PRODUCTION / FUNDING Spain / France
Luis Tosar and Álex García wrap shooting on Fatum
- The second feature by Juan Galiñanes, which was shot in Galicia, is a thriller that unfolds over just a few, tense hours, during which a hold-up takes place
Fatum [+see also:
trailer
film profile] is the title of a film that has just been shot in Galicia, Spain, starring popular actors Luis Tosar (recently Goya-nominated for Maixabel [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Icíar Bollaín
film profile]) and Álex García (seen in Riot Police [+see also:
series review
interview: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
series profile]). It’s the first live-action feature by Juan Galiñanes, from a screenplay that he wrote himself, together with Alberto Marini (Retribution [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Dani de la Torre
film profile]), and it revolves around a violent armed robbery. Its cast is rounded off by Elena Anaya (The Skin I Live In [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Pedro Almodóvar
film profile], seen most recently in Woody Allen’s Rifkin’s Festival [+see also:
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trailer
film profile]), Arón Piper (Código Emperador [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Luisa Mayol (Eye for an Eye [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paco Plaza
film profile]) and Pepa Gracia (La Unidad [+see also:
trailer
series profile]).
The plot introduces us to compulsive gambler Sergio (played by Tosar), who, despite having promised his partner that he has overcome his accursed addiction, receives a tip-off about a rigged football match. Fully intending to get back all of the money he has lost recently, he returns to his regular betting shop, intent on winning. Everything seems to be going swimmingly, when suddenly Alejo (played by Arón Piper), another habitual gambler, bursts into the joint with a weapon.
After the police are warned that something strange is going on, Special Ops sniper Pablo (Álex García) is pressured to intervene by police chief Costa (Elena Anaya). However, the officer’s mind is not on his job, but rather on the hospital where his son’s life is hanging by a thread. Until one gunshot will change Sergio’s and Pablo’s lives forever…
Director Galiñanes states, “All of the characters in the film are driven by emotions such as love, vengeance and guilt, which is why it’s really easy to empathise with them. Because in Fatum, there are neither goodies nor baddies; only people who collide head-on with the whims of fate.”
For her part, Emma Lustres, the producer of the film (as well as other hits such as Cell 211 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Daniel Monzón
film profile]), asserts, “It’s very dynamic, with a complex structure, and it tackles classic noir topics from a modern angle. It’s a movie bristling with tension and dripping with adrenaline, but it unfolds against a strong social backdrop that looms over the action, and it’s laden with dramatic content that appeals to the most universal of emotions.”
Juan Galiñanes (Pontevedra, 1980), who co-wrote the script for Paco Plaza’s Eye for an Eye, has directed various adverts and short films (such as El bufón y la infanta and Sailor) as well as a few episodes of Serramoura and A Estiba. In addition, he has served as the editor of films such as Dhogs [+see also:
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trailer
film profile], and series of the likes of Hierro [+see also:
series review
interview: Jorge Coira
interview: Olivier Wotling
series profile] and La Unidad. In 2011, he directed, wrote and edited the animated flick Holy Night!
Fatum is a production by Spanish outfit Vaca Films, in co-production with France’s Playtime Productions, and with the involvement of RTVE, Amazon and TVG. It has secured backing from the ICAA and AGADIC. It will be distributed by Universal Pictures International Spain, and its international sales are handled by France’s Playtime.
(Translated from Spanish)
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