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We Have a Responsibility to Future Generations: LOS AMANTES SE DESPIDEN CON LA MIRADA Press Conference

Omar Sosa

A press conference for Rigoberto Perezcano's new film, Los amantes se despiden con la mirada, was held during the 23rd Morelia International Film Festival (FICM). This film marks the Oaxacan director's fourth visit to the festival, having already won the award for Best Medium-Length Documentary at the 1st FICM and Best Mexican Feature Film at the 12th edition of the festival.

The director was joined by producer Cristina Velasco; actresses Ximena Figueroa and Sonia Couoh; and actors Pedro Miguel Javier, Guillermo Nava, Ariel Galván, and Marco Dzul.

“What you saw is a film that has involved a very long, beautiful, and suffocating process, because we began filming on Monday, February 24, 2020, the year the pandemic began,” Rigoberto Perezcano explained. This forced pause helped the director let the idea ripen into what he is presented at FICM this year.

The producer, Cristina Velasco, thanked the press for their presence, acknowledging the importance of the media in bringing the issues addressed in Los amantes se despiden con la mirada to the forefront.

One idea remained constant from the beginning of the project: the rejection of habits and dynamics that violate the rights of underage women to freely choose their own path in life. “As long as the words ‘tradition’ or ‘customs’ are used when the rights of girls and boys are being violated, I will be against it.”

“Rigo's honesty and openness to what the women on his team had to say made this happen,” said actress Sonia Couoh about the trust that existed to contribute to the project.

Couoh also recognized cinematographer Juan Pablo Ramírez's work in portraying such a harsh situation poetically and transparently, free of judgment.

Velasco complemented the comment, pointing out that one of the film's strengths is that there are no good or bad characters, only characters trapped in their circumstances. Newcomer actress Ximena Figueroa agreed, saying that the project's intention is not to point fingers or judge the events, but rather to encourage the audience to observe the lives these characters lead and ask themselves what could be improved upon.

Ariel Galván, an actor, shared the same view, adding that, in addition to being part of the project, his job is to shape his own principles and take responsibility for future generations. “We can be dads, moms, kids, or siblings. No matter where we are, we can raise generations that respect and love women,” he said.

Guillermo Nava reflected on the film's central theme, pointing out that the most subtle violence is the kind we have become so used to that we no longer notice it. This understanding was crucial for the actor, who underwent a profound growth process during production. He wasn't a father before filming, but having a daughter made him feel more connected to the story.

Nava said that the biggest challenge with his character was “not judging him, because he does something that's difficult not to judge at first glance.” In that way, he was able to “understand the pain he experiences, and how he became entangled in all of this normalized violence.”

Rigoberto Perezcano confessed that the real intention of Los amantes se despiden con la mirada is to screen it in all those communities where this practice is still considered a tradition. “The natural need of the film is for it to make it there, and be screened. For girls, boys, men, and older women to see it,” he explained.

On the cast and its generational diversity, the director explained he decided to work with non-actors, especially young people, because he enjoys watching them interact and learn from those who have professional training and experience.

Perezcano expressed his desire to continue filming in Oaxaca, although he also feels the need to explore stories in other places. “I want to take other risks, I want to make other films, films that challenge me, that present me with artistic risks,” he concluded.

Los amantes se despiden con la mirada tells the story of Elida, a 16-year-old girl forced into an arranged marriage with Damián, an older, arrogant man, by custom and tradition. However, she rejects these old dynamics because of her love for Olivo, a young man who keeps summoning her dead father.