In 2008, Robert Eggers is just 30 years old. He then directed through a short film the adaptation of a work by the American novelist Edgar Allan Poe. It was only recently that we were able to discover this production via the IndieWire site. The way the filmmaker stages the project is reminiscent of the dark universe of his productions, declaring about this short film :”I’m happy to share The Revealing Heart. It’s an uneven film but I take a certain pride in it as my first director. operator Jarin Blaschke who followed me on all my feature films, just like that of the chief editor Louise Ford with whom I have not stopped collaborating since. “The dark atmosphere of this first attempt will define the style of the filmmaker, with a strong mixture of tragedy and a form of aestheticism. Regarding the choice of the actor who embodies the master of the place, Robert Eggers specifies: “For the role of The Old Man, I basically wanted an extremely fragile and weakened actor, almost on the verge of death, but I understood that the filming conditions would not be conducive to a person with this type of profile”. To resolve this question, the director had an idea which turned out to be favorable to the realization of his project: “I told myself I preferred that it be a doll who embodies this role rather than an actor with make-up. I recognize the strangeness of this choice but with this decision, we ensured that the shooting took place in the best possible conditions. I am particularly proud of Carrington Vilmont’s performance, I hope that the public will appreciate his work at its true value.” On May 11, 2022, expect to find the director’s third film, The Northman, in theaters. The work that will succeed this feature film has already been announced, it is a remake of Nosferatu directed in 1922 by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. For the latter, we will have to wait until 2024.
