Your new movie The Unburied - in a few words, what is it
about?
The Unburied
is about Maxi, a man who returns to his hometown after the
death
of his father, and reunites with his family after several years without
any contact. As he reconnects with his brothers, we find some dark secrets
about them.
What were your sources of inspiration when
writing The Unburied, and is any of it based on personal
experience? The
first inspiration was an allegorical term I read about in social history
articles, that explains that sometimes a social phenomenon has
accomplished its historical function but still among us despite it has
nothing else to offer to society, and that it’s called “an unburied
corpse”. So I started to think of a story about that, a corpse that the
people around it don't want to bury. I have lived in a small countryside
town for a few years, and that helped to write the story, and there is a
slight inspiration in my family history, but neither of them are that
creepy and bloody. What can you tell us about The Unburied's
approach to horror? I
tried to focus on horror as a thing in real life, avoiding that common
ground in horror of the paranormal. We live in a world too terrifying
to be looking for fear in things that don't exist. A few words about your overall
directorial approach to your story at hand? I
am interested in the portrait of reality, no matter the genre. Argentina
has a particular history in the countryside, and I wanted to have an
approach to that scenario with The Unburied. It is a horror film, but
there are some things about values, family tradition, the use (and abuse)
of power, etc that I wanted to speak about.
Do talk
about The Unburied's key cast, and why exactly these people?
I
like to work with people I know, I respect, and I admire. So, I wrote a
lot of characters thinking of some actors in particular. At the time of
shooting, some of those people were not available, so there was an easy
and quick casting process, focusing on the capabilities, but also on if
they were nice people to be with. You
also have to talk about The Unburied's main location, the orphanage
itself, for a bit, and what was it like filming there? And how did you
find the place even? The
orphanage interiors and exteriors are two different buildings, both of
them former orphanages. The building for the interiors is an abandoned
place after a fire, some little girls died in that place. And the other
building was the home of the most notorious serial killer in Argentina, el
Petiso Orejudo. So, creepy places to film in. What can you tell us about the
shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? The Unburied
shooting was really fast, we didn’t have much money, so we had
a tight schedule. Nevertheless, we had a joyful and pleasant experience,
it is very important to me to create a team spirit, to give room for
creation to everybody, and to maintain a happy environment. Luckily that
was the case.
The
$64-question of course, where can The Unburied
be seen?
To
date, as I recall the movie can be seen in streaming services in Spain,
Portugal, Poland, and from October in Canada, USA, Australia and New
Zealand. Also, I think there will be a Blu-ray edition by Entertainment
Squad. Anything
you can tell us about audience and critical reception of your movie? Fortunately,
there was a good reception by the audience and critics. The Unburied
is not a traditional film, regarding the horror genre, and I think
that’s a virtue. Over the world tour of the movie, I have seen a difference
between the Latin/Hispanic audience and critics, and the English speakers
(UK, USA, Ireland). Both parts have a different approach to the movie,
there are obvious cultural differences, people analize and they are
touched by different things - and I find that fascinating. Any
future projects you'd like to share?
I
am working on a few things, but I learned not to talk about something until
it is a sure thing.
What got you into
filmmaking in the first place? It’s
hard to define. I've liked movies since I was a little boy, I've known for a long
time I wanted to be a filmmaker. My main urge is that I want to tell a
story and I am happy doing it.
What can you tell us
about your filmwork prior to The Unburied?
In
film school I got a special degree on documentary filmmaking, and that is
what I've been doing mostly. As an independent filmmaker, with slim chances of
a big budget, and an interest in society, documentary is a good field to
express oneself. I made a documentary that I like, it is connected with The Unburied
in several elements, it’s called Machine Cancer (Cáncer de
Máquina). How
would you describe yourself as a director? I
think that’s for other people to say, not me. But I can tell you a
little about what I think about filmmaking and what I try to accomplish: I
think cinema is a collective art, and a director it’s not a supreme
being with a vision that must become real with the work of others. Cinema
is a team creation, and the individuals in that team have their own
experience and sensitivity, and all that merges and makes a movie. A
director must respect that, and within the possible that’s my horizon. Filmmakers
who inspire you?
There
are a lot of people I admire, but I am not sure if they inspire me.
Sometimes there is a confusion about enjoyment, inspiration and what you
take from others to create your work as a reference. I don’t like
references.
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When I was a teenager I discovered David Lynch, and he changed my life.
Also Santiago Álvarez, Luis Buñuel, Terry Giliam and many others.
Fortunately I’m still open to surprises and learning from others.
Your favourite movies? This
interview is about a horror film, so this is my list of favourite horror
films: In the Mouth of Madness, The Serpent and the Rainbow,
The Exterminating Angel,
Lost Highway, Aniara (sci-fi, but also horror to me). ...
and of course, films you really deplore? As
Marge Simpson used to say: “If you can't say anything nice about
someone, you shouldn't say anything at all.“ Your/your
movie's website, social media, whatever else? You
can find me on Facebbok and Twitter as @biafrafilms Thanks
for the interview!
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