Nicolas Winding Refn breaks down at Cannes recalling near-death due to leaking heart'

Nicolas Winding Refn described dying for about 25 minutes in 2023 and being revived after heart surgery. He said his lungs filled with blood and doctors warned he might not live. He credited the surgeon with saving him and said he was brought back to life using electricity. He explained that the experience changed his outlook, making him feel he had reached the end of his career before realizing he had been given a gift to start over. He said he gained a desire to make movies again with a renewed intensity. His film Her Private Hell premiered after a decade-long gap, featuring a horror-thriller plot involving a tortured film star and a mysterious avenger seeking justice for a kidnapped daughter.

"He had died for 25 minutes in 2023. His leaking heart was discovered by accident, Refn continued. My lungs were filling up with blood. Suddenly, I was told that I would probably not live, but if I did they didn't know what would happen. So, two weeks later I was operated on. He added, tongue-in-cheek: Thank God the surgeon was Tom Cruise and he could fix me with his hands, and then he brought me back to life with electricity."

"Through tears, Refn explained that the experience had changed his approach to his career and personal life. Before I died, he said, I had come to the end of my career because I didn't have anything left in me. So, there was nothing for me to do. I realised before I died that I'd been given a gift, I could start over again. Like how many people get a second chance? And I got a second chance from God. And I could use that for good, he concluded."

"His words echo those given in an interview with Screen International on Sunday, when he told Wendy Mitchell, I was dead for half an hour, and I was brought back to life with electricity, like Frankenstein, he reveals. I suddenly realised I could start over again. I had this desire to go back and make movies again like I've never made movies before."

"Her Private Hell is a horror-thriller about a tortured film star, played by Sophie Thatcher, whose best friend marries her father. Meanwhile, a mysterious figure played by Charles Melton and known as Leather Man seeks to avenge the kidnapping of his daughter."

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