The Mexican writer, director and actress, Claudia Sainte-Luce, arrives at the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG) to present her recent film “Love and mathematics”, starring Roberto Quijano and Diana Bovio. A film that addresses the dissatisfaction of its characters with the life they lead, almost always dictated by the rules of society and although they have the possibility of changing course, it seems that it is usually better to stay in the comfort zone.
The film, before arriving in Guadalajara, had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. THE REPORTER He had a chat with the director to find out in detail about this film that is competing for the FICG Mezcal Award. “This script is by Adriana Pelusi, it is the first film I have filmed that was not written by me; Let’s see how the festival goes.”
Regarding the challenges she encountered in making a film whose script she did not write, Claudia shares that for her it was very important to respect the script as it was written: “And then to promote what was in words, in images, I don’t know if it was It makes it cool, yes it will be fine, but I had a lot of fun doing it ”.
Regarding the reflections that the film will provoke in the audience, she expresses that she wanted to take this script for “Love and Mathematics” not only for the fact of developing something that she did not write, “also because it was a script that I liked from beginning to end.” End for the characters. Because they are two people who prefer to stay in a comfort zone, in a comfortable place and not dare, so I wanted to explore both of them, someone who did not dare to fulfill their dreams and someone who is with a person where it was time to get married and have children”.
So the premise is that these two characters with their dissatisfactions meet in the world, but in the end they decide to stay on the safer side.
Roberto plays “Billy”, a married man with a son he takes care of while his wife goes to work; He, in his youth, belonged to a musical group and left this stage aside to be a father of a family who still hasn’t found his place in the world. On the other hand, there is “Mónica” (Diana Bovio), her neighbor, who seems not to be happy in the marriage she finds herself in and both begin to link her loneliness.
In addition, this tape handles a very peculiar humor, it maintains a rhythm that makes the viewer empathize with the situations that the characters experience. “In order to achieve this kind of comedy, I thought it was important not to make fun of the characters, or for the actors to do pie-in-the-wall comedy and for the dialogue to say it a certain way. On the contrary, understand them and try never to judge them (the characters), that the comedy is given by the situation”.
There is also a criticism regarding how people who follow the imposed canons develop, such as getting married, having children, going out to eat and hanging out with the neighbors for roast meat. “Those of us from the middle class sometimes think that the security of a home and a family is what will bring us peace of mind for the future, but this is not necessarily the case, sometimes the smallest things are what make us happy ”.
The film takes place in Monterrey and it is for a couple of reasons, because the scriptwriter is originally from this city and because in this metropolis there is a peculiarity, “San Pedro, let’s say, is the cool area where people with a lot of money and Cumbres live. It would be like these subdivisions that surround Guadalajara where all the houses are the same and where they sell you as an aspirational thing, but they are small houses where the rooms are two or maximum three and that is the aspiration of a professional”.
So, the director wanted to have this aesthetic, “from the beginning we went there to see how much the film would cost more or less. It is always scary to leave Mexico City because most of the rental companies and staff live there, but it was nice to open the way in other places and show that you can make movies in Monterrey, Guadalajara, Veracruz or Puebla and the people too He reacts differently when a movie is made in his States”.
Actors and influencers, Daniela Salinas and Marco Alfonso Polo Guerra, also participate in the film, among other actors, plus the participation of a little dog that caused the director many headaches, but whose contribution is essential to develop the common thread of the plot.
Synopsis
After being part of a famous youth gang, “Billy Lozano” (Roberto Quijano) is today a married man who lives a very boring life in a wealthy area on the outskirts of the city of Monterrey. It is evident that he feels very frustrated with his lifestyle and it is that despite the fact that he lives in his dream house, he feels like the biggest loser in the world. Because his latest business failed again, he has no other occupation than taking care of his son and his wife’s dog. One day he meets “Mónica” (Diana Bovio), a former fan of the group, who moves into the house across the street and encourages him to resume his artistic career, so his life will never be the same again. or if?
Agenda
Functions in the FICG
Hoy 3 of June, at 11:30 in the morning, in Room 1 of the Cineteca FICG. Monday 5th June, at 1:00 p.m., in room 1 of the FICG Cinematheque. Sunday June 4at 3:50 p.m., in the Cineforo room.
CT
Themes
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