I always explore how reality can translate into film. This is exactly the case with THE MARRIAGE. Every person goes through tough times, stressful situations, frustration, pain. What happens inside our minds when everything happens all at once? The delicate nature of human brain cannot process such situations. We need to have moments of fun, to enjoy ourselves. A familiar friend, an ex-partner, a body that we love or arouses us, it's something we always remember and miss. The opportunity is there, that person begs to be around, to feel and touch our own body, to provide sexual pleasure... But how about the aftermath? What if the situation afterwards isn't cool anymore? How exactly does the twitch of the death nerve get triggered? And how about the moments after the crime? What goes on inside the murderer's mind?

     All those questions are very important to me, to understand the human nature a little bit better. When you create such a movie, you actually explore the reactions of the actors involved, there are honest moments, where people do not "act", they are the parts, the roles. They cry for real, the laugh, they hate... The Marriage is an experiment, a movie that dares to go a bit deeper inside our minds, it exploits delicate situations, feelings, dark thoughts. I wasn't afraid to keep filming, to see how far I could go with my actors. It was a cold experience for them, because they really went through everything in a very realistic way. They have felt everything inside, they were even shocked afterwards when I showed them the picture.

     THE MARRIAGE is not an innocent little drama, and it's not a "feel-good" little movie. It makes you hate yourself for being just a filthy human, for having needs and thoughts, for being an animal. It is a journey into mild madness, that can actually be easily understood by anybody, no matter if you already have a killer instinct or not. The movie is not pessimistic, but it will definitely kick you in the nuts for good, it will punch you in the stomach. It is a statement, that we are damn apes and we need to evolve, we need to think more. The lead male character is afraid to be cruel or to demand what he owns, everyone takes advantage of him easily. So, how does such a person react under real pressure, especially after doing something wrong like

cheating his future wife? He is afraid of losing or hurting her to the point that another life doesn't even matter to him anymore... Can such a thing happen? It happens a lot! Those mixed emotions are the main reason that everyday crimes still happen out there. So, this depiction is not only accurate, but it is also unfiltered and goes a step beyond.

     No big studio would ever make such a movie, most producers would get cold feet just from the thought that such a movie has no balance or catharsis, it just showcases life. To my knowledge, arthouse dramas do not include bot explicit sex and gore, the hint of cannibalism and also a general mood and atmosphere that seems to jump out of a horror movie. My question is why? I am thinking of movies like À ma soeur! (Fat Girl), or Stuck by Stuart Gordon, even Taxidermia. They went the extra step, but still can be considered dramas and arthouse. Or what El castillo de la pureza from 1973 was (based on a real crime) and how Dogtooth from Yorgos Lanthimos stole the whole concept. Are those movies exploitation? I always describe them as dramas in my mind, exactly like ancient Greek Tragedies. Can you be extreme when you create a drama? Can you go all the way? I say yes! And I support my statement with the hidden little layers in THE MARRIAGE, magical moments that the camera has captured and that they deserve to be seen!

- Filip Halo