Angelina Jolie's new film 'By The Sea' was inspired by her mother.
The 40-year-old actress wanted to explore grief in the film - in which she and her husband Brad Pitt portray a couple whose marriage is at breaking point - and admits she drew on her feelings when her mum Marcheline Bertrand died of cancer in 2007.
Angelina shared: “I wrote 'By the Sea' because I wanted to explore grief. Much of the film and my character are very much about my mother and my feelings about my mother.”
A scene in the movie - both written and directed by Angelina - sees actor Niels Arestrup discuss grief and the filmmaker thought it summed up her own feelings.
She added: “When the bartender speaks and speaks about loss, that's how I reflect on her, that's how I feel about her, her death. Everybody in the film represents a different way of addressing grief. Some have yet to experience it, some are able to come to terms with it and some are overwhelmed by it.
Meanwhile the star admitted the independent film doesn't tick “every box”.
Angelina continued: “I love films that make you walk away thinking and still trying to put the pieces together. That's the beauty and they don't have to reach every audience, they don't have to check every box. You can leave things open, unanswered, because that's what life is like.”
Bang Showbiz