Since September 1 and its release on the best-known streaming video platform, the Détox series has been a hit and remains in the top 10 Netflix France. This is the story of two cousins, in their thirties, who decide to live without their technological devices for a month after a “bad buzz” for one and too much “stalking” for the other. Through the six 30-minute episodes, the series explores this addiction, a true subject of current society, which affects all generations, while remaining light and without being moralistic. The Niçoise and director Marie Jardillier returns with 20 minutes on this successful bet of having made people addicted to a series called Detox.
How does it feel to see your first series being in Netflix’s top 10?
For me, if I managed to reach the public, that Detox brings a little joy, relaxation and fun, it means that I have achieved my goal. I dreamed of this series, à la Friends, which we find every day. A series “comforter”, which, when looked at, has the same effect as calling a friend. I wanted people to want to watch it to find this band of wacky characters.
Speaking of the characters, we find a five-star cast…
I have the Rolls of actresses and actors. The duo of Tiphaine Daviot (Léa) and Manon Azem (Manon) was obvious when they did the tests together. It was amazing. There are other actors like Côme Levin (Julien), Zinedine Soualem (Philippe) or Charlotte De Turckheim (Mireille) whom I thought of directly for their role. Everything was done with great pleasure, kindness and support. All the planets have aligned.
How was the Detox series imagined?
I wanted to do a series on people in their thirties, on this period of life which often leads to changes and major turning points. To tell more than the daily life of two women between the ages of 25 and 35, and to stand out among all the quality content, a strong concept was needed. After discussions with friends, I realized that we felt naked in the street if we took our phone away. By digging into this idea, we wanted to have this intergenerational aspect to realize how much this technology could affect a 15-year-old teenager or a mother in her sixties. The goal was to follow this adventure, to focus on knowing how we take the risk of living a life without these devices?
This concept touches on a real social subject, how to approach it without a moralizing side?
We really bet on a comedy series while sometimes integrating more emotional moments. Everything is balanced thanks to the burlesque and offbeat tone. The idea was also to go back to the 1990s, even in terms of music or cult movie quotes, and to remember that before, we had plenty of objects to live on, and that now we don’t have any more. one to do it all. The goal was to see the tapes or the Walkman again without feeling nostalgic.
The series addresses other very current themes such as feminism…
I absolutely wanted it to be women who take on the strong roles of the series, at important stages in their lives, and regardless of their age, to show that they all had suffering within them that this detox experience has brought to light. light. To each of the actresses, I told them to go with the body, without limit, that they could let go. Things that we are more used to asking of male actors. They were then delighted to play this way. And then, it was important for me to talk about paternity leave, to address the issue of egg freezing when you’re over 30, or simply discovering each person’s sexuality through the episodes without having to make presentations or falling into clichés.
Detox is also your first series, so is it the result of something very personal?
There are plenty of little winks, whether personal – Marie Jardillier is from Nice, one of the main characters works “rue de Nice” at the “Riviera hotel” – or related to friends. But I am neither Léa nor Manon. In all the characters, there is a bit of everyone who co-wrote the series. This is where Détox is rich in so many different aspects. We also wanted it to mark an identity to each, especially in the style of clothing. In the sets too, I wanted it to be very colorful so that the series would be visually powerful.
Can we wait for a second season?
We would like (laughs). But for the moment, we don’t know at all. Everything will depend on the success of the series. So, go see it and watch it in its entirety, it has its importance in the balance of the story to have a complete experience.
Detox, episodes 1 to 6 to be found on Netflix.