NELIE DIVERLUS is an emerging writer and director. Born in Florida, her love of art blossomed amongst a large family of many artists. Most recently, her work has been featured in Breakthroughs Film Festival and St. John’s International Women’s Festival, in addition to working for recognized production networks as Telefilm and the Canadian Film Centre. With her thick Haitian roots, Nelie wishes to revolutionize cinema in ways that spark creativity and hope within the artist in all of us.
Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind the film? Why this story right now?
Well, Ninth Step was born from my own personal experience with an extended family member who, just because of his life experiences and his life choices, I was unable to meet. There was a point in time in which he was vying to meet us, but my family had cut him off.
I wasn't able to meet him because of that. And this inspired me to think about what it must be like for those that are incarcerated to be cut off from their own family members, and to not have access to their loved ones and still trying to regain control of that, even post incarceration.
It also just made me think of just like what rehabilitation truly looks like, for those that were incarcerated, and that's who Andre was for me, somebody who is trying to navigate it on his own but is having trouble, both connecting with loved ones, but is also just trying to find his footing from a long life that he endured in prison.
So. Yeah, it's born out of a personal anecdote, but, on a social level as a whole, it made me think of how hard it must be for those that were previously incarcerated to rebuild a life for themselves.
Still from Ninth Step
Building on that, can you speak a bit about how this film deals with gender and masculinity?
It's a bit of a loose take on the whole notion that men can't cry, men can't feel, you know, and the level of vulnerability that has been kind of stolen from a lot of men in society. But it also shows the intergenerational, like the strifes that we deal with, kind of trying to relate to different generations, but also like knowing how things are very cyclical.
The struggles that Darnell is feeling right now in his final year of high school, Andre being an ex-convict, can relate to. And so it explores age as well, like generations and generational patterns, within that as well. I think it just explores vulnerability in a way that masculinity doesn't, is more new to exploring.
The cinematography of the film is so beautiful and textured, and I was really moved by your use of colour. How did you approach the look of the film?
I wanted to have his loneliest moments be blue. I think those were blue and whites and the cool tones were what captured I think loneliness best. So especially the moment where he's at the bus stop. I knew that that was, I wanted that to feel the coldest. I wanted him to feel all his emotions, even him rubbing his hands, you know, blowing air into his hands.
I know that's the moment that he feels the most blue. And I wanted to capture that most at that point.
But I also wanted to, in the scene with him and Yassir, you see some some golds and some yellows as well to spark hope. In that moment, Andre does feel very hopeful about connecting with his former friend. I want it to reflect that there. But then we also still have some blues to remind him that this is still a very lonely journey that he's embarking on. I wanted the contrast of warmth and cool, to kind of reflect how they mirror each other in different ways.
They contrast to each other in varying ways as well. Specific shot wise, I also wanted it to feel, very slow to reflect his reintegration to society. It's going to be a very long journey. And I wanted some very still moments. You know, just along moments of pausing.
Can you tell us a bit about which filmmakers and/or films have inspired you as a director, and whether there were any specific influences for Ninth Step?
Three filmmakers come to mind: Raoul Peck, Agnès Varda and Kelly Fyffe Marshall.
Raoul Peck, from a stance of just being such a strong Haitian filmmaker. I'm Haitian myself. And seeing somebody who has such a staunch, Haitian background paving ways for the rest of us is always something that’s just so beautiful to see. I remember watching I Am Not Your Negro for the first time and just being like, “I cannot believe one of me is making a film that,” remarkable.
And Agnès Varda, I remember watching Cléo de Cinq à Sept for the first time, in class a few years ago, and just being amazed at her level of… it was her that coined using your cinematography to write, like using it as a pen, sort of. I think I got the slowness and the stillness through her filmography as well.
Kelly Fyffe Marshall, I think is incredible in so many regards. But, I remember watching Black Bodies and just seeing how significantly portrays Black masculinity as well, and just Black identity in general and seeing it portrayed so beautifully on screen, knowing how Blackness has been portrayed on screen. Seeing the ways that she does it so, so, so effectively is something that's just so nice to see. Seeing just a Black female director paving the way for us is always so incredible, especially as a Black Canadian filmmaker, too.
Those are the three directors that come to mind in general that have shaped the ways that I think about film, the ways that I write for film, the ways very direct for film.
When thinking about when writing this film originally, I thought, specifically this episode of Euphoria with Rue and Ali, when she was dealing with her addictions and she was struggling to mend her own personal relationships. She had such insightful conversation in a diner booth with Ali. And Ali was also dealing with trying to mend his own personal relationship with his child. That sparked such inspiration for Ninth Step, seeing the ways and somebody who has kind of left, or is trying to leave a life of turmoil and trying to mend their own personal relationships with their family members, and how difficult that is, and how much of life you miss out on when you are just dealt really bad cards. Just a scene in the TV show that just like, opened my mind up to a whole world of topics that we can discuss within film. That's the one, I think, honestly, that inspired it so much. Any other example I can think of pales in comparison to how much I got inspired from that one scene.
Still from Ninth Step
What advice would you give to an emerging filmmaker just starting out?
You'll hear this a million times, but it's a marathon, not a race. You never have to fear getting started right away after graduating. Or even if you're not in school, just like when you're just starting in the film industry, you don't have to have it all together in your first year. It's going to take some time. You should just be really patient with yourself, because sometimes you take two steps forward and three steps back. And that's just kind of the way that it's built. Try as best as you can to not get trapped in comparing yourself to others. This is kind of a message to myself as well. If it means genuinely taking a step away and just focus on yourself and not looking at who's behind or ahead of you, whoever they are, will help you to correct your own path and correct your own craft and do whatever you have to do to make sure that your your path is secure for yourself.
It's also about, like Issa Rae said, networking across networking, not networking above. It is really helped by community as well. So understanding that kind of we're all in this together, we're all trying to navigate together. And even if that means sometimes somebody might be two steps out of you, that doesn't mean that you'll never advance further. They often times will help you advance further, as well. So it's all about understanding that everybody has their own path but it's always best navigated together.
What is next for you?
I've been working a bit in unscripted. I've found a niche in crafting stories that literally make something out of nothing, I think is really, really cool. But on a scripted format, I am writing some scripts in the meantime. Right now, I'm focused on assisting others on projects, I'm taking a step back and making sure that I'm gaining more knowledge on other areas of production as well. A lot of learning in this phase of my life. But I do see myself definitely in the near future getting back into the short form landscape.
Still from Ninth Step
Interview by Breakthroughs Board Member Hayley Rivier-Gatt
*This article has been edited for clarity