A group of people meet to make a decision. They have received the latest version of the “Concert”, a consensual action agreement on some type of measures that will affect their lives. At the beginning of the meeting, there don't seem to be too many problems. After remembering the conditions of the Concert, the deliberation is presented as a mere procedure for approval. At least, that's what Josep thinks, who presides over the assembly where the vote must be taken. But disagreements soon begin to emerge., teasing, So, to a debate that will change the Agenda. Will they be able to reach an agreement? This is the plot premise of Assembly, first feature film by Valencian director Alex Montoya, a social portrait that perhaps refers us to 15M and all the assembly movements that emerged from it. Based on The people, theatrical piece written by Juli Disla and Jaume Pérez, and with a cast that includes Francesc Garrido, Cristina Plazas, Greta Fernandez, Nacho Fresneda, Sergio Caballero, Jordi Aguilar, Lorena Lopez, Marta Belenguer, Irene Anula, Abdelatif Hwidar, Maria Juan, Pablo Sanchez, Jorge Silvestre and Juan Mandli, Assembly It gives us a mirror so that we can look at ourselves and assess the extent to which we understand what democracy consists of.. For these Coronavirus things, Assembly will not go through commercial rooms. It premiered last weekend directly on the platform of the movie.
How does this project come to your hands?? How did you decide to adapt this work??
This is the first time I have asked a production company for a script.. The people It was a project whose rights had a production company that, For different reasons, I couldn't do it. So, sold it to Nakamura Films, which is a Valencian production company that I know well, that they are friends. When I found out that the project had fallen to them and that they had no director, I asked them to read the text. And the truth is that it seemed very original to me., very fun, especially because there is a twist at the end that was what decided me to propose myself as a director. They told me yes and, from there, everything was shot.
Now that you tell me this, It is almost an anomaly in Spanish cinema that a director (and especially you who have shot your own short film scripts) take a script you haven't written and direct it.
There are many types of directors. In Spain it is true that, traditionally, directors used to write or were the promoters of their projects. But I think that, with the arrival of platforms and film production by the large national television networks, there is starting to be a lot more custom work, that is to say, directors who direct projects that they do not write. In the series it is clear, but in the movies, also. All these comedies produced by Telecinco, They are the ones who buy the script and then look for the director they consider suitable.
How has it been, in that sense, the experience?
I really like working with scripts that I have not written because writing scripts is a very long and very heavy job., especially if you do it like I have done so far, what is, what do Americans call, on spec, that is to say, on especulation, which basically means that you write the script without knowing very well if someone is going to produce it later. When you have four or five (which is very good to do the shooting of writing), but none comes out, It's quite frustrating. So, They give me a half-assembled project and the only thing left is for me to be there, and talk to the scriptwriters to play something and shoot, I think it's fantastic. I would like to do it more.
In your first film you tackle a comedy, a genre that is not especially easy to throw into the sand. What has been most difficult for you in this regard??
I have done a lot of comedy in shorts. I really like comedy and perhaps my preference is more for comedy than for drama.. In that sense, It hasn't cost me much. I really like comedy and it comes naturally to me.. What happens is that, for cinematographic tastes, I tend more to thriller. The dramas I do have a certain component of thriller, but maybe it doesn't turn out as well as comedy. I like comedy and I think I have a certain grace.
In that jump from short to long format, What has been the biggest obstacle you have faced??
The most complicated thing has been the lack of time to rehearse and film., above all, due to the actors' agenda item. Since we had so many actors and so good ones, their agendas were very tight. The difficulty of the film is that most of the characters are together at the same time and you cannot divide the sessions to adapt to their schedule. In the end, We were only able to shoot nine days and that was very difficult because there was a lot of dialogue., especially in the main roles. It was hard work because, besides, We were limited by the hours of natural sunlight coming through the windows., which made everything complicated.
One of the most difficult things about comedy is timing., of the comic. In this sense, when jumping to the feature film, What do you think has been the most complicated and most satisfying part of this job??
