27/03/2023 - The Spanish satirical show, produced by the Almodóvar brothers and their El Deseo outfit, unleashed a wave of laughter when it was screened in Lille

(© Marie Rouge/Series Mania)

Fleeting Lies [+see also:
series review
interview: Esther García
series profile], only the second series ever to be produced by Pedro and Agustin Almodóvar's company, El Deseo, unleashed a wave of laughter when it was screened in Series Mania’s international competition in Lille. Its creator, Esther García, spoke to Cineuropa about her role in the project and how it had to be defined along the way, given the relatively new territory the series format meant for her and the Almodóvar brothers.

Cineuropa: You're known for your work as a film producer on hits such as Parallel Mothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile], The Clan [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Wild Tales [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. What does your “showrunner” title encompass on a series like Fleeting Lies?
Esther García: It took us quite some time to identify a credit for what I was doing on Fleeting Lies. “Showrunner” is a job that doesn't have any meaning in Spain, but we decided to use it for my position, as it served as the common link between all of the different hats working on the series. The showrunner unifies – that's how we look at it. More specifically, both Felix [Sabroso, the director] and I were deeply involved in the aesthetic elements of the production, as well as the creative oversight of the screenplay. Nerea Castro, who initiated the story, and her co-writers would send us the different versions of the script. I would join the team and read them in order to identify what we wanted to keep or change, what the characters' boundaries were and so on. That was pre-production. During the shoot, I'd be there to help make decisions on all sorts of things, ranging from the costumes to the sets – again, as a link between all of our amazing crew members.

To what extent were the Almodóvar brothers involved in making the show?
Our company, El Deseo, decided to go back to making series, this being the first one since 2006. And we'd like to make more; it's not just a whim. The only prerequisite is for the premise or the theme of the story to connect with our way of thinking. Pedro and Agustín take part in deciding whether a script is greenlit or not. But once that's done, their take on production is to offer full creative freedom. We find creators who want to tell stories the way we like them to be told, and then we let their creative convictions work their magic.

The series is set in the world of plastic surgery, but it doesn't seem to judge its characters for working in this field.
There's this really interesting scene involving Elena Anaya’s [The Skin I Live In [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pedro Almodóvar
film profile]] character, Lucía: she starts performing clandestine Botox injections after losing her job, and she is confronted by an anxious client. That woman asks her if all of her facial details are wrong, and Lucía tells her: “No, there's nothing wrong with you, but I can change some of it if you want.” We don't need to change every single detail of ourselves, even when it seems like all of the elements of our lives can be modified, even including our physical appearance. Social networks have made this even harder to grasp, with so many people showing off bits of their life that simply don't exist. Can we leave this whole masquerade behind? Or is it fully integrated in our civilisation, and will it only grow from here on in? We're surrounded by tools, for everything. But to what extent should we use them?

How did you come up with the lavish and extremely kitsch title sequence of the show?
That came from Felix and his partner, who is quite young. I think you could call him a Millennial. He uses photography and several other disciplines in his work, and really inspired the whole concept for that title sequence. The idea was to have our cast pose with plastic-surgery bandages wrapped around their heads, yet still wearing luxurious costumes and striking soapy poses to underline the obsession with their looks. It's brilliant because it definitely works with the story, but it's also highly entertaining to watch.

How about Pilar Castro, who almost steals the show as Lucía’s best friend? Did you know she'd be the hit of the series?
We've known Pilar for a long time, and she's actually been in a movie directed by Felix [Chill Out]. She also had a very small part in a film by Pedro [Julieta [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Pedro Almodóvar
film profile]]. We’re not surprised one bit by how good her comedy timing is. But looking at it now, as she’s reaching her fifties, it's clear that she's only been growing all these years. And I don’t think she’s done yet!