‘Wake Up’ Directors RKSS Talk Modern Activism And Nasty Deaths In Their New Film
Directing duo Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell make up the filmmaking collective RKSS, known for their gonzo and cartoonishly violent films like Turbo Kid and We Are Zombies. But with their latest film Wake Up, the filmmakers pivot in a different, more dour direction as a group of teens is systemically hunted and slaughtered by a rage-filled security guard.
In Wake Up:
A group of young activists set out to make an environmental statement by vandalizing a home superstore as it closes. But their plan goes terribly wrong when they become trapped inside and must face a deranged security guard with a gruesome passion for primitive hunting. As the night fills with violence and terror, the teenagers find themselves in a desperate fight for their lives.
We spoke with RKSS about addressing modern activism, crafting their traps, and casting their Kevin.
DC: I know Wake Up has been doing this festival circuit for a bit, so how does it feel to have it out in the world?
Anouk Whissell: It’s exciting!
Yoann-Karl Whissell: Really exciting.
AW: And stressful. Always stressful.
YKW: You want people to love the movie, and I know they will, but they need to because otherwise, I’ll cry myself to sleep, and it’s terrible. I’m very sensitive. [Laughs]
DC: No, seriously. We make movies, and we’re the most sensitive people on the planet. It’s very wild. Why do we do this?
But I love the premise of this movie. We haven’t had a big box store movie like this, at least in a long time. So I wanted to hear where the idea started, who brought the idea to the table, and how it developed into what it is now.
YKW: The producer on We Are Zombies, our previous film, had the script and was having a lot of fun with us. We read the Wake Up script and absolutely loved it. And that was the start of the process.
AW: What inspired Alberto [Marini] to write it was a movement on social media where kids actually were going into stores and waiting for the store to close, and then having parties and spending the night there. So this is something that actually happened. I had never heard of it, but I saw lots of videos about it. That’s the main concept behind it. But he really developed it.
DC: The tone of Wake Up is really interesting because it’s not a horror comedy at all, but you do a really good job with the satire and poking fun at modern activism. I know that starts with the script, but for y’all directing, what was that like trying to hit that balance between comedy and satire, but also making something pretty shocking?
YKW: It was a tight balance. You don’t want to go too far in the satire that it becomes silly, but you need it for it to work. So it was a balanced work. We had a lot of rehearsal time, which was great with the young actors. It was actually the most rehearsal time we’ve ever had for a movie. We had a lot of time to talk about the concept, where we wanted to go with Wake Up, and how to make the tone work. That helped a lot. It wasn’t easy, but I think we were close enough.
DC: I would agree. But I do really love how you skate that line and make it a horror movie. It’s a hard tone to hit, especially with a young cast.
YKW: And I think the one thing that helps make Wake Up more serious than a comedy is probably the first kill. That first skill is really harsh. I find it very brutal. It was really hard when we were in the editing room at one point.
DC: Oh really?
YKW: I couldn’t hear her scream anymore. If you watch our older films, our violence is very goofy, especially in Turbo Kid and We Are Zombies. It’s more like Bugs Bunny for adults. But there was something hard about this scene. That kill is not gory, it’s just violent. It helped us walk that line between satire and horror.
DC: You call them traps. Do you guys have a favorite or one that was really difficult to pull off, and you were really excited that it ended up working out?
AW: I think for me, it’s Grace when she gets stumped by the little stool. There were quite a bit of logistics to plan it and make it work. There was a stunt involved as well. She was an incredible stunt performer. I don’t know if you have a different one, Yoann?
YKW: No, I think that’s the one, because the impact, when we saw it, we’re like, “This works. This works!” When you’re behind the monitor and you go, “Yes, okay, this works,” I don’t think there’s a better feeling.
DC: I love the cast, between our teens and Kevin, who is absolutely terrifying. I wanted to hear how you found Turlough Convery.
YKW: We auditioned. He sent in a tape, classic process. But when we saw the tape, it was Kevin. You are watching it on your laptop, he’s on a white background and just reading lines, and you can feel across the screen, you’re terrified. Later on, we got to meet him over Zoom just to talk about the part and it just made total sense. We wanted him, and Turlough is an incredible actor. He’s so good to have on set. He’s just such a professional but fun, especially if he’s going to play that demented killer. You want him to be fun. And you could see the switch when rolling. It was incredible.
There’s a scene where Turlough runs after Kyle, the actor that plays Tyler. Kyle came up to me and said, “It’s like we were laughing and then we’re rolling and I’m scared. I’m really, really scared.” It was great.
AW: We also saw him in Belfast, as well. He’s so amazing in that movie. He is just such a talented actor. He also plays a completely different character in a TV series called Sanditon. And I didn’t realize it was him at first. You don’t recognize him from one place to the other since he’s such a professional.
YKW: But it was great because we had more rehearsal time. Turlough and Aiden, the actor who plays his brother, had so much time together. The three of us built their whole childhood. It was just fun to be able to have the time to create all that to the point that I would film a prequel anytime.
DC: Earlier, I talked a little bit about the satire of activism in Wake Up. You tackle the topic without making fun of activists or young people who support a cause because, again, we know it’s complicated. Activism is an important part of our current reality. What was important for you in depicting modern activism and creating a conversation around it?
YKW: Yeah, activism is really important, especially with everything that’s happening in the world right now.
The world is crazy, and we are not going in the right direction right now as a species. I have young kids, and I’m afraid of what I’m leaving them for the future. I’m afraid about what their kids are going to have to face—it’s going to be terrible. So we need to work together. But there is a type of activism right now that is not inherently bad, but it’s activism for clicks. At the same time, it’s still activism. It’s still doing something. It’s complicated.
DC: That’s why I like how you have that perspective inside of the group, too. You’re not making fun of them as a whole, but you have them inside confronting each other, especially with Yasmin. I think that helps anchor your point in the film.
AW: They each have their own motivation to be there that night. There are ones that are impacted personally in their life with their family with the problem, but there are others that are just there to party, drink, and hook up with girls.
It’s kind of a representation of life. I feel like in each group of friends in high school or later, we have these people in our group. And for us, it’s more realistic. I think it’s also important that they all have different motivations.
YKW: For Yasmin it’s very real. She’s genuinely scared. She’s generally angry, but not all of them are. Sometimes it pisses her off because she wants them to take it a bit more seriously. But at the same time, we have to remember they are kids. And yes, there is this impending doom in the shadows, always haunting them, but they’re allowed also to have fun. They should be allowed to be kids at the same time. It’s a very complicated time to be a teenager, I find.
DC: I don’t envy it at all.
YKW: Oh my God. I’m so happy to have gone to high school without cell phones. I don’t know what would’ve happened.
DC: It’s a weird time.
YKW: It’s a very weird time. We just need to like each other and love each other and take care of each other to make the world a better place. It’s not that hard. I say that, but if you look at human history, we’ve never been able to figure it out. But we should at least try to love each other. One day. One day.
Wake Up is out now in theaters.
Categorized:Interviews