The complicated, has been, as i say, filming in such a short time with so many actors at the same time because you couldn't pay attention to all of them. But we saved it because of the experience and talent they have.. The advantage is that we shot with two cameras. In the end, comedy is a theme timing, of time, That's why comedy with a camera on your shoulder is often more difficult to control., because with the camera on my shoulder, if the operator does not have a comic tempo, can be loaded many moments. Jokes have to be left to rest. But by having two cameras and capturing many reactions, he timing comic has been able to maintain itself very well in assembly. In fact, the average duration of the shots is only around two seconds, thing that, in a drama, For example, They are normally six or seven seconds between cuts. Here, the rhythm of the change of shots is almost like an action movie. You had to look for the timing and give it a certain rhythm to maintain the viewer's interest and, for that, It was not enough to present the conflict, also the speed, tempo was very important.
Assembly It is an ensemble film. What I liked the most is the balance you achieve between the characters, both as regards their characters, as well as its presence within the story. What has been the biggest challenge you have had??
It has been complicated. All this was marked in the play, what happens is that, in the movie, we have synthesized it. We have united two characters from the play into one, In some cases we have separated one character into two others, all in order to find a number of people that was not too small, but that we were not populated with actors with little to say. I think there is a good balance, although it is true that there are great actors, as Sergio Caballero, that are left with few sentences. It was difficult to distribute the phrases and characters appropriately. We have done what we could (laughter).
The fact that the film is based on a play can make your job easier because, let's say, that the center of the story has already been built. But, What differences have there been in that transition to the film and in its construction?? How has the process been?
The film is the play in a 85%, more or less. What has changed is the beginning and the end, which were more generic. There it was a more neutral space and, when it started, we were already at the beginning of the meeting. There was quite a long stretch of people talking before the assembly itself began., and then there was also a section in the middle that was also very funny, but it didn't have enough conflict to keep it in the movie. That has been sped up a bit., More prominence has been given to the character of Josep as the center of the assembly and the character of the daughter has been added as an external spectator of the assembly and representative of the viewer of the film.
The film presents a situation that reminds us a little of 15M, although one could almost speak of any group of people who meet to discuss anything. In what context do you frame the story??
The creators of the play had a lot of experience in this type of assembly decision-making, and a little was his loving vision and, at once, criticism about this type of democracy. The movie doesn't get wet in any way.. You don't get to know what kind of association it is or what unites these characters in that assembly. At some point it seems like it's some kind of neighborhood association, but with national structure, then it seems that it is some kind of professional association, the movie doesn't define it. Y, besides, It doesn't seem like there's a clear solution and that's okay because it makes everything seem a little more absurd..
There is a moment when the film talks about a “Concert”, which is the central issue on which the assembly debates, but it is never fully explained. Is it deliberate? Weren't you tempted to focus it on a specific issue??
No. Yes, we talked about that among ourselves at some point., If we agreed on something specific to give it one tone or another, but, in the end, we decided not to. We thought it was best for it to remain an abstract concept.. Yes there is a little joke at the beginning, when Josep places the draft of the final text of the Concert on the lectern and a title appears: “Concert on…”. But the part of the text that is going to explain what that concert is is covered by the receipt from the photocopy store. It's a little visual joke, but it's very fast. O, For example, when voting yes Tosca (Josep's daughter) He is going to enter the meeting and Lorena asks him if he knows what this is about.. There, when it seems that he is going to investigate, she tells him, “no, yes my father is always with this story, “Of course I know him.”. We make a bit of a joke with the fact that it is not known nor will it be known.
Francesc Garrido's character is the axis of the film. Josep seems to dominate the situation, but then everything goes wrong and there it loses its authority. I like how the issue of that personal ego that comes into question in these types of situations is developed.. Is that ego the main obstacle for this type of assemblies or, in general, so that we understand each other?
Yeah, that is the basis of the movie, how we sabotage ourselves and our collective due to emotional and ego issues. And that, inside the assembly, Josep is the most restrained or, at least, try to contain yourself. With Josep we wanted to play a little, and the character of the daughter is also for this, with the topic that, with the assembly, He has to make any decision with his teammates and that frustrates him because he doesn't get what he wants.. With his daughter he uses, however, a more authoritative tone, but she laughs in his face. Somehow, in the end no one pays attention to him. I like this, reflects those middle-aged men who are a little lost in today's society, which is more feminist and more egalitarian, or we intend it to be that way.
