“I would say that it is a bit of a mother’s nightmare,” said Delpy of Lolo — her new movie about “finding love again in your forties, especially with someone who doesn’t seem like the perfect match.”

In the comedy, Delpy (who co-wrote, starred and directed) is a Parisian fashion designer who may have found her ideal-albeit-awkward suitor until her malevolent 19-year-old son wages war on the would-be romance.

“I thought, what’s the hardest thing to actually see as an enemy — your own child,” said Delpy of the plot’s origin.

“There’s no one you love more in the world so it was complicated.”

Already a hit in France, Delpy may be gaining fans with the high-concept narrative but it wasn’t without much effort.

In fact, for someone who stepped into Tinseltown’s spotlight over two decades ago and even earned a pair of Oscar nominations for co-authoring Before Sunset/Before Midnight — the 46-year-old triple-threat still struggles to catch the attention of Hollywood financing.

“It’s a men’s club, there’s no doubt about it,” insisted Delpy, adding the diversity gap in movies is still rampant.

“The reality for me is that because it’s so bad in Hollywood, I financed my film out of Europe because there’s no way I can make my films (in America). I would not be a director if I waited for people to give me money in this country.”

Still, Delpy remains positive and centered on simply being creative. Having escaped into writing ever since she was a child, Delpy admits she has stacks of unproduced screenplays. And although she rarely mentions them for fear of jinxing their prospects, she remains excited about one specific project – if she can get it off the ground.

“It’s a really beautiful, fun, dark comic book,” Delpy says of Cancer Vixen, the graphic memoir she has adapted about author Marisa Acocella Marchetto’s bout with breast cancer. “I really think that film is going to happen (but) I’m still knocking on wood.”

Delpy on...

...the buzz of screenwriting
“I go into this world and have fun and I love and I cry when I write a drama,” laughed Delpy of her passion for screenwriting. “I literally separate myself from reality and its difficult for people around me because if I start writing I’m really basically gone (and) you can’t even talk to me.”

...gender representation in the business
“There’s people talking about it, but nothing is changing,” said the filmmaker, who prefers to shoot in France where up to 25% of directors are women. “You’re not in some kind of a weird club where everyone looks at you (there).”

...finding love at 40
“You reach your forties and who cares if someone’s wearing the right jacket? There’s so many more things to worry about,” said Delpy of exploring her character’s attraction in the film. “When you find someone that you get along with, that’s loving and caring and intelligent, who cares about all that stuff?” steve gow/metro