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TODA UNA VIDA by Ariel Gutiérrez Premiered at the 24th FICM

Alan Rodríguez

Director Ariel Gutiérrez presented his film Toda una vida at the 24th edition of the Morelia International Film Festival (FICM), as part of the Mexican Feature Film section. The Mexican filmmaker held a press conference, joined by producer Víctor Léycegui and actors Marcus Eli V. Gómez, Gerardo Trejoluna, and Mateo Díaz.

Toda una vida Armín, a lonely teenager isolated from the outside world. When his mother is kidnapped, his grief forces him to confront his fears and embark on a journey toward maturity and reconciliation with himself.

Gutiérrez discussed the themes explored in the film, themes that give it universal resonance: “There are certain aspects that any teenager in the world can relate to: the onset of sexuality, bullying, and relationships with siblings and parents.”

However, the director also highlighted a distinction regarding the reality experienced by many teenagers in Mexico, specifically in the context of violence: “Unfortunately, the violent climate eventually catches up with them. I believe these new generations have internalized it as part of their reality. We could tell them that it wasn’t always this way. This film is about growing up in Mexico.”

For his part, Marcus Eli spoke about the experience of playing the character and his preparation for the role: “Ariel and I talked a lot about what our own adolescence was like—and, above all, how we dealt with circumstances like bullying.”

The film is also rooted in the director’s own life, drawing from the kidnapping of his mother: “I wanted to capture the fact that I had a complicated adolescence, and, to some extent, what it felt like to be lost.”

Regarding the cinematography, Gutiérrez shared that he aimed to create a film with a sense of suffocation: “We wanted a camera that was constantly in motion, using very tight shots. We believed that by having a camera that never stopped following the character, never letting him catch his breath, we could achieve that claustrophobic feeling,” he concluded.