The film appeals to a communal democratic practice, but I wanted to ask you if it doesn't reinforce the myth that people are not able to understand each other if there is no authority or a solid structure. what do you think about that?
Bueno, One thing is what I personally think and another is what the movie tells., What did the authors of the play want to say?. I think the film is quite white and does not seek to draw blood. In fact, There is a phrase that we say at the end that indicates, “it's difficult, But it's the best way.", and that explains a little the thesis of the film. Personally, I'm more skeptical. I like the representative democracy that we have better because, within some rules, the matches tell you a story, but then you lock yourself in a booth to vote, without anyone knowing your vote. It seems more fair to me.
What shortcomings do you see in these forms of democracy to make them work??
I think they are cumbersome, that take away the agility of decision-making and that you are left a little at the expense of the person who is dialectically better prepared, the one who argues best. It is very difficult to get rid of the leader's charisma. Then, Representative democracy also has huge problems. We are seeing it now with social networks, where you can spread hoaxes that many people buy and, then, They make wrong decisions based on news that is false.. The participatory system is not perfect, of course, But in assembly democracy, decision-making has these types of problems..
We talk about democracy all the time, but, Do you think we really know what it is??
I believe that perfect democracy does not exist., simply because people are not willing to make the effort that a perfect democracy would require. Many people are very busy with their own lives and do not have time to make that effort., study the options, etc. I believe that we do what we can and, within what there is, the democracy we have is quite reasonable.
With this Coronavirus, It seems to me that this situation that the film about the assembly raises has spread everywhere, a cluster of voices that talk and talk and, sometimes, You don't really know what they're saying or if they come to any conclusion.. Do you see it the same?
Yeah, Twitter is a bit of an assembly. Like everyone has a speaker, uses it, even if I have nothing to say. We all do it, me the first. How can we talk and we have our followers, We start to give our opinion about things that we may not know. This is a little what happens there, that many times we are more aware of what we are going to say next than of the argument that is presented to us. This happens a lot in the movie.
The film has not been released in theaters due to the situation we are experiencing and has gone directly to the Filmin platform. As a creator, How do you feel about this phenomenon?? I guess you would have preferred it to be released in theaters, but I wanted you to tell us how you value this experience.
This film can afford not to go to theaters because it is a small production, It does not have Telecinco or Antena 3 behind. Besides, It is half in Catalan-Valencian-Spanish and it was very difficult for it to have made much of the box office.. It would have had a premiere in 20 o 30 salas, but the economic return would have been small. Other films with bigger budgets need that avenue of exploitation. There we have taken advantage of this opportunity to release it directly on platforms with a good presence and I think it is working. We're not going to make a lot of money, but the film is being seen and that as a director is very satisfying. Play the movie one day and see people's reactions to it., It is very satisfying. and for me, I'm a bit introverted, skip the preview phase and maybe don't think it has overwhelmed me too much. (laughter)
Speaking of small budgets, I wanted you to tell me about the team because I think a good result has been achieved..
The team is great. It's practically all Valencian, the vast majority of actors are too. And in the film I really like the issue of bilingualism, represent a reality that happens in the bilingual Spanish regions, What is the jump from one language to another?. All of these are values of the film that I really like.. Yes, I want to thank the technical and artistic team of the film who put a lot of work into it.. I'm happy it's working well, that it was number one on Filmin last weekend. In the end, It has compensated the efforts and sacrifices we made, because it wasn't an easy shoot.
To finish. In the current situation, If I offer you the opportunity to give birth to the Minister of Culture, what would you say? (laughter)
(laughter) No, I'm not going to go there because I don't know very well the terms of the controversy.. I think that was a very unfortunate phrase., but then there was also an overreaction, I don't know. Since I haven't followed it in much detail, I don't dare to give an opinion. That's something people would do, what the movie proposes.
Do you think the sector should also do some self-criticism or how do you see it??
No, I think there was an overreaction, but, indeed, the sector is very precarious. People have odd jobs and, although with this movie premiere I haven't followed it much, It seems that many workers, technicians, etc. of the sector cannot benefit from many of the aids that were proposed for the rest of the population.
