04/12/2024 - Laia Marull, Betsy Túrnez and Àgata Roca topline this feature based on Javier Daulte’s stage play, which is being produced by Arcadia and will be distributed by A Contracorriente Films

l-r: Laia Marull, Betsy Túrnez, Laura Mañá (seated) and Àgata Roca on the set of Las irresponsables (© Lucía Faraig)

Las irresponsables (lit. “The Irresponsible Ones”) is the title of the new film being directed by Laura Mañá, who has penned the script together with Marta Buchaca (Litus [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), drawing inspiration from the stage play of the same name by Argentinian playwright Javier Daulte. Filming is currently taking place in Barcelona, and the cast is toplined by Laia Marull (whom we saw recently in the series La Mesías [+see also:
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trailer
series profile], and in the movies The Innocence [+see also:
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interview: Lucía Alemany
film profile] and Brava [+see also:
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interview: Roser Aguilar
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making of
series profile]). They are flanked by Jordi Sánchez (I Hate Summer, Alimañas), Ruth Llopis (Mamífera [+see also:
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interview: Liliana Torres
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film profile], The Other Side [+see also:
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series profile]).

The story introduces us to Núria, Lila and Andrea, three friends who are getting ready to spend a weekend away from the city together, in a luxury smart home full of artworks that a friend of Núria’s has let them use. Their WhatsApp group is on fire, brimming with good intentions, but in actual fact, the three of them really can’t be bothered... Everything changes when an innocent question compels them to break free and go with the flow of their impulses.

In the words of the director, “Las irresponsables is an ode to life, reconciliation and friendship. That’s how it seemed to me when I saw the stage play; in any case, what appealed to me the most was the transgressive idea of imagining who that other person is who lives inside every one of us. That ‘irresponsible’ woman who does what she shouldn’t, that stranger, that woman who scares us but excites us at the same time.”

Laura Mañá began her professional career in the acting world, working with names such as Bigas Luna (she appeared in The Tit and the Moon), Paco Plaza (Romasanta: The Werewolf Hunt) and Vicente Aranda (Turkish Passion, Freedomfighters), as well as performing in series such as Cuéntame and Periodistas. In 2000, she made the leap to directing with Compassionate Sex, which took part in Sundance and Toronto, and scooped awards at Málaga, Guadalajara and Miami. In 2003, with Killing Words, she picked up the Méliès Award for Best European Film at Fantasporto, as well as the Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Soundtrack at Málaga. In 2010, she released La vida empieza hoy [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which pocketed the Critics’ Award at both Málaga and Toulouse.

Also standing out among her directorial works are the TV movies Clara Campoamor, la mujer olvidada, The Visitor of Prisons and Frederica Montseny, la mujer que habla. In 2020, she released the romantic comedy Te quiero, imbécil [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], starring Quim Gutiérrez and Natalia Tena, which was a huge hit on Netflix, and the following year, she put out the feature Un novio para mi mujer [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a remake of the Argentinian smash hit. Last year, she was one of the directing team behind Burning Body, a series starring Úrsula Corberó that was nominated for the Forqué and Feroz Awards.

Las irresponsables is an Arcadia and Afrodita AIE production, which boasts the involvement of 3Cat and Movistar Plus+. It has also secured support from the ICEC and funding from the ICAA. Its national distribution will be taken care of by A Contracorriente Films.

(Translated from Spanish)