The cinema is the last refuge for the members of a community of saltpeter miners in the Atacama Desert (Chile) in the mid-60s. When little María Margarita's family is left without income, that escape disappears. There is no money for tickets. But the girl will go see Spartacus, From Here to Eternity, Paths of Glory, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Belinda and many other movies in the living room of her small town and then explain them to her family and later to the entire family. city.
The film teller, based on the novel by Hernán Rivera Letelier, opened yesterday the Seminci in Valladolid. The film, directed by Danish director Lone Scherfig, stars Antonio de la Torre, Bérénice Bejo and Daniel Brühl, who in this interview tells La Vanguardia the details of the tough filming in the Chilean desert.
Did you know Rivera Letelier's novel before joining the project?
Yes, I had read it and it moved me, it took me to an unknown world, the community of miners in the Chilean mountains in the 60s, where the only consolation was the magic of cinema.
What is your character like?
He's a weird guy. At first I thought: I don't know what to do with it. He is a lost, lazy, opportunistic man who has given up on his values and is not happy with himself. He works as an official for the mining company and lacks empathy with the workers. Furthermore, he is in love with a woman who wants nothing from him and tries to seduce her with her power.
How did you work on the character and his foreign accent?
At first the character was Swedish. We changed it because being German gave it an interesting aspect. I wanted to mark it more and not sound Spanish. I have a bit of an accent, but I wanted to have even more, to sound European, but without sounding too Germanic so as not to magnify the role and leave the role to the women in the film since it is their story that is told.
How was the filming?
It was very hard, but when you see that people continue working in the mines in very difficult conditions, you can't complain. I've only been there three months, but it wasn't a luxury, there wasn't even a hotel. Antonio, Berenice and I slept in the little houses where the officials had stayed. It is a very, very poor area, but with endearing people. The film had to be shot there, despite the difficulties, because the truth is that it was a nightmare even to get water and food or take a hot shower. All in all, the people of the mountains treated us with incredible hospitality.
The film counter has something of Cinema Paradiso or Last Film Show, films that are in themselves a tribute to cinema...
Comparing oneself to masterpieces is complicated, but it is true that these great films served as inspiration. I thought of Cinema Paradiso and Last Film Show when I read the script, of course. And even more so now, when cinema is threatened by platforms. We must continue fighting for him and honor him and that is why an ode to cinema like The Movie Teller is important and even essential.
