10 · 17 · 06

Francisco Vargas´ El violin (17/10/2006)

Doris Morales

In the press conference for El violín (2005), the cast and crew chatted about the experience of working in the film. Directed and written by Francisco Vargas, El violin has screened at Cannes, where Don Ángel Tavira was awarded the Un Certain Regard Best Actor award, and the Toronto, Chicago, and San Sebastián Film Festivals. _

El violín began as a short; it was Vargas’ theses project for his B.A. in film. “It’s really difficult to make movies in Mexico, but we worked hard at it and managed to turn the short into a feature,” said Vargas. El Violín portrays the struggle of a small town against oppression. Its story centers around two human beings who find themselves through music. Vargas’ main aim was to explore unconventional themes in this film: “There should be many different genres, different budgets and ratings, but most of all, there should be films that bring up important issues, issues that are there and have to talked about, seen on the screen, and make us question,” said Vargas. _

“I once heard a story about an old cellist who, during the Nazi occupation, had to flee the place where he lived and leave his cello. He would come back to play his instrument everyday, risking his life. This was a person prepared to die for his ideals and his way of life. People like this exist in everyday life, not just in books and movies. They teach us that we have to live with intensity and fight for what we believe,” said Vargas.

Martín Boege, photographer, said: “We shot it in black and white because we wanted the story to have no specific points in time or space; we wanted to show a guerilla movement that could have taken place in the 1970’s or not, it’s the guerrilla of the past, the present and the future. This also allowed us to play with symbols and forms of expression, as well as the different contrasts and tones in black and white. This helped us tell our story and create tension: the two conflicting groups are like black and white. Also, we wanted to give the photography a realistic effect, so we used a hand held camera so the audience would feel like they were watching a documentary.”

Dagoberto Gama, one of the actors, said he felt privileged to work with someone like don Ángel Tavira. Gerardo Cruz stated he would like to be involved in films that deal with real issues. Even if reality can be overwhelming, it deserves to be told, he added. Don Ángel Tavira said he felt honored to work in this film, and assured that winning a prize at Cannes didn’t change him. He still gives violin lessons in his house; his ideals are the same. El violin doesn’t have a distributor in our country, but will soon premiere in France, Spain, Brazil, Turkey, Great Brittan, Sweden and Germany.