This yr, 22 Catalan productions have been chosen for the 72nd San Sebastian Movie Pageant, highlighting simply how a lot the area’s movie trade is booming.
Amongst them is Mamífera, directed by Liliana Torres. The Barcelona-born filmmaker needed to deal with the topic of “non-maternity” — a girl’s resolution to not have kids — in response to a stigma she has felt personally.
Torres’ challenge, screening in San Sebastian this week, follows Lola (performed by Maria Rodríguez Soto) and Bruno (Enric Auquer), two 40-something-year-olds in a contented relationship. As Lola watches her family and friends obsess over both their very own kids or having kids, she is shocked to search out herself pregnant and sad about it. Everybody round her is so related to the expertise of motherhood, it causes Lola to grapple with the concept that one thing is flawed along with her.
The movie affords a poignant commentary on the societal stress positioned on girls to give up to what Torres says is falsely described as “intuition.” The film can also be a celebration of Catalan as a language and Catalonia as a area — the Catalan authorities is, in spite of everything, year-on-year investing more cash in movie and tv, with an estimated price range of round 50 million euros ($54.5 million) in 2024.
Torres spoke to The Hollywood Reporter on the Spanish coast about addressing “non-maternity” and why Catalan movie is at the moment at its finest — particularly for feminine filmmakers.
Congratulations on such a thought-provoking movie. How did Mamífera come to be, and why did you wish to make a film on this topic?
For me, it was an ongoing topic. Since I used to be a toddler, I already knew I didn’t wish to have kids. So after I was my 20s, most individuals had been telling me, “Oh, no, that’s not what you suppose, it’s since you’re so younger.” After which after I was in my 40s, individuals had been telling me: “You’ll remorse it.” So it’s a topic that has accompanied me for my entire life, and Mamífera is, for me, a option to create a little bit little bit of justice. As a result of all my references of ladies who didn’t wish to be a mom was secondary characters, very stereotypical, very cliché, the standard girl who lives alone and doesn’t like kids or the lady who has a really high-status work, so she has no time — however she’s doing such a terrific job that we forgive them. And that wasn’t actual to me. It’s like, I’ve to have a motive to not wish to be a mom. Why do I’ve to have a motive? I don’t. That’s my motive. And if I wish to do one thing very superficial, trivial, with my life, I’m allowed to! That was the principle motive for me making this film, as a result of I believe we had been missing that reflection for us, to unstigmatize these girls.
And this stigma, is it one thing that you just suppose is restricted to Spain?
No. For me, it’s international. It transcends each nation. It has to do with the standard perspective, over girls — the patriarchy, which places motherhood within the heart of our lives, as if that’s what makes our lives value it. The opposite choices appear futile for the patriarchy. , what’s a girl with out kids meant to do along with her life? It appears to be the query: What’s she planning on doing? It’s suspicious someway, and it additionally pulls us outdoors from domesticity for a very long time. We don’t should be elevating kids, which usually takes girls away from their professions.
This phrase, “non-maternity,” that’s used to explain the movie’s plot, I’ve not seen it earlier than.
We have now so many phrases relating to not having kids. “Baby-free” sounds to me like if I used to be a slave of a kid and “childless” feels like I’m missing one thing. There may be additionally a technical, organic time period in Catalonia for that, however we don’t use it very a lot within the dialog. It means “by no means put an egg.” However for me, non-maternity [is suitable].
There are a number of parts in Mamífera I wish to ask about. Lola sees her pals who so desperately need children — or have already got them — and sees one thing flawed along with her personal thoughts and physique. So this stress comes from there, too.
I nonetheless suppose it has to do with the patriarchy, and particularly in the best way that they’ve taught us for a very long time that motherhood is an intuition. So that you suppose, if motherhood is an intuition, what’s flawed with me? Biologically, there needs to be one thing flawed with me. That was a query that got here up for me for a very long time earlier than I began learning. And I went by means of many books, and [French philosopher and feminist] Simone de Beauvoir helped me lots with this concept of motherhood. I learn plenty of books that mentioned motherhood wasn’t an intuition, it was only a social building.
