In the cast and crew’s words The team behind In dog’s words took to the stage at the Odeon to talk about the film.
In the cast and crew’s words
The team behind <i>In dog’s words</i> took to the stage at the Odeon to talk about the film.
Day two of Cine Chats at the Odeon was brought to a close with discussion on the film In dog’s words, Marcos Jorge’s feature-length that tells the story of Santana, (Babu Santana), a dog catcher for Sao Paulo’s animal control department. When Santana catches a huge dog and is forced to put it down, he unintentionally makes an enemy of the dog’s owner, the intimidating thus, Nenê (Lázaro Ramos).
Leading the discussion was the journalist Marcelo Cajueiro, who began by welcoming the director Marcos Jorge back to the festival (Jorge’s debut film, Estômago (Stomach) premiered here in 2007) and asked him about his temporary absence from the big screen over the last few years, in spite of the rave reviews received by his early work. The filmmaker explained his preferred working method of having two projects on-the-go simultaneously owing to the often problematic nature of producing films in Brazil, and reminded those assembled that he released another film O duelo (The duel) earlier this year.
Confessing to a fascination with thrillers, Marcos Jorge revealed that his intention with In Dog’s Words was to create a fusion of genres. “All good films have some element of suspense. My goal in this production, which maybe was quite daring, was to mix together two genres usually considered incompatible: comedy and suspense. It is quite a big challenge to take on, because by making people laugh you risk losing the climactic tension”.
The protagonist, Babu Santana, spoke about the difficulty of constructing a character who is so fragile. The actor observed that his own personal suffering – his mother passed away just fifteen days before filming began – helped him reach that place of vulnerability necessary for the role. “I want to dedicate this, my part in the film, to my mother”, he said.
Santana also expressed his appreciation for the other cast-members, in particular for the relationship he developed with Adriana Esteves, his wife in the film, and with the young actors Thianá Duarte and Vini Carvalho, who play his children. “Thainá is like the new muse of Brazilian cinema, and Vini is so sincere that I am moved just by looking at him,” he stated, admiringly. His praise for Lázaro Ramos, who plays his on-screen rival, was short, but nevertheless, sweet: “The force of the man is breathtaking.”
Both the protagonist and Thianá Duarte spoke about the cast’s preparations, roughly a three-month process, in which they immersed themselves completely in the fictional world of their counterparts. Santana learnt how to play the drums, while Duarte spent time living with young people with hearing difficulties, learning how to communicate using body language and gestures.
On the commercial side of things, the producers Iafa Britza and Cláudia da Natividade highlighted the important roles played by sponsors Globo Filmes and Paramount Pictures, as well as reminding the audience to save the date, March 2016, when the film will reach cinemas. Both producers agreed that the work had all the elements necessary to be a box-office hit, despite not following the traditional commercial model that is selling in Brazil today. Regarding this, Marcos Jorge disclosed his intentions: “Just because I’m making cinema that is popular with the public, doesn’t mean I’m going to underestimate them.”
Texto: Maria Caú
Photos: Natália Alvim
Translation: Gill Harris
See the full text in Portuguese here.
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