Interview – director Anthony Chen on Drift’s footprints in the sand

Anthony Chen’s first English language film takes a personal look an international problem that’s never far from the headlines. The refugee crisis. But in Drift, the focus is on a solitary displaced person, their trauma, their guilt and the search to re-establish some form of identity.

Jacqueline (Cynthia Erivo) is the daughter of a wealthy government politician in Liberia. Having fled the country after her family’s brutal massacre, she struggles to survive on a Greek island, keeping body and soul together by giving foot massages to tourists, stealing food and finding shelter where she can. An isolated figure, haunted by the memories her past, she meets tour guide Allie (Alia Shawkat), who encourages her to confront her fears and tentatively look to the future.

In the interview below, Chen considers why many of his previous films have focused on outsiders. “I’ve been an outsider all my life, growing up in Singapore, travelling a lot, staying on in the UK after film school, and now I live in Hong Kong. I’ve always found friendship and community, but never that sense of belonging and putting down roots.” And he reflects on the significance of the film’s opening shot, which shows a pair of footprints in the sand being washed away by the sea. “It’s my kind of cinema – a simple shot but telling a more complex story.”

Drift is released in cinemas on Friday 29th  March |Read our review of the film.

About the Author

Freda Cooper

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Freda is a Senior Writer at The People's Movies. A lifelong movie fan and a film critic for over ten years, Freda’s natural habitat is the darkened rooms frequented by fellow cineastes. She can also be found asking questions of some of the biggest names in the business – from Cate Blanchett to Daniel Craig or Mike Leigh to Pete Docter – or crafting reviews for a number of sites and publications, including The People’s Movies. And listeners to BBC Local Radio can catch her views on the latest releases. She always – and probably always will – cite The Third Man as her favourite film of all time. Her top ten? That’s a moveable feast …..

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