Bérénice Bejo on César Díaz Film ‘Mexico 86’ at Locarno, Democracy

Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) performs a Guatemalan insurgent combating in opposition to the army dictatorship in Mexico 86 from Guatemalan director César Díaz (Our Moms), whose world premiere on the Swiss city’s Piazza Grande is among the many highlights of the Locarno Movie Pageant schedule on Saturday.

“1976. Demise threats drive Maria, a Guatemalan insurgent activist combating in opposition to the corrupt army dictatorship, to flee to Mexico, abandoning her son,” a plot description explains. “10 years later, when he involves reside along with her, she is compelled to decide on between her duties as a mom and persevering with her revolutionary activism.”

The movie’s title refers back to the 1986 soccer World Cup in Mexico, although it is just briefly referred to in a number of scenes.

Throughout a Locarno press convention for the movie on Saturday, Bejo shared how making the movie helped her higher perceive her household historical past and her mother and father who left Argentina beneath the dictatorship to settle in France.

“For me, after I met César and he provided me this movie, it was a approach of speaking about my household, however with out speaking about my household,” the star advised reporters. “I come from a household who fled the dictatorship in Argentina. And my mother and father didn’t inform me a lot. There are various secrets and techniques, many myths.” She continued: “Once I was 20, after I was 30, even after I was 40, I wished solutions. And I used to be very annoyed with my mother and father for not giving me solutions.”

Her mother and father used to not say a lot past telling her: “We left Argentina, you might be fortunate to reside in France. What occurred earlier than not exists.” By starring in Mexico 86, Bejo mentioned she hoped to have the ability to get some solutions to her questions.

Issues performed out in a different way although. “In reality, the alternative occurred,” the actress mentioned. “I made the movie and calmed down. I don’t want any extra solutions. I discovered from César’s movie that we’ve got the best to be silent. We’ve the best to have secrets and techniques. There are some individuals who communicate and others who don’t communicate. And we must always not decide them.”

Bejo additionally talked about that she and the director share a lot respect for freedom fighters. Díaz’s 2019 Cannes Caméra d’Or winner Our Moms additionally handled the violent repercussions of the battle in his nation. The brand new movie is predicated on his personal childhood. “Making this movie meant confronting the armed wrestle waged by my mom and the actual fact of her being a mom,” explains the director in a be aware on the Locarno pageant web site. “Activists dedicate their lives to societal transformation, however there may be usually no room to meet their roles as mother and father.”

Bejo on Friday remembered her first lunch with Díaz. “He advised me: ‘I’ve two kids and I may by no means depart them. I don’t perceive why my mom may do this. However fortunately she did’.” And he or she added: “Luckily, there are individuals like that, men and women who’ve the energy to place, let’s say, their instincts apart a little bit for a trigger that’s higher.”

Concluded the star: “If César’s mom hadn’t performed it, if a number of individuals hadn’t performed it, in the event that they weren’t crushed for noble concepts, for democracy, I don’t know what world we’d reside in at present.”

Talking of the presence, Bejo on Friday additionally expressed concern in regards to the state of the world. “Immediately, our democracy is beneath extreme assault in lots of nations,” she advised the press convention. “What are we going to do to defend it? Who’s going to defend it? Will we dare to defend it? In a world so self-centered and egocentric, will we be capable of do it?”