Saïd Boumazoughe co-wrote and stars in Attack on Paradise as a second generation Moroccan immigrant named Suleyman, who, after being released from prison, returns to his Antwerp suburban neighbourhood to find his mother's apartment block has been taken over by drug gangs, arms dealers, and human trafficking hoods. He just wants to visit his mother, and get on with life, but a raid from the Antwerp SWAT force puts him in the middle of urban warfare in a residential complex.
As our own J. Hurtado put it in his review of the film: "What sets Attack on Paradise apart from [other large-building siege] films is the connections between characters, while the action is certainly foregrounded appropriately, with a less solid core story, it would feel more akin to a retread than a standalone success. Boumazoughe is able to deliver something on an acting level than neither Iko Uwais nor Karl Urban were asked to do in The Raid or Dredd, and that is to create an empathetic character who is struggling with his own morality while knowing that his ultimate goal, to save his mother, is right and noble."
After the film screened to a boisterous audience at Fantasia, I was able to briefly sit down with director Bob Colaers, with star Saïd Boumazoughe on a video feed from Antwerp. Their enthusiasm for the film is deeply infectuous, and the below interview, which proceeded at a mile a minute, has been lightly edited for clarity and flow.
Kurt Halfyard: Thanks to both of you for taking the time to talk with me. Let’s get right into it. Can we talk about the tone of the film, which plays upon the unity and tension between Moroccan immigration and the Belgium establishment?
Saïd Boumazoughe: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah! It is for me the obvious result of after 60 years of migration. I'm third generation in Belgium, and I don't want to split the communities anymore. Like my kids are going to grow up with Bob's kids. So what's the story we're going to tell together? And so that's why we're searching. That's also the talks we had, me and Bob.
Saïd Boumazoughe: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah! It is for me the obvious result of after 60 years of migration. I'm third generation in Belgium, and I don't want to split the communities anymore. Like my kids are going to grow up with Bob's kids. So what's the story we're going to tell together? And so that's why we're searching. That's also the talks we had, me and Bob.
So how are we going to make something that's not like the moral mites? You know, to Gandhi, only about peace? No, let's go back to the 80s and 90s, where people just have love of the story, the love of action, and make something that brings us together. And that's the main thing, the purpose for us to make Attack on Paradise.
If you look at the sort of the history of the “large building action film,” there are several of them now, enough be their own small sub-genre. You have added a new spin from that angle. I mean, was that the intent? Because there's references to some of those films, such as crawling through the ventilation scenes, or at one point, when Musa’s body is dragged away in the exact same way that a body was shown in DIE HARD. It feels like you're like covering a jazz song, you extend ideas and rhythms from a different perspective...
If you look at the sort of the history of the “large building action film,” there are several of them now, enough be their own small sub-genre. You have added a new spin from that angle. I mean, was that the intent? Because there's references to some of those films, such as crawling through the ventilation scenes, or at one point, when Musa’s body is dragged away in the exact same way that a body was shown in DIE HARD. It feels like you're like covering a jazz song, you extend ideas and rhythms from a different perspective...
Bob Colaers: Well, we wanted to tell our own story, but this film is also an ode to the action movies and to this type of film. But the most important thing was when I got the screenplay from the producers, I also got a motivation letter from Saïd, because he came with the idea and the screenplay.
And I read about how he grew up without heroic figures -- without that in his background that I didn't share his background. That really struck me because I was surrounded by heroes when I grew up and that made me feel more strongly than ever that we had to make this film. I believe it's important that everyone can identify themselves with a hero.
That's why we wanted to make this movie, too. For the the young people, so that they can identify with. I believe heroes can shape your childhood. That was for me, the the most important thing the movie.
Saïd Boumazoughe: To join on what Bob said, first of all, my grandfather came to Belgium in 1956 to work in Belgium and the biggest price he had to pay was the cultural price. We didn't invest for two generations and they didn't invest in the culture.
Saïd Boumazoughe: To join on what Bob said, first of all, my grandfather came to Belgium in 1956 to work in Belgium and the biggest price he had to pay was the cultural price. We didn't invest for two generations and they didn't invest in the culture.
When I first began my acting career was always to play the terrorist, or the dealer, or call-sheet #20 - the guy on the bike, the angry guy. Never a guy with a story or a lead role. I'm almost 15 years in the business and always when I tried to cast for a main role, but they would say “not accessible enough,” or “you're too Moroccan, you're too brown.” Always very cliche: “You cannot carry a story.”
But I grew up with a lot of stories. And also I grew up in those kind of buildings, because I come from a suburb in Antwerp. It's called Kiel, and it is where we shoot the movie. I was like the good kid in a mad city because not every guy in a building is a terrorist or a drug dealer. But when the police came, we all had to run from it. Even if you did not do nothing. If you stood there at the door, you were dragged with the cops, because you're one of those.
That was, for me, an important thing for all those kids who are now growing up in those buildings to have something. You know, I can change something in that situation. Because when I was a little kid, I also had to fight against drug dealers. Because they were selling in front of the door that my mother was complaining. My father, my hardworking father, was complaining about the situation.
That was, for me, an important thing for all those kids who are now growing up in those buildings to have something. You know, I can change something in that situation. Because when I was a little kid, I also had to fight against drug dealers. Because they were selling in front of the door that my mother was complaining. My father, my hardworking father, was complaining about the situation.
So I was thinking, okay, how we can create this story, not with a society or political activism, you know? It has to be just, I believe always, in a funny, entertaining way, you can change the world.
