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In 2007, Joachim Trier was named one of Variety’s “10 Directors to Watch” with his release of “Reprise” and this Friday, fans of the Norwegian-born director will be greeted with his first English-language feature film, “Louder Than Bombs” (Read our full review, here). A melancholic drama that includes multi-layered narratives, “Louder Than Bombs” tells the story of one family’s struggle to process and then move on from the death of their loved one. “Louder Than Bombs” has a strong narrative storyline with a stunning and unique cinematic style that will resonate with audiences long after the film ends. Trier’s directorial risks pay off as the juxtaposition between external reality and personal feelings are the film’s selling point. I had the opportunity to sit down with Trier last week, and we talk skateboarding, being in the moment, and the hardest part about pitching his film. We begin:

I read that you had grown up skateboarding; I know the mentality of a skater is when you fall you get right back up and keep going. Has that mentality affected you as a director?

There is this identity test called Big 5, and I guess I score as a “high-risk taker,” haha. I’ve broken both of my arms and my ribs three times and had concussions and kept skating. I think when I do a film, more in a mental way, it’s like a slam. I’m terribly grateful to be allowed to do movies but it takes something out of you every time. I think I get satisfied with taking risks. I used to make skateboarding videos, filming my friends jump down staircases. It was like setting up a stunt. With “Louder Than Bombs,” there were certain scenes I was unsure of how would turn out. You don’t know until you film it and cut it if it’ll work, and every time it’s a bit of a risk.

What drew you to the subject of a woman war photographer?

I was interested in the fact that it presented the character of the mother, who had such a strong absence in the film, with a virtuous and admirable profession. So for the family, it’s hard to grieve someone that you couldn’t even criticize for their importance in the world if you see what I mean. The other thing is the dichotomy in life between work and family becomes so poignant with that job. The third thing is dealing with the idea of how to convey portraits of human beings in the world today with a massive, rapid imagery, which, in the world of journalism, seems to be geared toward immediacy.

Your film sidesteps clichés when dealing with the character’s grief, can you talk about that?

Grief is a universal theme that I was trying to be specific about and in this case, I was very curious about the modern family dynamic. Coming from Scandinavia my mom was a feminist in the 70s, and that allowed me to explore different forms of father characters who are not necessarily the “authoritarian”, rather he smothers them with love in the more “traditional” mother sense. And avoiding clichés, well that’s the name of the game. We’re trying to do our thing and I’m glad it resonates.

What were some of the biggest challenges of making your first English-language film?

I think getting this level of a budget ($11,000,000) is tricky in the beginning because it’s not the most commercial premise… I make un-pitchable films. I don’t know if you’ve tried yet to describe them, but it’s not so easy! But actually getting on set, getting the actors, all of that was fine! The team was amazing. We shot it all in New York, American film teams are the best in the world. Jesse Eisenberg was shooting “Batman v Superman” at the same time, but was very eager to do this film, which I’m very grateful for, so he got Warner Brothers to release him for 5 weeks or something to shoot this in the middle of it. He went from Lex Luther to Jonah and back!

“Jesse Eisenberg was shooting “Batman v Superman” at the same time, but was very eager to do this film–which I’m very grateful for–so he got Warner Brothers to release him for five weeks or something to shoot this in the middle of it. He went from Lex Luther to Jonah and back!”

The surreal moments in the film are some of my favorite, where did you draw your inspiration from?

Since this is a film that tries to portray the minds of the characters as much as the events around them, [I wanted to show that] their interior thoughts and dreams matter. I like to try to find ways of telling stories that bring you into their minds. How do I come up with them? I try to be intuitive when I work. I have a tendency to plan a lot, and there are moments for that, but there are also moments to just let go and realize that something came up for a reason.

Is there something the actors brought out that you didn’t see during the writing process?

Oh, all of them. I think Devin had great authority on being a 15-year-old in a much more nuanced way; he fought for that character to be complex and not simple. Jesse was very funny and sometimes almost made the character cynical with a touch of heart. With Isabelle, you don’t know what you’re going to get but it’s always remarkable, she’s amazing. Gabriel came in and was very supportive of everyone on set, it was a very natural role for him. 

What is the one thing you are the proudest of?

Days like this, when people come in and talk about different elements and interpretations of the film. Just today I’ve had people come in and talk about how they’ve related to the 15-year-old who needed to create the space in the world to speak his voice. Someone else comes in and talks about how difficult it is to be a working mother and still be a good mother and wife at home while someone else talks about modern fatherhood. If people can take all that stuff out of this film, that’s great.

“Louder Than Bombs” is rated R for language, some sexual content, nudity and violent images, 109 minutes. Opens this Friday 4/8 at Laemmle’s Royal Theatre and Sundance Sunset Cinema.