14/11/2024 - The Catalan filmmaker talks about his musical about love, family and the final goodbye, giving us some hints about the complexities involved

(© Lluis Tudela)

Birth and death are the backbone of Carlos Marqués-Marcet's career: The Days to Come [+see also:
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interview: Carlos Marques-Marcet
film profile] and Anchor and Hope [+see also:
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interview: Carlos Marques-Marcet
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interview: Carlos Marqués-Marcet
film profile] his high-risk musical that won the Platform Award at Toronto and the Espiga de Plata at the Seminci in Valladolid just weeks later, looks at saying goodbye to this world. It is now coming to Spanish cinemas on 15 November, distributed by Elástica.

Cineuropa: Are you surprised by these awards on two continents?
Carlos Marqués-Marcet: You never know what will happen to your film. You work, you wait, to try things out, you research, you experiment... You put it all together and finally you reveal the end result. I have many filmmaker friends who give me their opinions and totally slate it, but that's what keeps you working. It is nice to see the film finding its place. Not only that, but Ángela Molina was awarded Best Actress at the Rome film festival. You put all this into perspective, but it's true that festivals help to reach the greatest number of people in these difficult times for cinemas. I am grateful for that.

Is this your most ambitious film, being a musical?
They all have their different challenges, which are worth facing. For example, there you have The Days to Come, a full feature film about a real pregnancy that you didn't which way it was going to go. The stress is different, because They Will Be Dust is my best-planned film, right down to the tiny details, as it is so complex. I had to shoot five musical numbers in six days. I've never done that before. Working in television has also taught me how to deal with complicated situations.

Ángela Molina says that your unflagging enthusiasm led her to accept the role without hesitation.
I think about death a lot and that makes me very happy. I find it relaxing, even when I think about the rating of the film. It is my dream for people to still want to see this film in 20 years’ time. And just as I was fascinated by feature films by certain filmmakers, other young people might be fascinated by mine. Death puts everything in its place and blows away your ego: you have to stay in the here and now, enjoy the process and let people watch the film, open debates and start thinking. How can I not be enthusiastic when I'm lucky enough to make films! I feel so lucky, even though I don't earn a fortune. I am an artisan filmmaker, with a craft.

François Ozon addressed a father’s final journey to Switzerland in Everything Went Fine [+see also:
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film profile]. Not many films address this issue. Do you have cases close your heart?
It’s quite difficult to get to Switzerland, as you have to go through interviews. It’s not a euthanasia law. It is assisted suicide, but you have to prove that you have insurmountable chronic pain. I never thought about making a film about assisted dying, but I had thought about the idea of making a decision, something that is very rich dramatically, morally, ethically and socially. Why do people need to do that? The story comes from talking with some friends about how to face one's own death and with them - who wanted to die in Switzerland - I ran a creative workshop.

There is a law on euthanasia in Spain, but some people still go to die with dignity in Switzerland.
The Spanish law is limited. It is a step in the right direction, but it is not enough. This is an ongoing debate.

Many people also avoid talking about death. It is a taboo subject.
In Romantic times people knew that they were going to die. They would gather their loved-one together and say goodbye. They were in charge of their own death. Then along came capitalism and snatched that moment away from us, although this is starting to change. My file is pro-life, not because it wants to soften death but because it has humour and absurdity: you have to understand how strange it is to stop being here and how that affects the ties between family, affection and love.

Your film is a great love story, an anti-romantic comedy.
It’s more a romantic tragicomedy. I don't like filmmakers with no sense of humour. Even Bergman has it. The idea of love also encompasses so many things... Here I want to talk about how difficult it is to capture it all. Because... Where is the line between love and dependence? It all needs to be looked at and vindicated. My film is asking that question; and I don't have the answer.

(Translated from Spanish by Alexandra Stephens)