On 26 May, the shoot kicked off in Barcelona for Desmontando un elefante (lit. “Dismantling an Elephant”), the feature debut by Aitor Echeverría, who until now has served as a DoP on titles of the likes of The Volunteer [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Fernando Franco e Koldo Zu…
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The film depicts a family trapped in an unhealthy day-to-day routine, owing to the taboo of addiction: it’s the elephant in the room that nobody wants to see. The movie digs into those invisible ties that bind us to our loved ones, and those silent loyalties that sometimes have to be severed in order for us to move forward.

The screenplay, penned by Echeverría and Pep Garrido (Outside [+leggi anche:
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The director states: “A decade has passed since I began imagining this storyline. Looking back, I am grateful this was the case because it’s a story that deserves to be reflected upon and to mature with the passing of time: it’s a film about reconstruction. Despite the severity of the situations, it backs up the idea that facing up to one’s problems is not easy, but it’s always better than running away from them. The idea of how life runs its course with, without and in spite of us.” He concludes: “Natalia’s preparations for playing a contemporary dancer began a year ago, and she has devoted so many hours to her training in order to be able to shoot all of the scenes. And Emma Suárez’s self-discipline in playing an addict is fascinating to me.”

Desmontando un elefante, which is being shot over a period of five weeks, is being staged by Spanish outfit Arcadia Motion Pictures, in co-production with Pegaso Pictures AIE and France’s Noodles Production. It boasts the involvement of RTVE, Movistar Plus+ and TVC, plus funding from the ICAA, and further support from ICEC and the Creative Europe – MEDIA programme. It will land in Spanish movie theatres in 2024, distributed by Filmax.