I’m the director of “Greta.”

Frances, played by Chloë Moretz,

is a waitress in this New York restaurant,

and she’s being pursued by this woman, played

by Isabelle Huppert, called Greta.

She becomes this clingy friend/monster.

One of the final straws of Greta’s attempts

to invade Frances's life is when she books a table

at the restaurant she works.

“Is there a problem?”

“Yes.

This woman has been harassing me

and you need to ask her to leave.”

“I’m afraid she has a reservation.”

“What kind of service is this?”

So we designed the restaurant specifically

around this scene —

the shape of it, the table lights,

the pools of light from above, and the mirrors.

We wanted an environment where the traffic

of the waiters to and fro the tables was fluid.

We would allow for these long, fluid kind of shots.

Everything was designed to kind of ratchet up

the humiliation of the central character, Frances.

[music]

“I’ll start with the crab bisque

and a small green salad.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“Because we have to talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

The clothes that the central character, Greta, wears

was extremely important.

We had a lot of discussion about the costume —

the sophistication, the Frenchness of it.

We managed to get a great costume from Karl Lagerfeld

and Chanel.

Those elements really were the scene, you know?

I mean, Isabelle’s sophistication,

her Frenchness.

“If you say so.

Cherie — “

“Do not call me that.”

“[speaking french].

It’s what you are, my darling.”

And the fact that, at a certain point,

she reveals herself to be Hungarian.

- [speaking hungarian].

Because she is a character with about

four different layers to her, and I suppose

this is a scene where all those layers are expressed.

She knows how to order a wine.

She knows how to hold a table in a restaurant.

She knows how to embarrass a maître d.

At a certain point, she kind of

reveals herself to be an absolute monster, which

is the fun of the scene, which is

the center of the character, really.

You know, this monster that sits

behind this Frenchness, this sophistication,

this kind of politesse.

[music]

“The Chablis.”

“May I?

Mm, a bit like you.

Promises a lot, then disappoints.”

“O.K.”

“I deserve better.”

[glass shattering]

[gasping]

It’s also a very physical scene.

And in scenes like this, people can get hurt.

“ — to us.”

“Are you a child?”

“No.

You’re the child.

You need to mature.

You need a mother to hold you.

You lost someone, and you are afraid to love.

We both know its true.”

“Don’t you dare talk to me about my mother.”

“Darling, don’t you understand?

She had to die.

(SHOUTING) She had to die for us to meet!”

So I had to set up an environment and a context

whereby she could express herself physically,

throw things around, struggle with grown men.

So, I mean, in this scene, the fact that she felt physically

safe was tremendously important

to her and to the scene itself, I suppose.

[music]

“Leave me alone!”