09/01/2024 - The Spanish actor is toplining Gerard Oms’ feature debut, which was shot in late 2023 in Spain and the Netherlands, with Carles Torras in charge of production duties

Mario Casas (left) and David Verdaguer in Muy lejos (Zo Ver Weg) (© SURIA)

Muy lejos [+see also:
film review
interview: Gerard Oms
film profile] (Zo Ver Weg), the feature-length directorial debut by Gerard Oms, is currently in post-production, after principal photography took place in Spain and the Netherlands in the autumn. It tells a story of survival and paints the portrait of a country from a foreigner’s perspective. The lead roles are played by two Goya winners: Mario Casas (whom we saw recently in Bird Box: Barcelona and who made his directorial debut last year with Mi soledad tiene alas [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and David Verdaguer, who will most likely take home another Goya next month for his magnificent turn in Jokes & Cigarettes, which earned him a Forqué Award (see the news).

The film, whose screenplay was penned by the director, tells of a journey, a rite of passage for Dani (played by Casas), who travels to Utrecht with his family to watch a sporting event. But before going back to Barcelona, he has a panic attack and makes the decision to stay in the Netherlands. Unable to give any rational explanation to his loved ones, he severs all contact with his past. From that moment on, he will have to survive, with no money, friends or place to call home, and with no ability to speak the local language, until he is finally able to find himself.

According to the director, “This has been a true feat of team work, far from home but close to the story: a shoot where we’ve discovered part of the process 'in situ', with us all working together to create the space to capture the truth of the moment within a predetermined frame. At times, the shoot was difficult because of the adverse weather conditions, but at the same time, they ended up being a fundamental part of our journey as we followed the protagonist on his path. We have been the very first watchful spectators and confidants during Dani’s learning process, which has also been a learning process for us, as we have been creating from a place of absolute freedom, and giving ourselves free rein to reshoot scenes and play around.”

Carles Torras (Zabriskie Films) is heading up production duties on the movie: the producer and the first-time director first met during the shoot for The Paramedic, a film directed by Torres, on which Gerard worked as Mario Casas’ acting coach. “When I read the first version of the screenplay, I realised how much humanity, sensitivity and talent there was behind each and every word, scene and situation it portrays,” states Torras, who has also produced two of Oms’ short films, Inefable and Once You Were Here, selected for the 2022 Seminci in Valladolid.

Muy lejos (Zo Ver Weg) is a Spanish-Dutch co-production staged by Zabriskie Films and Revolver Ámsterdam. It has received support from the Creative Europe – MEDIA programme, the ICEC (Catalan Institute of Cultural Industries), the ICAA (Institute of Film Arts and Sciences) and the Netherlands Film Fund, and it boasts the involvement of TV3 (Televisió de Catalunya) and TVE (Televisión Española).

(Translated from Spanish)