Bypass, the new film by Lucía Casañ Rodríguez, who made her feature debut with A Bathroom of One's Own, is currently being shot on location in the Valencian Community. This road movie, which reflects on our own humanity and the difference between living and merely surviving, between the animal and the human, introduces Amal (played by Alba Flores, Goya Award winner for the theme song of the documentary Flores para Antonio and known for her role in the series Money Heist). Amal is a young woman who has spent much of her life in hospitals and decides to undergo an experimental procedure to improve her quality of life: a pig-heart transplant. Although the operation is a success, it sparks heavy public controversy, prompting Amal to question her own humanity.

As the director explains, “Bypass is an existentialist film which, through fantasy and absurd comedy, reflects on the duality of human existence, that state between being and not being. This story began on 11 January 2022, when newspapers around the world reported: A pig's heart has been successfully transplanted into a man for the first time. I suppose the initial question that sparked my desire to tell this story was: Could we still consider ourselves human if we had an animal’s heart?”

Casañ Rodríguez, whose debut feature A Bathroom of One's Own premiered in Shanghai after being developed at the Málaga Talent Campus during the Málaga Film Festival, has also directed the documentary El precio del oro, and is currently developing the feature Vamos a contar mentiras.

Producers Ana Camacho and Lina Badenes (of Turanga Films) add, “filming with Lucía Casañ has been a real pleasure; we’re fascinated by the professionalism she displays despite her young age. Alba Flores is giving an excellent performance; she is a versatile, sensitive actress with a strong sense of her own identity, bringing great depth to this story. And filming with a little pig as a co-star is part of the adventure of filmmaking; it’s a challenge, but also great fun, and we hope the results will be amazing. Francisco, her carer, is supporting her in everything and plays a vital role in ensuring her well-being during filming.”

Bypass is produced by Turanga Films, in co-production with No solo films AIE, Ciudadano Ciskul, Helsinki Films and the Uruguayan company MontelonaCine. The project also involves the participation of the ICAA (Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts), the Valencian Institute of Culture (IVC), the Uruguayan Film and Audiovisual Agency (ACAU), RTVE, HBO, À Punt, Sagunto City Council, CREA SGR and Triodos Bank. The film will be released in Spanish cinemas, distributed by Filmax.