10 · 09 · 09

Tetro represents “new phase” in director’s career

By Cindy Hawes

The film represents a “new phase” in Coppola’s career, said Roos prior to the screening. “It is a very personal film, many things in the script came out of his own life.”

Tetro was filmed mostly in Argentina, a place chosen by the director to get away from the distractions and pressures of Hollywood. It tells the story of 17-year-old Bennie who suddenly arrives in Buenos Aires in search of his brother, Tetro, who left New York and dropped out of sight more than a decade before. But Tetro, a tormented writer, does not welcome him with open arms.

They are descendents of a family of Italian immigrants who settled in Buenos Aires, but the family moved to New York to further the career of the father, a famous symphony conductor. The film slowly discloses the mysteries of the family history.

Tetro was beautifully shot in digital (HD) by Romanian-born Malaimar. “Frances had the idea of using black and white (for the present), color for the flashbacks,” he said.

Roos, who has produced most of Coppola’s films subsequent to The Godfather, described working with the five Oscar winning director as “a lot of fun. We don’t have to talk a lot, we understand each other. We’ve never had fights.”

He said since graduating from film school at UCLA, Coppola had wanted to make films like Tetro, but “certain circumstances” took him in another direction. “Now all he wants to do for the rest of his life is to make personal films,” he said. “No more scripts sent to him from Hollywood.”

Roos praised the Morelia film festival, saying it was one of the three or four best he had ever attended over his long career. He also said that although Coppola had not been able to come to the festival this year (he had to go to the Middle East), he hoped he’d be able to make it here another year.