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Press Screening of Hilda by Andrés Clariond Rangel

Hilda by Andrés Clariond Rangel, from the Mexican Feature Film Section in competition at the 12^th FICM, was presented before the press at the Cinépolis Morelia Centro.

Hilda is Andrés Clariond Rangel’s first feature film. However, the film has a very experienced production team. For example, Héctor Ortega, photography director, worked in El búfalo de la noche (2007) by Jorge Hernández Aldana, and De la calle (2001) by Gerardo Tort, among others. The art director was Hania Robledo, who participated in Nacho Libre (2006) by Jared Hess, Frida (2002) by Julie Taymor, and La habitación azul (2002) by Walter Doehner, to name a few. The main musical theme of Hilda is the work of the Monterrey band Jumbo.

The film is an adaptation of a French play and it tells the story of the changes in the life of the wealthy Mrs. LeMarchand who, after hiring Hilda as her new maid, has an identity crisis linked to her Marxist past. The film was made in the Casa Prieto, designed by the great Mexican architect Luis Barragán and named a World Heritage Site. This is the first time that a feature film has been made at the house.

Director Andrés Clariond Rangel, actors Fernando Becerril, Verónica Langer and Adriana Paz, and the producers Jim Stark and Nicolás Celis attended the press conference of Hilda.

Andrés Clariond Rangel on the humor in the film:

“I like situations that border on the absurd, but to pull them to what is realistic so that they don’t leave the plot – that they remain at the limit. I think this tone can provoke more reflection. I didn’t want to resort to a droll comedy or a farce to further exploit the film, because it makes you think that, yes, it can happen, it is on the edge but yes, it could happen.”

Andrés Clariond Rangel on growing up in the upper class:

“I grew up in this society, but I always remained an outsider. I surrounded myself with different people, but I was always close to the upper class. I’m from Monterrey and the upper class there has many incongruent characteristics.”

Andrés Clariond Rangel on the play that Hilda was based on:

“I saw the play in New York in 2005 when I was studying film. It is a very minimalist work, only the lady and the gardener appear, but when I saw it I thought that it applied very well to the situation in Mexico […] I took some things from the play because it is the foundation. For example, the lady says in the play ‘my husband and I treat the help very well because we’re leftists’ and from there I thought of Tlatelolco. I wrote all of the dialogues; black humor comes very easily to me. I write editorials in newspapers in Monterrey, El Norte and Reforma, and I always use that satire and black humor.”

Andrés Clariond staying away from the cliché of the upper class:

“We tried to stay away from the cliché of the upper class, which I think is always represented as a stereotype because we are used to soap operas and bad taste. Beginning with the search for the location, all the location managers took me to see the classic homes of the rich that appear in the soap operas. I wanted a different type of wealthy people, with good taste, so that the mockery would come from there. The film was made in that house which is World Heritage Site, Casa Prieto, designed by Luis Barragán. And from there, decisions were made not to fall into the cliché because I knew that with the theme of the maid and the rich family, people would think that they had come to watch a soap opera. Likewise with the photography. I tried to avoid the cliché, to make it more expressionist, with that, more marked contrast and rays of light. I thought of a more traditional camera, that was not moving, and to make it more classic.”

Verónica Langer sobre su personaje:

“Es alguien que pierde sus sueños y esto lo lleva a la locura. Es la falta de lealtad con uno mismo que la lleva a refugiarse en este mundo fantástico. Creo que es un personaje muy metafórico y me gusta mucho por eso.”

Verónica Langer on her character:

“She’s someone who lost her dreams and that drives her mad. She’s not true to herself and that makes her take refuge in a fantasy world. I think it’s a very metaphorical character and I really like that.”

The premiere of Hilda will take place at a gala on Tuesday, October 21, at 4 pm at the Cinépolis Morelia Centro, with a red carpet and the presence of the talent.

Coverage by Gabriel Andrade Espinosa (@gabolonio)