differences, and I do the same for myself. Living in New York for six years has placed me in front of many new faces, and as social norms dictate, we discuss our origins. Depending on the day, I am either from California or I am from Quebec. To whom I belong to is never clear. And, the lack of belonging is further muddled by the self deprecating notion that I am from nowhere.

As lifted trucks and subwoofers would have you believe, those insecure in themselves commit to an ideal. As a child, I too committed to an ideal, of being helplessly and severely French Canadian, to be like my family. As I grew older and the ideal quickly grew into a mirage, I started to feel lost. After years of searching, I have found the frustrating reality to be that I am both. The blend is neither static nor even. Each side unevenly draws strength from the other, to shape who I am. At times creating a perfect blend of both heritage and at other times one side taking prominence.

The lost individual looking for answers is a theme I most consistently relate to. The work of filmmakers such as John Cassavetes, Barbara Loden, Shirley Clarke, and Barry Jenkins, have shown me the virtue and beauty of the character, of the individual. In terms of my own work, Je me souviens portrays a lost individual fighting grief and in doing so only denying his ability to heal.

Inspired by the duality of my upbringing, I look to make films depicting and understanding the duality of human nature through individualistic characters.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Living in NYC and having a jazz singer as a partner has made me a sucker for jazz bars, and high class cocktail lounges. If I had people coming over for a week I would probably take them to brunch at Cafe Luluc every single day (can’t have enough) and then we would either go antique shopping in Carroll Gardens, or spend the day lounging at Brooklyn Bridge Park or Prospect Park. At night we would go to Fat Cat (now Cellar Dog), Dizzy’s Club, Ba’sik, or Small’s for some great drinks and even better Jazz.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to give a very large shoutout to my parents. They never questioned my desire to become a professional artist, despite both of them coming from very practical and typical Quebec working class families. They supported me from the beginning, and often times matched my own enthusiasm for filmmaking.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jemesouviensfilm/

Image Credits
Director of Photography: Idil Eryurekli