French director explores the infinite possibilities of life

Julien Gelas. [Photo by Ruan Fan/chinadaily.com.cn]

When a middle-aged imaginative trader who has just been released from prison and a younger photographer who has a strong empathy for others meet in an empty subway, what do we expect?

Probably nothing, some would say. Indeed, we have been so used to the hollow dreary city life and the indifference people display in public places, that even an empty subway carriage that seats only two people won't seem to allow much to happen – people just won't talk to each other.

But what if we make the trader a male, and the photographer a female? Love, many would suggest - they could fall in love at first sight, if they find each other deadly attractive. A close guess, albeit not really what Julien Gelas, director of Station Liberte, had in mind.

"It is a play about love, but it is not produced for love's sake," said Julien. "In fact, I want to arouse in people that the clear psychological line they draw from one another could be erased, and there's always the possibility they just break free and let things happen."

Station Liberte, after being held at Beijing's Penghao Theatre in May, is now on stage at Peking University from Sept 21 to Sept 23. Since its debut, it has won praise from the audiences. On Monday, Julien Gelas gave an interview to China Daily website, and shared with us other themes related to liberte - the central focus of the play.