That's why I tried to make it. And that's how I started to write this story. And at the end, I am happy that Bob joined with me to share this vision with me. And that's what makes Bob unique about this. He has an open vision on it. And he trusted me. I trusted him with my story. And he trusted me with my vision. And so, yeah, it was like a tag team. I was really Junior, and he was the The Undertaker. So, boom, I got it.
[*Both laugh*]
On the humanity note, on the keep it human first, can you tell me about the casting for the character that plays your mother?
Saïd Boumazoughe: That was in cooperation with Bob.
Bob Colaers: It was a difficult ride to find the mother because in Belgium (and in the Netherlands) there are not a lot of Moroccan women who play, and who can act especially from that age, so it was really difficult and Saïd had worked with Fatima on a previous project. Yeah, that's how we cast her.
She's wonderful and the camera really loves her face.
Saïd Boumazoughe: Yeah, yeah! We compared and we contrasted a little bit the tough action with the softness of a mother. In Arabic, there's a phrase: “The key of heaven lies beneath the feet of your mother.” That's why Attack on Paradise also has a reference to Dante's Inferno.
Saïd Boumazoughe: Yeah, yeah! We compared and we contrasted a little bit the tough action with the softness of a mother. In Arabic, there's a phrase: “The key of heaven lies beneath the feet of your mother.” That's why Attack on Paradise also has a reference to Dante's Inferno.
That's also with Bob, when we were like talking with each other, we said, like, we don't want to, we want to make action very cool. because we don't have that genre in Europe, in Belgium. You have it in France, you have it in England, you have it in Germany a little bit, but in Belgium, Holland, they don't believe in it because it's like, oh no, it's too American, it's too meta. Yeah, and we just made a movie with a lot of good intention. But also with a lot of work, as we only had a million dollar budget.
The cinematographer is doing a lot of heavy lifting in this movie. The colour schemes set it apart from any action movie I have seen recently. Every floor has its own colour design, and sort of a theme to it. I know neither of you are the cinematographer, could you talk about the design and discussions around the staging of each floor's lighting designs?
Bob Colaers: When I read the screenplay, I read a lot of action and I wanted to, the story is, it's a common story about a guy who's going to save someone in a building; like Die Hard or The Raid. So I wanted to be more original in the visuals.
I decided that every floor we would change the colours. We wanted to do a lot of styles, for every fight. I didn't want it to became boring. So one fight it was on steadicam, another was on handheld. In the final fight we go more stylistic and we only use the profile shots and front shots. We tried to be more original.
There is a camera move in the bathroom fight scene which does a kind of spin and then another spin and then a hard hit to the sink. I am a sucker for that kind of camera work. Of all the different fight stagings and all the different one-on-ones and multiples-on-ones, like is there a particular favourite, or even something that surprised you when you made it, or how it worked out in a certain way?
Bob Colaers: I also like that shot because I used it in my first short film. And I don't know if I used it in Tri-Zombie, but I always try to use that one because I like that a lot. I think the Tchuko fight was also a very nice fight. And camera, yeah, it was also cool.
There is a camera move in the bathroom fight scene which does a kind of spin and then another spin and then a hard hit to the sink. I am a sucker for that kind of camera work. Of all the different fight stagings and all the different one-on-ones and multiples-on-ones, like is there a particular favourite, or even something that surprised you when you made it, or how it worked out in a certain way?
Bob Colaers: I also like that shot because I used it in my first short film. And I don't know if I used it in Tri-Zombie, but I always try to use that one because I like that a lot. I think the Tchuko fight was also a very nice fight. And camera, yeah, it was also cool.
Saïd Boumazoughe: The most important thing is that you don't only have the diversity on screen but also the technical diversity. That's what also what Bob did for me the most. What I love about it. The sauce on it.
It is to extend the diversity also in the technical departments and also it's like I always compared with a lasagna, you know, you have lasagna you have different layers. When you have the lasagna, is only good with this sauce in it.
So the fights are one thing and the diversity is cool, to make a statement, but you do not have film without a technical department - so shout out to Steve Vanvolsem who was the director of photography - with also the lights, Johann, who was a one man army. There was it was a guy who was like 40 years in the game and he said to me, “Saïd, finally i have a project where i can leave myself [my mark] on it.”
Bob came also the idea that it had to be visually like a game like Mortal Kombat, yeah, but Mortal Kombat with a heart. That's why i also that I played Suleyman, not as the tough guy, but also like Bruce Lee in The Big Boss. When he made his promise to his uncle to not to fight. He has a necklace and he made a promise. And that's something I loved about it.
Bob came also the idea that it had to be visually like a game like Mortal Kombat, yeah, but Mortal Kombat with a heart. That's why i also that I played Suleyman, not as the tough guy, but also like Bruce Lee in The Big Boss. When he made his promise to his uncle to not to fight. He has a necklace and he made a promise. And that's something I loved about it.
Behind the scenes we made a promise to each other. We had just one ego - the ego of the story. Because it's low budget, we are all fighting. We shot a movie in 25 days with a reduced crew. Everybody hustling on it. And that's what you see. For me, the building is metaphoric for the shooting days because we were also headed to our goal.
Last question. Maybe for Bob, who was here on site. What was your reaction to the Fantasia reaction to the film?
Bob Colaers: Yeah, fantastic. They were laughing on the right times and they were cheering on the right times. So it was wonderful that they loved it. I'm really happy.
Saïd Boumazoughe: Spread the word. Spread the word!
Bob Colaers: Yeah, fantastic. They were laughing on the right times and they were cheering on the right times. So it was wonderful that they loved it. I'm really happy.
Saïd Boumazoughe: Spread the word. Spread the word!