PRODUCTION / FUNDING Spain / Romania
Miguel del Arco directs his second film, Los relatos
- Juan Diego Botto, Marta Etura and Ainara Elejalde star in a drama about gender violence, with international sales managed by Sideral
Los relatos is a drama written and directed by the renowned theatre director Miguel del Arco (who made his film debut in 2016 with the feature film The Furies [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and in 2023 created the series Las noches de Tefía [+see also:
series review
series profile]). The film explores the painful repercussions of a sexist murder, still deeply felt more than twenty years after it was committed. The story centres on Pablo, played by Juan Diego Botto (nominated six times for a Goya award, most recently for his first feature as a director,
On the Fringe [+see also:
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interview: Juan Diego Botto
film profile], and recently seen in The Room Next Door [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]). After serving his sentence for the murder of his wife and coinciding with the publication of his biography, Pablo returns to his hometown, the place where the events took place. Marta Etura (Goya winner for Cell 211 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Daniel Monzón
film profile] and seen this year in Venice with Calle Málaga [+see also:
film review
interview: Maryam Touzani
film profile]) and Ainara Elejalde (The Enchanted [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) complete the cast of this film, which began shooting on Monday 8 September.
According to those behind Los relatos, the film seeks to challenge viewers by questioning and examining human empathy: What would happen if a murderer decided to confront his past instead of disappearing into anonymity? What do victims and their families truly need in order to live with dignity? Can reintegration and reparation coexist? Is it possible to forgive the unforgivable? Is redemption possible?
According to the filmmaker, "writing this script has kept me on a constant edge, forcing me to confront profound contradictions. But the exercise of empathy is precisely what makes us human. Trying to put yourself in someone else's shoes is, I believe, the only way to move forward as a society.”
“What is truly valuable about this film is the number of questions it raises,” says Pedro Hernández, from the company Aquí y Allí Films, which also produced Miguel del Arco's debut feature film. “We would love for Los relatos to be accessible to the public, without sacrificing an in-depth exploration of human issues that provoke contradictions, doubts, and even rejection,’” he continues.
Roberto Butragueño, from the production and distribution company Sideral, adds: “Los relatos is a bold, necessary and sensitive project. We have complete confidence in Miguel del Arco's experience, and we are delighted to have Juan Diego Botto and Marta Etura in the lead roles.”
Los relatos is produced by Aquí y Allí Films and Sideral, in association with the Spanish companies 3040 Cine and Kamikaze Producciones and the Romanian company Avanpost. The project is supported by Movistar Plus+, Telemadrid, ICAA, the Regional Government of Extremadura and the Community of Madrid. Sideral will manage both its international sales and its distribution in Spain.
(Translated from Spanish)
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