04 · 25 · 24

Atmospheric magical realism: Interview with Marinthia Gutiérrez, director of ELLA SE QUEDA.

Gabriela Martínez

Ella se queda by mexican director Marinthia Gutiérrez Velazco, follows Laura's story, who, after a night out in downtown Tijuana awaits for her destiny to come. This short film, made with 16 mm film was recently added to the 63 Critics' Week short film selection, parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival.

Born in San Diego, California, and raised in Tijuana, Marinthia Gutiérrez graduated from UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, where she specialized in narrative directing.

The Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) had the opportunity to talk with the director of this short film that captures the “atmospheric magical realism” that pushes her to tell stories, who tells us about her journey from her decision to study film to the making of this short film, the challenges she faced, until finally finding her way through the Standard Fantastic Cross-Border Scholarship that allowed her to film in 16 mm.

FICM: How did the idea of making Ella se queda come up?

Marinthia Gutiérrez Velazco: This idea was born several years ago when I was in college, and I always knew I wanted to study film. I moved from Tijuana to San Diego in the middle of high school to settle there and apply to college. However, the educational system in the U.S. is very different from the one in Mexico, and I did not get into any film schools during my first year.  So, I entered a film analysis program at another university in Orange County, a bit further south in Los Angeles. I started college with the idea of transferring to a film school after accumulating some college credits in the United States. It took two years after I started college, applied, and put in all this effort before I could get into a good film program.

During that time I traveled a lot to Tijuana because I still felt attached to my home and friends there. I traveled between Tijuana and Orange County, which took about an hour and a half by car or train. I preferred to drive and take the train so that I could go home. That was what was happening. Then I got accepted into film school in Los Angeles and I started to feel very homesick about leaving home all of a sudden. Even though I wanted to study film since I was a teenager, I was very nervous about this big change in my life. I knew I was going to be farther away from home and that I would have to start from scratch again. All those doubts and worries arose when facing such a big life change. Little by little, I began to feel the disconnection when I went to Tijuana, I felt that my mind and heart were already somewhere else. Every time I went out, I began to visualize those places with a lot of love, but also as if I were a ghost, present but distant. I remember looking at myself in the mirrors of one of the bars where we filmed and that was the first image that emerged in my mind.

FICM: I saw that the short film is in 16 mm, does this decision go hand in hand with the choice of the genre you are dealing with, the horror?

MGV: Yes and no. It was a cosmic thing that happened because it had to be that way. During college, I learned to use 16 mm film and to edit on Moviola. I was part of the last generation at my university to use Moviola. I loved that. Before I wanted to study film, I had always wanted to do something related to the arts, such as painting or visual arts. Studying the field in such a tangible way, as it used to do it before, was revolutionary for me.

I decided to shoot on film because I have always loved taking pictures on film. I was looking for resources to make the short film and applied to several calls for proposals, but I was unsuccessful. Then, an opportunity came up for a fellowship called “Transborder Film Fellowship” from Standard Fantastic Production Company. This contribution was aimed at cross-border filmmakers from San Diego and Tijuana. I decided to apply and I was able to produce my short film on 16mm, combining my love for analog media and the opportunity to realize my project. I cannot imagine my short film any other way, especially now that it is becoming possible to return to theaters after the pandemic.

FICM: What were your references or your inspiration to visually assemble the short film?

MGV: There are horror elements in the film. Although I have always been a fearful person, that fear has fueled my imagination since I was very young. I remember an experience in Guadalajara's cemetery that had a great impact on me when I was a child. There was a legend about a vampire that lived there, and that caused me nightmares. Also, since I was little, I liked gothic cinema, and I remember that Tim Burton's films were what made me want to study film. The biggest influence for this project was Cleo from 5 to 7 (1961), by Agnès Varda. When I saw that film its structure and time management had a profound impact on me. I was influenced by both its narrative and experimental style. I wanted to replicate that feeling in my short film, combining narrative elements with experimental. I am also inspired by New Wave cinema for its simplicity and ability to explore fantasy and the surreal.

FICM: How does it feel to know that your short film is in the official selection of the Critics' Week? Will you be there?

MGV: It fills me with excitement and nervousness. I still can't quite believe it. It's like when I moved to Los Angeles, I'm here, but I'm not here anymore. I am trying to picture what it will be like to be there, even though I've never been. It's an interesting combination of different emotions, but I'm very happy and grateful for this opportunity. It's been a long road to get to this point since I moved to Los Angeles in 2016. It took years for me to decide on the story and make it happen. So, in total, I would say from 2016 to 2024, with a pre-production period from 2020 to the premiere.