“Toxic”, interview with director Jessica Hausner

Austrian director Jessica Hausner, has been selected in the Venice Gap Financing Market with her new project Toxic, co-production between Austria, Germany, France, Sweden.
Hausner comes back to Venice after winning the FIPRESCI Prize in 2009, when she was in Competition with her film Lourdes.

4 chapters to question our Work Dystem

Toxic is a film that is told in 4 different chapters, and each chapter is showing a different work situation. Jessica Hausner explains the film is about how we work nowadays and how much work is related to being productive and efficient. It is questioning  if it is profitable  to do something that maybe helps the community and how can those values be integrated in a very capitalist world. Bu, she adds, the film gives  no answer to this.
It’s a very contemporary and very urgent, interesting matter.

The shooting in 4 locations

Toxic will be shot next spring, t in Germany, in Austria, and probably in Slovakia.  Howeber, Jessica Hausner explains, “in my films  the place of shooting never reflects in the story, because they are told in what I call  a very  hyperrealistic way. I try to melt down the story to something very universal, so it doesn’t matter if it’s it’s shot in Germany or Austria or France. But for sure it’s  in the Western, in the capitalist world.”

One episode takes place in an advertising company, another one in a garbage removal company. Another  episode is in an old people’s care home, and one episode is in a toy shop. And finally, one is in the  mansion of a very rich person who owns all the other companies

The co-productive journey of the film

The companies involved are Schubert Film in Austria, co-production Office, and Essential Film in Germany and France. , the Swedish company, is  the company of Ruben Östlund.
Jessica Hausner explains that at the Gap Financing Market they’re now trying to find another co-producer to close the budget, maybe in Denmark.

Plot