Even for those who’re a mom, it’s your resolution.
And I wish to ask concerning the help Lola will get from her associate, Bruno. She acknowledges that changing into a dad or mum is usually a lot simpler for males. Or a minimum of a neater resolution. So was it vital to write down Bruno as supportive?
I needed to have a pair that [was] actually in love. They’ve been in a relationship for a very long time, they’ve mentioned not having kids. And for me, the thought to have a supportive associate was essential. As a result of on one hand, I needed to say that you would be able to get on very properly along with your associate and have a wonderful relationship, however that doesn’t make you need kids. And even when that needs arose, like in Mamífera, there’s a motive. And even Bruno may be very progressive and is rarely imposing his need, all the time asking and likewise providing: “I alter my work” and every thing. Nonetheless, there’s something bodily to motherhood that you just can not escape. So even when he affords all of that, Lola is aware of that she should give up lots of people in her life that she actually likes, and that’s a truth that you just can not escape.
Maria and Enric put in implausible performances. Nice chemistry, and I so believed them as a pair. You could have been more than happy with the way it turned out.
They’re superb pals in actual life, in order that helped us lots. And they’re superb actors. I used to be so grateful. Each are actually skilled and so they actually had plenty of enjoyable whereas rehearsing and studying the script and speaking concerning the subject. Additionally, they’re very completely different. For instance, Maria bought into Lola very quick with the humor and irony and likewise being caring however very assertive. For Enric, he was very used to taking part in males from a male perspective. There have been many instances he would begin speaking with Lola from some extent of testosterone, like arguing. And she or he would say, “No, no, no, you’re not discussing, you’re simply speaking at her.” And he was like, “OK. I get it. We are able to discuss this.” He was studying one thing from Bruno’s character.
I wish to ask about filming in Catalan, representing Catalonia and the place Catalonian movie’s place is within the trade?
Catalan productions are going rather well, most of all, by way of authorship. We have now plenty of girls who’re writing. So you’ve [Barcelona native filmmaker] Carla Simón, who gained on the Berlin Movie Pageant final yr.
We have now plenty of names and writers which can be going worldwide, out of Spain, and successful prizes and place in Catalan, which for us is essential, as a result of conserving the language, conserving the tradition, it will get tough typically. As a result of you need to dub the films so they’ll launch in lots of Spanish cinemas. That’s one thing that actually sucks. As a result of it must be simpler. We’re in Spain, we should always have subtitles.
Why do they insist on dubbing?
I believe it’s as a result of exhibitors are all the time afraid to place a film with subtitles in Spain, as a result of individuals will mechanically discard a film as a result of they’re lazy, they don’t wish to learn. And it additionally has to do with the dominant tradition. They deal with Catalans and the Basque Nation nation like separate cultures inside Spain.
Would you say that Catalonian movie is at its finest for the time being, by way of manufacturing? There are 22 Catalan productions at San Sebastian this yr.
By way of authorship, for certain. The quantity of productions, yeah, an excellent quantity.
How vital is it that Catalonia is represented on the large display for you as somebody from Catalonia?
In fact it’s vital as a result of it has to do with our tradition, nevertheless it’s additionally vital as a result of there’s a large motion in Catalan with girls administrators. On this sense, for us, it’s essential as a result of we’re slowly reaching equality and I’m very completely satisfied that every one these pals round me are getting prizes and debuting within the principal sections of festivals. I believe it’s a really enormous second in Catalonia. I’m so grateful. We’re well-supported by the federal government.
Lastly, what would you prefer to make a movie about subsequent? Is there something on the horizon?
I’m engaged on a script now. It has to do with two subjects which can be very near me. One is menopause, which I bought very early on in my life and is one thing that isn’t talked about in public dialogue. It modifications your life much more than puberty — it’s extra radical mentally, bodily. However I’m linking that with local weather change in a particular area of Catalonia, during which we’ve overexploitation of the sources: water, air air pollution, deforestation, because of the manufacturing unit farms of pork, primarily. So I’m linking this collectively in a single character, one panorama.