Interview: Nathan Ambrosioni on ‘Out of Love’
When looking at the 3 films he has directed so far, one would never guess that Nathan Ambrosioni is only turning 26 this year. Throughout the past decade, he has established himself as one of the most exciting emerging filmmakers in French cinema with Les Drapeaux de Papier (2018) and Toni, en Famille (2023). We met with him as his new film, Les Enfants Vont Bien (Out of Love), is about to come out, continuing his exploration of contemporary motherhood through a delicate prism of intimacy and honesty, raising relevant questions about the world we’re living in.
In this conversation, Ambrosioni reflects on his cinematic influences, the challenges of directing children, his ongoing artistic partnership with Camille Cottin and the personal experiences that helped shape his storytelling.
AL: First of all, congratulations. I saw the film a few weeks ago and I liked it a lot, but what really struck me is that I kept thinking about it up until today and I believe that’s what makes a film special. My first question doesn’t really come from the journalist in me, but from the cinema lover who studied film and who now has the chance to speak with professionals. I wanted to know what drew you to filmmaking, and how you’re navigating all this success at such a young age.
NA: Thank you so much. To me, this success is still relative, because I’m “just” a director. Genre cinema and horror were my entry point. That’s what fascinated me. The first films I saw scared me so much that I needed to understand how you create fear like that. I watched a lot of making-ofs; I’m Gen Z, so I spend a lot of time on the internet, and cinema became accessible to me thanks to behind-the-scenes material. That really fueled my cinephilia because it made me want to watch even more making-ofs. And from there my cinephilia grew and now I’m addicted to movies. I need to watch one every day. My cinephilia is mostly rooted in drama, but I still love genre films just as much, and I’m grateful that I get to make movies, because I honestly don’t know how to do anything else. Being given a voice is important, it’s not something to take lightly, and I try to do my best with that. My father, who has nothing to do with film, used to tell me, “If you see this as something sacred, you’ll never make movies, because it’s a job.” And that’s how I see it today.
AL: Another aspect that intrigued me in the film is your work with the children. People often say that working with kids on set is more complicated because they’re harder to direct, they get tired quickly, and so on. But I find that they often give incredibly honest performances, because when they really manage to project themselves into a scene, they’re not even acting, they’re just living it. How was the shoot with Manoa and Nina?
NA: I loved working with them. I wasn’t very worried. When I showed the script to my producer, since there are a lot of scenes with kids, he told me I didn’t realize what it was going to be like in practice. And yes, it was a lot of work, but mostly it was thrilling. Children carry a cinematic imagination with them, whether you think of Spielberg or Ken Loach. They knew their lines by heart; they learned them like a poem. And as you said, there’s something very primal about it. When a child plays knight, he doesn’t think about what separates him from a real knight, he believes he is a knight. That’s pretty much what it was like on set. They weren’t very concerned about the story outside the scenes, but once we started working, they became Gaspard and Margaux and embodied those characters brilliantly. And when things got harder, we used what I call the “parrot technique”: since we only had three hours a day with them, and sometimes we had seven-page dialogue scenes, I would say their lines out loud, they would repeat them, and I’d remove my voice in the edit. In those moments, it’s more about their musical ear than emotional performance. But personally, I loved it and I’d do it again without hesitation.
AL: Having seen your last two films, the big recurring theme is obviously motherhood. This exploration from different angles of what it means to be a mother today. What draws you so strongly to these themes? Where does it come from?
NA: It comes from my own mother and her relationship with motherhood, which has been shifting, tumultuous. That experience interests me deeply. As a viewer, I relate more easily to female characters, that’s where my empathy naturally goes. We already have so many films made by men, about men. I think it matters that, as a young man, if I’m given the chance to speak, I also try to give space to those who get it less often. And I’m a queer person, so I know how important representation is. After the preview screenings, so many mothers came up to me saying, “Thank you for making this film, I feel understood. It’s not easy being a mom, and I don’t know who I’m supposed to be for my kids.” Because they have fewer models. Being a woman, being a mother in 2025 — it’s incredibly complex. Cinema has to try to show all the ways motherhood can be lived.
AL: Another thing your films have in common is Camille, who plays the lead roles in both. I was curious how you two met and what created this artistic connection between you.
NA: I wrote Toni, en famille for her and sent her the script, and I was lucky that she liked it. We met in a café and talked for three hours about cinema, the kinds of films we want to make, our dreams, and it was immediately obvious. We became friends right away. Shooting Toni with her was fantastic. She’s a great actress — hard-working, very committed, very generous. I felt privileged filming her and I wanted it to continue. We were excited to meet again on set, to go somewhere new. For her to play a completely different character, the opposite of Toni. Toni resembled her, but I told her, “Now that we know each other, as friends, it’s easier to push yourself out of your comfort zone.” Our friendship made Jeanne possible. I loved working with her again.
AL: Is there already another project lined up?
NA: I’m at the very beginning of writing, so I don’t know exactly where it’s heading. I’d love to work with Camille again. I don’t know if it’ll be the next one, she’s very busy too. We were really lucky that the schedule for Les Enfants Vont Bien worked out. But whether it’s the next film or not, I hope we’ll work together again.
AL: Very selfishly, I hope there will be another one.
NA: [Laughs] So you guys can post, “Camille Cotin stuns in new photo.”
AL: And then there’s Juliette (Armanet), who absolutely lights up the screen every time. How did you meet, and what was it like working with her?
NA: Camille had invited me to Juliette’s last Olympia concert while I was writing, and she had told me that she loved Toni en famille. And during the show, Juliette walked through the audience, pointed at me and blew me a kiss. Afterwards we went to see her backstage. She and Camille hugged. Their resemblance struck me first. Then their sisterhood, their bond, it really moved me. I jokingly said, “You two have to play sisters in a film,” and they told me people confuse them all the time in the street and sometimes they take pictures as each other. I thought it was fantastic and told myself, That’s the story of the film. That’s why it needs to exist. And I was thrilled to work with Juliette. She’s an incredible actress. She has the freshness of a beginner, even though she started acting before singing, and at the same time the talent of someone very experienced. When she left, I was so sad. I said to my team, “We should have made a film about sisters reuniting.” But it was too late!
AL: Yes, because she has very few scenes. Did you shoot them at the beginning or the end?
NA: Spread throughout, but she only had five shooting days.
AL: When people talk about you today, about your films, they quickly think of another filmmaker who also made a mark very young with similar themes, a certain Xavier Dolan. How do you feel about those comparisons?
NA: I’m flattered. He’s a filmmaker I adore. I love his films. I’m still far from where he is, so the comparison is flattering. He’s made at least ten movies, I’ve made three. We’re very different, it’s just that we both started very young and we both tend to focus on female characters. I admire him, and I’m still very far from the films he’s made.
AL: To wrap up, I’d love to know your inspirations, directors, actors, actresses… maybe people you’d love to work with?
NA: There are so many. In terms of actresses, Jennifer Lawrence is one of my favorites, I love Carey Mulligan immensely, Michelle Williams of course. I love Kelly Reichardt’s cinema. And Mia Hansen-Løve, to name a French director. Kore-eda is my favorite filmmaker. Camille of course, Marion Cotillard, Juliette Binoche. Vanessa Paradis. I’d love for us to work together someday. We have so many amazing actresses in France. We’re very lucky.
Les Enfants Vont Bien (Out Of Love) comes out in French theaters tomorrow.