Interview with Karin van der Meer about TAIKI

How exciting is it to make a film with a wolf? Script author Karin van der Meer and young actor Pepijn van der Sman will come to Zlin to answer that question in detail.

What is this with digital gadgets? In their absence we might seem totally helpless.

Karin van der Meer: The world has become totally dependent on electronics. We should be aware of that, even though all those gadgets might come in handy. Parents told me recently how upon arrival in a caravan, their daughter panicked slightly when realizing there was no dishwasher. “How should we do the dishes now?” But there’s more than only bad sides to (occasional) gaming. It makes you communicate with people abroad and stimulates your creativity. When Bruno is left all by himself in the wilderness, at first the real world turns out to be much more complicated than he had expected. But finally his gaming experience somehow saves him, and he grows closer to his personal gaming avatar. His parents are equally obsessed with their cell phones. They’re aware of it, but correcting your child is easier than correcting yourself.

No matter how widespread technology is, this film states: a child is still a child that can play, fantasize, etc.

Van der Meer: Ultimately, the film tells that real life is just a bit more exciting than a computer game. Isn’t it fantastic when, like Bruno, you learn how to survive on your own in a forest? Well, not really on his own, but in the company of a wolf! You wish every child could have such an experience.

You’re pretty harsh on the parents: in times of need they refuse to support each other, and all the time they “stumble from the frying pan into the fire”.

Van der Meer: Often parents make a bad start to holidays. They leave totally stressed, in a hurry, with expectations that are way too high (adventure, rest, beautiful weather and surroundings, being social, quality time, etc.), and then they keep on driving far too long. Parents have probably lost track of each other for a while, absorbed by the hustle and bustle of modern life and the pressure to keep up their status. The telephone is their hideout, they look at their phone more often than at each other. They must first find themselves before they can find each other again. Such parental conflicts are somehow funny, being so recognizable. 

That is why with Bruno in the car, stress is rising high.

Van der Meer: A well-known phenomenon, I believe. Research shows that after two or three days on vacation, usually all hell breaks loose. Only then, peace will return. In case of Bruno’s parents, the crisis is complete, because there is so much at stake. Deep inside, these people are deeply ashamed. By the way, I have friends who have actually been kicked out of the car as a child, as a punishment. During a long drive with three kids all over the backseats, I myself couldn’t escape from having this thought: next time I will go on holiday alone. That was just a thought, but what if pressure increases?

The film spurs parents to question themselves, their behaviour and their methods. As Bruno’s parents say: "We must set a good example." Are parents today totally inadequate?

Van der Meer: Many parents have become just as obsessed with their mobile devices as their kids. And many children learn at a very young age that playing on an iPad is much more fun than doing nothing. From the moment they know, and start sulking whenever they are not allowed to, this becomes a tough battle for parents to fight. Modern techniques are a huge benefit, but with an impulse towards addiction, they have to set limits, also on themselves. Nobody said this would be easy!

Is Sweden one of the last European countries where you could still set this story?

Van der Meer: In Sweden you can still get lost in endless silent forests. What a fantastic, photogenic country, with few inhabitants and plenty of wild nature. Producer Annemieke van Vliet had a house in Sweden, and a network, and director Mirjam de With studied in Sweden for a while. Once we decided to set the story there, I went to Sweden to research. Wandering through forests, talking to people, and then changing the script again …

Is Taiki really a wolf (like Bruno’s parents wonder)? What was it like to work with her on the set?

Van der Meer: Taiki’s real name is Kate, she is not a wolf but a Czechoslovakian wolfdog, and she was great to work with. Her boss (a Dutchman living in Sweden) is a fixer, the kind of guy who comes up with clever solutions to every possible problem. Most producers are reluctant to do a film with animals, children or boats. TAIKI has all three of them.

Did you do a lot of research into wolf behaviour, to keep the story correct and credible?

Van der Meer: I know quite something about dogs and I read up on wolfs. The first version of the story was told from a wolf's perspective, but that became far too complicated. Although film is always bigger than life, TAIKI was somehow inspired by a true incident that took place three years ago in Japan.

The scenes with the wolf splashing in the stream are so beautiful. How did that shooting go?

Van der Meer: Kate was acting as a true film hero there. She found the water super exciting. I was on set that day, and watched. The fish that Taiki catches was pulled through the water, tied to a line. It was stuffed with a liver sausage, which is Kate’s favourite meal. For once she was then allowed to eat it completely!

Is that red candy in the film your personal favourite?

Van der Meer: I quite like it, yes. In the Netherlands we call them ‘sour mats’. The advantage of this candy is that you can glue a telephone card onto it. Bruno's sister feels guilty about stealing the card from Bruno's phone. Now she hopes he’ll find it here again.