A documentary about a Cuban family
facing an uncertain future had its world premiere Feb. 12 at the Berlin
International Film Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious cinema events.
La Arrancada (On the starting line)
is a debut feature by Brazilian director Aldemar Matias, focusing on a young
athlete who is having doubts about her role in national sports in the Caribbean
country. The narrative follows her as she considers her future, which may well
lie abroad, she reluctantly realizes.
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| Jenniffer, in La Arrancada. |
Structured with sensitivity and shot in
an understated style, the documentary eschews the usual visual clichés associated
with Cuba. Instead, with nary a Cadillac in sight, it offers a story with a
strong feminist sensibility, told as it is from the point of the view of the
athlete, Jenniffer, and her mother Marbelis. The latter is a no-nonsense boss
of a fumigation centre in downtown Havana who marshals her army of mostly male
fumigators to destroy mosquito nests throughout the city. Away from work, she
tries to ensure that her daughter and son fulfil their potential.
The mother-daughter relationship is at
the core of the film, with some poignant scenes, but La Arrancada also addresses the role of young men who feel they
have to quit their homeland to improve their lives. We see Jenniffer’s brother
getting ready to leave Cuba, and travelling through several Latin American
countries, even as Jenniffer struggles to find her own role at home in the
competitive arena. This intimate account of a family in the “Global South”
explores issues of emigration and youth unemployment and “unfolds the portrait
of a generation unsure of what’s next in Cuba”, as director Matias says.
In the following interview, Matias - who
studied in Cuba - discusses his background and the themes in his film (a
Cuba-Brazil-France co-production, distributed by Miami-São Paulo company FiGa
Films).
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| Director Aldemar Matias |
Q: Before we discuss the film, can you tell us
about your background, where you were born and how you came to study in Cuba?
Aldemar
Matias (A.M.): I was
born in Manaus, Brazil. In my early twenties, I started working there as a TV
reporter for local TV channels. It was always TV shows about arts or
environmental subjects. Then I had the desire to spend more time with the
people I was interviewing, to have the possibility to develop a deeper
relationship with the characters. That’s when the interest for documentaries
appeared. At that moment I already knew about the school in Cuba. It seemed
like a holy land for aspiring filmmakers, specially from Latin America, Asia
and Africa. Actually, the institution was initially thought to give high
quality film education for these “3 worlds”. For me, It was a life-changing
experience. It’s still my favorite place in the world.
Q:
Have you always wanted to be a filmmaker?
A.M.: Not really. I was initially more
attracted to TV because It seemed more accessible. The idea I had of filmmaking
as a teenager was only big blockbusters, big fiction productions. I didn’t see
myself there. It was actually a bit repelling to me. It was not at all a
childhood dream or anything like that. It was built little by little.
Q:
What sparked the idea for La Arrancada?
A.M.: I already knew Marbelis (Jenni’s mom)
from a previous short film I did, El Enemigo. Then, I was in Cuba trying to do
another project, with multiple characters, that was not working very well. I
called Marbelis to be part of it and to film a day at the beach. Her daughter
asked if she could join in. When I saw these two interacting, that’s when I
really saw the possibility of a powerful story, and I decided to focus
completely on them.
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| Filming La Arrancada in Havana. |
Q:
The film could have been set in many other countries in the Global South, with
its themes of young people leaving their homeland in search of better
opportunities, parents living with the sadness of distance, national
uncertainty about the future, etc. Could you discuss your reasons for
highlighting these concerns?
A.M.: I believe the intimacy of a family is a
great place to portray bigger political contexts. When we see the lives of
these two, we can understand better how complex it is to make these decisions,
to deal with these uncertainties. Jenniffer might have the idea that she can
reach better opportunities somewhere else, but at the same time, she cares
about what she’s doing in Cuba, I mean, she’s very upset when she can’t
compete. Marbelis might reproduce a nationalist speech in the morning for her
workers, but at the same time she can help her son to leave the country. How do
we know what’s the best life project for us and our kids? When we see
particular family stories up closer, immigrants (from Cuba or from anywhere
else) become more than just a number or statistics. It’s not as reductionist as
“there is good, here is bad”.
