"Garrel taught me that simplicity could pay off. His principle is to empty everything, to eliminate anything that might be a hindrance on the set. He achieves a terrific sparseness. No one shoots everyday scenes like him, banal situations like a father and son in a café. His style is inimitable. He only needs one take per shot. And there aren't really any rehearsals, he gives us free rein. On the other hand, he shoots in chronological order, respecting the film's development to the letter. Which is pretty rare. For an actor, it's good because the character develops naturally. And dialog can be adapted as a function of that development."

(Xavier Beauvois, Actor, interviewed by Jacques Morice in "Télérama," March 3, 1999)