No Parking Zone
If P2 taps into our inherent fear of being alone in the dark, it is by design, not by accident. There is a gifted trio of artists behind this carefully woven labyrinth of high tension: Director Franck Khalfoun and writers Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur.
“Like `Jaws’ brought to the surface everyone’s latent fear of the water, our goal with `P2′ was to awaken the dread of being trapped in a dark place, like a parking garage, where no one could find you or help you,” said writer/producer Alexandre Aja. “We’re really sorry if we traumatized anyone and made them afraid of parking their cars in a garage. We just want the audience to have fun.”
Aja, already an acclaimed French filmmaker commented on his collaboration with first-time director, Khalfoun: “Since my writing partner Gregory and I had explored similar territory in our previous film `High Tension,’ which Franck starred in as an actor, we thought it would be best for someone else to direct `P2.’ Since we had worked with Franck before, we knew he could bring fresh ideas to the table and that we could help during production with our experience in the technical aspects of filmmaking.”
“Right from the beginning it was always about working together to come up with the best ideas possible for the story,” offered Khalfoun. “We created the characters together and cared for them all the way through production.”
The project came about when Aja and Levasseur read an article about a woman in Paris who got trapped and terrorized in a parking garage. “I’ve been working with Alex for ten years, but it was great to have Franck join us,” said Levasseur. “Because we built the story together, we were able to work naturally together on set during production. We built strong characters who are believable in any of the situations we put them in.”
The corridors of “P2” are, according to the filmmakers, representative of both of the lead character’s fears. Angela’s fear is to be trapped in the dark, foreboding parking garage, unable to escape, while Thomas’s fear is be to be alone in that garage, longing for company and love from another human being.
“Whether he’s working in the garage, or she can’t get out of it, they’re both prisoners of P2, and I think the actors actually being in that claustrophobic environment really helped them get into their characters,” said Khalfoun.
In the film, Angela is a corporate climber who refuses to leave any task undone, even on Christmas Eve. By staying in the office after her co-workers have all gone home, Angela suddenly finds herself in a deadly situation. Caught off guard, she nevertheless manages to match wits with one deeply disturbed and dangerous individual.
“I love that the mechanism is very simple, yet at the same time, the setting is terrifying,” said Patrick Wachsberger, one of the producers of the film and Co-Chairman and President of Summit Entertainment LLC and CEO of Summit International. “What really drew me in was the strength of the protagonist — a woman in a dire situation who refuses to allow herself to be victimized.”
The element of surprise, when an opportunity arises for a person to act upon their desires, for better or for worse, is a major plot point of the story. The motivations of the lead characters in the film are also surprising, especially since Angela and Thomas have very little in common. But according to the director of “P2,” they, and the actors who play them, have more in common than meets the eye.
“This story chases you and treats you like you’re smart. The script was intriguing to read and I think it will be intriguing to watch,” said actor Wes Bentley who plays Thomas.
Bentley plays a character who, at first glance, is as an easy-going guy, but quickly shows his true colors. “In his own strange way, Thomas cares about Angela, said Bentley. “But what’s fascinating to me is that he’s complicated; there are things that he doesn’t even know about himself that I could discover and explore. Thomas is the type of person that’s hard to explain. As an actor, you realize there’s more there than what is on the page, especially in a thriller. Playing Tom was psychologically challenging and so is the film.”
Commenting on his co-star, Bentley remarked: “Rachel is an amazing actress-she came to the set fully prepared-she was Angela. Adrenaline guides Angela in the situation she endures in “P2,” and you can see the adrenaline take hold of her character when she decides to fight back.”
Khalfoun also revealed his admiration for the film’s female lead: “Rachel was cast because of her intelligence — Angela is a smart woman. She never makes a stupid decision like so many female characters do in thrillers and horror movies.”
“I’d love to think I would be as strong as Angela in a similar situation if I were put into it,” reflected Rachel Nichols. “Angela knows when to flee and when to obey, and when to recognize an opportunity in a split second and use it to her advantage. Angela is impressive. She’s strong. She’s a girl who knows when it’s fight or flight and she’s a girl who knows when it’s kill or be killed.”
Rachel Nichols was thankful to find a reliable partner in crime in Wes Bentley. “When I found Wes had signed on, I knew I would have someone I respect and admire as a partner no matter what happened on set. And no matter how much joking around we did in rehearsals, as soon as action was called, we changed and became predator and prey, and vice-versa.”
P2 (2007)
Directed by: Franck Khalfoun
Starring: Grace Lynn Kung, Rachel Nichols, Simon Reynolds, Wes Bentley, Stephanie Moore, Miranda Edwards, Philip Williams, Franck Khalfoun, Arnold Pinnock, Bathsheba Garnett
Screenplay by: Alexandre Aja, Franck Khalfoun, Grégory Levasseur
Production Design by: Oleg M. Savytski
Cinematography by: Maxime Alexandre
Film Editing by: Patrick McMahon
Costume Design by: Ruth Secord
Set Decoration by: Liesl Deslauriers
Art Direction by: Andrew Hull
Music by: tomandandy
MPAA Rating: R for strong violence / gore, terror and language.
Distributed by: Summit Entertainment
Release Date: November 9, 2007
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