Q:
La Arrancada may be considered a
feminist film, even if this aspect isn’t over-emphasized. Many viewers will
appreciate the comments from Marbelis, the mother, to her son in one memorable
scene, where she cautions him about the misogynistic lyrics in certain types of
music. Can you tell us more about this section and why you included it?
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| Havana community in the documentary. |
A.M.: I think about Marbelis’ feminism the
whole time! Not just this scene. But it’s not up to me to judge it. As a
filmmaker, and especially as a male filmmaker. I love the fact that it just
comes naturally: she might know nothing about concepts such as sorority or empowerment.
But she’s there leading a troop of men every morning in the health district
with “audacity and discipline”, as she says, alongside her sister
Delaires. At the same time, she might make a joke with Jenniffer saying “she
won’t get married if she doesn’t prepare the lunch fast”. The patriarchy
culture is there as well, obviously. That’s her authentic personality and I
have to be honest with its complexity. The same way she might call out her son
for misogynistic lyrics, and then she can dance to it later.
Q:
The story is told in a very understated way, leaving viewers to draw their own
conclusions, especially concerning the role of women in “male” domains. Why did
you choose this approach?
A.M.: I believe my job as a filmmaker is to
open discussions, not to give conclusions. And to make the viewer empathize
with complex realities and personalities. That’s why I choose to film in this
way. But of course, I also need to take responsibility of the journey the
viewer is taking and to provide the right path to generate the questions I want
him/her to think about.
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| One of the mother-daughter scenes in La Arrancada. |
Q:
The “actors” give very good performances, but we lack a certain context
regarding the daughter - we don’t get to know her friends or her boyfriend, as
the focus stays on the mother-daughter relationship. Are there particular
reasons for this directorial choice?
A.M.: I have to say It’s weird for me to
think of them as actors, as they are “real people” living their lives. The
focus on the mother-daughter relationship is the most interesting for me in
this context. They are the ones who have the strongest bond and that might be
apart soon. Marbelis forms part of an older generation and, naturally, is more
influenced by the Cuban system. Jenniffer is a new force, a generation that
questions this model of life, but is also attached to it. She’s also the one
who has the mission or the burden to carry on the sports legacy. The affection
between mother and daughter makes all the contradictions way more interesting
to me. It obliges both worlds to dialogue with each other.
Q:
The setting is also not given a focal role. We don’t see the buildings and cars
(except once) that have come to typify Havana or other parts of Cuba. Why is
this?
A.M.: What we see regarding the context is
what we need to tell their story. Their neighbourhood, the sports area, the
health district. There’s also the wi-fi square which is a place that is part of
Jenniffer’s daily life and very representative of this moment in the country. I
really wanted to avoid showing Cuba “for free”. I was actually very concerned
to not fall into the trap of making the usual circus full of Cadillacs and
other cliché representations of Cuba. It’s very seducing because Havana just
blows your eyes with so much visual stimulation, but we’ve had enough of that.
Q:
The English title is “On the starting line” but “arrancada” could also be
“torn” which accurately sums up Jenni’s situation. How did you choose the
title?
A.M.: This great idea is from the editor,
Jeanne Oberson. I believe the title must provoke a question at the end of the
film. “La Arrancada” has the obvious superficial first layer/meaning connected
to Jenniffer’s sports activity that you see immediately in the beginning of the
film. But then you think about the title again in the end and you actually
might question yourself where is this “arrancada” taking her? Will she be able
to be “arrancada”? How is this “arrancada” going to be? At least, that’s what
we intended to provoke.
Q:
This is a Brazil-Cuban-French co-production. Can you tell us about the
production aspects?
A.M.: The production company is Dublin Films,
from Bordeaux. The film was actually financed and post-produced in France, all
shot in Cuba (with a Cuban crew) and directed by me, Brazilian.
Q:
What is your next project?
A.M.: Right now I’m in the post-production of
a short film I did in my city, Manaus, and a 5-episode TV series about young
dancers in Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Brazil who challenge the
conservatism of their communities. Although I’m based in Barcelona, I want to
keep researching new stories in Latin America, especially in the Amazon, the
region where I’m from. By the way, the political moment we’re living in Brazil
now urges new stories to be filmed.
Text
by McKenzie/SWAN. Photos courtesy of FiGa Films / Dublin Films. Readers can follow SWAN on Twitter: @mckenzie_ale
