From writer/director David Trueba, "Madrid, 1987," which was in this year’s World Dramatic Competition at Sundance, uses a city in transition as a starting point to examine a passionate relationship which plays out in a very intense, short period of time. Much of the film’s premise comes from Trueba’s own past as a young journalist during the 1980s when Spain was beginning to move away from the aftermath of General Francisco Franco’s reign and how different generations viewed the changes in society.
The film centers on a hot day in July 1987, when Madrid was undergoing a period of change. Miguel (José Sacristán) sets up a meeting in a cafe with Angela (María Valverde), a young journalism student. From that initial moment their relationship is sparked and conflicted with a range of emotions from desire to inspiration, and professional views and subsequent circumstances force them to remain together for one day, as they both seek to survive and overcome the emotional friction and journey that takes place.
Trueba was born in Madrid, and his studies in journalism led to an initial career in radio and television. His first screenwriting credit was on Emilio Martinez-Lazaro's “Amo tu cama rica” (“I Love Your Rich Bed”) in 1992. Trueba studied film at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, and returned to Spain and wrote Martinez-Lazaro’s 'Los Peores anos de nuestra vida' (“The Worst Years of Our Life”), which was a big hit in 1994. His credits also include a stint in television where he co-directed the program “El peor programa de la semana” (1993-1994) together with El Gran Wyoming.
As a screenwriter his work continued with films such as “Two Much” (1995, directed by older brother Fernando Trueba), “Perdita Durango” (1997, directed by Alex de la Iglesia), “La Nina de tus Ojos” (1998, directed by Fernando Trueba), “Vengo” (2000, directed by Tony Gatlif) and the Oscar nominated documentary “Balseros” (2002), which he also co-produced.
In 1996 he began to direct films with “La Buena Vida” presented at the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2000 he directed his second film, “Obra Maestra” and in 2003 “Soldados de Salamina,” an adaptation of Javier Carcas's novel, which was presented in 'Un Certain Regard' at Cannes. In 2006, he won the Best Director prize at the Maalaga Film Festival for 'Bienvenido a casa' and the film-conversation about Fernanado Ferman-Gomez. In 2010 he directed the Canal + television series 'Que fue de Jorge Sanz?'
Trueba has also published three novels which have been translated into more than 10 languages –“Abierto toda la noche” (1995), “Cuatro Amigos” (1999) and “Saber Perder,” (2008) for which he received the National Critics Prize for Best Novel and was a finalist in the prestigious Prix Medicis for its French translation.
Film Slate Magazine’s Jasmina Nevada, who was in Park City attending both Sundance and Slamdance, interviewed Trueba. She says: “’Madrid 1987’ is his latest as a writer and director and I had a quick chat with him on behalf of Film Slate Magazine at Sundance Channel HQ, amidst the lunch time rush hour.”
Film Slate Magazine: Where did the inspiration come from for the movie? Why did you decide to go with this particular subject material?
David Trueba: Well inspiration is always a difficult word because most of the times the ideas come and they in turn produce another idea would come in, so at the end, there is a manipulation of the first idea that would become the film. In this case I was the young character in the film, a young student of journalism in 1987, that was my first year and the character in the movie was in the same situation as me, and the female character has this encounter with this old and renowned journalist.
Also during the 1980s we were going through a time in Spain from the Franco dictatorship during 40 years to a democracy, so it was a very nice time to live as everything was changing and I wanted to portray this fight against two generations that produce this arrival of democracy and the arrival of the new generation, that did not have anything to do at that time and so it was not considered. I decided that I would put both characters stuck together in a bathroom; they are forced to spend a couple of days together, with no clothes and completely naked... all about this encounter.
FSM: Why did you decide to go with the idea of the confined space?
DT: The first reason is because usually, period pieces are normally very show off, very concentrated on clothes, cars and different styles of hair and glasses and all these types of stuff and I did not like that very much.
FSM: So then, were you looking for a raw element to your film?
DT: Exactly. I wanted it to be totally concentrated on characters. I felt also in period pieces that characters go through all types of situations and I felt that the different personalities and attitudes of the characters needed to be felt through the characters themselves--not through the decor. The other reason was that the two people were confined together, as the two generations never crossed.
FSM: It seems to be that you were combining the old generation of history with the new to see what the outcome would be in terms of your film, to highlight the conflict, etc., for your film?
DT: Yes, with the main character there is a moment when he said, ' two trains are going in opposite directions- one is going and one is coming,' and so we have this second where they are prolonged, but remember that they are not supposed to be together, and this makes the conflict of the movie.
FSM: This conflict was it accidental or on purpose?
DT: Kinda a bit of both, accidental – as they cannot open the door, but it is forced as they are in seduction kind of place, but what was initially sort of a sexual encounter ending up being an emotional encounter which I found to be very interesting...
FSM: Was the film scripted or a combination of improvisation also?
DT: It was very much scripted as we did not have much time to shoot and I don't have much trust in improvisation; there of course is a time where you have to provoke it. I am also a writer, and my experience has been that actors like doing films that are largely scripted, as they judge the film on the page and they can decide and prepare their characters. But at the same time, if something beautiful arrives during the shooting, I am willing to adapt.
FSM: How long did it take from the initial thought of the project to the final result? Also where was the movie shot?
DT: Around two years. In Madrid in a small bathroom for 12 days. That was a very concentrated shooting as we did not have much money and not much financial support.
FSM: What expectations do you have from your audience? Are you hoping as said earlier that they combine the emotional, political and conflict elements to make their own conclusions?
DT: For the three screenings that I have at Sundance, I have the feeling that the thing that they like the most is to have their attention totally captured, and no other elements in place but two actors. That is very surprising for people as they always think that they would not enjoy a movie with only that, and the surprises are that they see that 1 ½ hour movie and think that it was an emotional Russian mountain. I have this feeling that not only that there are two actors naked but I am also traveling around their minds.
FSM: What is your next project?
DT: I am doing if I can a shoot this summer in the south of Spain in Almeria. It will be an interesting, traditional movie, but also telling the story of what was happening some years ago in Spain.
FSM: Are you then as a filmmaker interested in highlighting to the movie audience elements about Spain?
DT: I am a rare director and I am not here to bring films to America or waiting for the call of an American producer. I am just privileged to show the movies which I like to do, and speaks of things in my language and that were important for my country and for me.
FSM: Are you then bringing to light the Spanish culture?
DT: I would say more than that, my mind also. The audience I always treat as my twin brother -- a meeting of the minds; I don't care about the mainstream and this twin brother I could find anywhere in Spain, USA, Venezuela etc., wherever... and is about finding the soul for the film... which for me is the most important thing.
IMDb page:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0874093/
