In Lillian, Polish visual artist-turned actress Patrycja Płanik goes into the wild.
Inspired by a real-life adventurer, Andreas Horvath’s Lillian presents a woman denied an American visa who decides to go back home to Russia. On foot. Surrounded by nothing more than nature and the curious stares of passers-by.
The director was inspired by the true story of Lillian Alling, a woman who disappeared in the 1920s after embarking on a trans-American trek. Did you talk about it?
At the beginning I studied her life but Andreas didn’t expect me to know all the details. I realized we need to go our separate ways – after all, she lived 100 years ago and the world was completely different back then. I had to find my own way. She just showed me the path. That was the life she chose and that was something I could connect to as well. When I was 20 years old my sister and me formed a sports club called Women’s Trail and we were travelling around the world.
People still get nervous when they see a woman travelling by herself. Even on my way to KVIFF someone asked me about it and I wasn’t in the middle of Alaska!
I was in the States for nine months and over there you don’t just walk on the street. The street belongs to the cars – not to the people. I think Lilian encouraged me to travel alone. When we had a month-long break from the shoot my first idea was to walk to another part of the country. Andreas asked to wait until we are done with the film.
You can read the whole interview in today's Festival Daily.
