Film
INTERVIEW
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IN «and HANDS (15) 100mm .0.
INTLRVILW "
MEXICANO MIRTH . ., .. . ,. .. . . .. . Tony McKibbin holes up in an apartment with FERNANDO EIMBCKE, f ‘ ,. . a .
the young director of the new Mexican comedy film Duck Season. " ' ‘ ‘ ‘ / " ' L ’ '
Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke (pictured) insists that his fresh, '_ : .x 'v : ' z .- : ‘ low-ish budget monochrome comedy Duck Season was ‘made with a ~ ' : v , r~ ' : ~ ~ -,-' t 28:. lot of love’. But this isn’t just the usual press pap where a filmmaker and . : l’ ‘. '~ 1 his cast tell the press they all adored working with each other. Embcke ;' = : ..:t-' 2 w 4-. ".z: .: v Av ' l ,‘v ' makes this emotional aspect central to his aesthetic. He wanted to z -- 'x:'.: J ' iw 'v '.’..- .1" ' 4 make a film with minimum technical hassle, so he could concentrate on 3-» .~ ~. '2 .1: l :. :sww i.» ' z w ' the evolving relationship between his four characters: the two 14-year- ‘ .z' .m- i v .t‘r "l H L. w. l ' z:' old friends, Flama (Daniel Miranda) and Moko (Diego Catafio), the 16- " ' w l >' . K °¢ ‘v .z ’r': ..-:i f" w year-old neighbour Rita (Danny Perea), and the older pizza delivery guy, ~ -.: v i; '- 4+ .mr r w i»; Ulises (Enrique Arreola), who won’t leave until the kids pay him the .11 . l r ‘ it . l 31" ; iv " M iw- my moneyowed. :v.;.::: 5 l.’ "2.1,
Eimbcke only used available light and simple camera set-ups to free .:. "; 'm ‘ : i' i. ’ ;, 2-. H, v : l. the actors up to move within the frame. Not that the they were given l 1'».- r: in" w 53« « if 21. ,r; .- lw- 1 free rein. Enrique Arreola is best known in Mexico for playing farcical : z 't w A” .1. Inmw i .w m rw / v' ; "' w/ roles: ‘I had to ask him to tone down his body language, because the i 2'7" . rm". mi. " ; w t. l ~.n..:'i 7' (l' .«' w film’s very tone was very subdued.’ , ~ Ui'ln.’ I M
It’s a style the director believes comes out of the immediate dynamic fl» 2: . Am ' E atw . '2 t w ". of cast and crew. When asked about influences, he says: ‘I really admire ;ft~. m, x m: v. Jim Jarmusch; and I once read an interview with Kevin Smith where he i)» T ' AWMT-r K ' it! M‘r' T .' v ’ '°. " ,1 talked about concentrating on the actors. I liked that.’ He also name- z g: hm: .z’ '* .z‘H-Jz'l. r z '. Ir checks John Hughes' mid-80$ film The Breakfast Club. ‘I never really : .~ '* "i w' r l" T’ w z' ‘ l x1 z. thought about it until afterwards, but Duck Season shares many Xxx T"-:- ' :1 .»- °i “ ,z (y I r H .r Tu" 1"": .i ,. similarities with Hughes’ film. There is a similar sense of unity. Both are :- iv '~ 2 x »f;'~,'-:’l m, w”) /‘/."’ 2/ 1;" aboutpeoplebondinginashortspaceoftime.’Healsomentions ~‘.'::~:::,,:'--.'.'~' .:{*:'.‘:"_‘:1 "w.- l':"1:r",l~":.... Yasujiro Ozu, saying he saw the Japanese master’s work in Berlin. ‘l 4. 2». 2w '.' w ' :‘w ° ‘iw: .':’,‘. N: 'v i ' "' was especially struck by Tokyo Story, seeing it on a massive screen and "ng' a. .: ~ 1‘ "l-:' , r w: r, w i w . yet with the story so intimate.’ m». .z v N. " . m V. ,2: : .».- , '
When asked about other Mexican filmmakers and their moves into "'51; g: , z' i at . , :lJ' M -:, . a ' ' i'~1' « .f' ‘- Hollywood filmmaking, Eimbcke is both generous and modest. '. : _: .1. :nr‘l '.-- T' w ‘ w ’,;:' :xmw ‘Filmmakers like Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro can move ' .~ ' :-,-' : w" .z' ,. wxw 1. mg» ’; ,zm-m' m'w: between Hollywood and Mexico. They have great flexibility.’ Could he g: : .:: :' 'T" ; ',' 'r, f' t,- E»:..: «win 1":‘:' n. l make Hollywood cinema? He’s not sure, seeing himself more as an . ..: t. w ' y :, 'v xzqw, T' ~;. w,- ' t,- ' emotional director than a logistical one, more given to the specifics of ' 2'. : -- " -. r: 3 1m ,' was 1‘3 ° ’11'I:', '. ' I ' performance over the pyrotechnics of suspense cinema. 1, y :" .1 .; I ’; ~ :. .:,f‘. ":1? . aw; mf‘w'
Eimbckealso shows himselfinDuck Season to beagreatfilmmaker 'E€'-,-»:. ' 'x ', ’12,: :;".:,-rr:m,-m,"'; ' saw." of the slow-burn gag. There’s a running joke about a power shortage ..'. '~ 1w: 1 ,a-::' f' I.- u 52' f: " ~ g a that culminates in a moment of utter frustration on the characters’ part ' ~ I, r ’l‘:"~’:' 2 ~ ' w,- ‘1 ',.~':' " ‘:i,'51'.‘: and all round hilarity on the audience’s. It shows a filmmaker willing to I . (3 .. 1' -- -.', C- .. mgm :' ': :zgzzw E aw. '3': a work humour not for immediate laughs, but an accumulative pay-off. .«' :i w _. :' ; ' ,' " ~ »" ;»’:' I:'::'.‘: " {,- ‘H '. m '. ', ' I;‘:’l‘:’. He's also willing to play with the audience’s perceptions in relation to ' .2" ' '3 " , ~ no the image. I , t ' ,. man-'1, .‘Jrry :; -’:'.I: ‘:
At one stage in the interview Eimbcke talks about film money, and 'c'fi'E’E‘K "-2". a .:. " a: K; ' how he generally prefers tax breaks to government funding, with the .' ’zf'ap/ 3w" 2 :x; " rm.-
. . , 15 89min 0.. latter havmg too much say in what gets made. $0 With Hollywood ( ) :x r.» r: an
unlikely. and government funding suspect, Eimbcke may have to ' " w : ~42: ~,- : : ' 3'»:- w, ' ’.":»’;' T’. ' a " I.- 10.2",“ develop a career in low budget works. If that is so he’s already found a ' ' . . .' ; 53:" 32. a " , 'T’. 2/; e. ' ’5 " Hf " r; " ~':',’.I:'y; 4:1,;
tidy little form and style in which to continue working. (Tony McKibbin) : :z _. -: : .-.f .' . :.. ‘12? 1/; ' f’ ~ 2:: 'v r;’:::,' a '. . , I:
I Duck Season IS at Film/muse, Edinburgh from 29 Am mm: Tm; 5 Mai, ,» ' z.’ 4 ~ I :1. I. , w ~ ,v r I, v w r ’5 r, .’ HQ”). and GFT. Glasgow from Tue 77 Mail—Tim 79/1/73; on/v. See page 18 ' P: Lu r,- -\ . I
8;]. 1/17,»; r.',.irl.;‘.’)tl. 1‘73," Fr; 2/} /:"/f'
46 THE LIST . "