The path of dreams, that path that the heart asks us to follow in the belief that it will give us the keys to happiness, is traveled on the basis of faith, because it guarantees neither the path nor the destination. There are obstacles that cannot be stepped on, jumped over, or circumvented, as if they were simple stones, because overcoming them does not depend on pedestrians. One of those barriers, hidden behind a veil of more complex bureaucracy, are customs officials at airports who, as if they were some earthly San Pedros, exploit the legal vacuum of their presence in no man's land to decide who passes through. Or not the gates of Paradise, but not before the full weight of Western meanness is descended on lost souls. Diego, played by Alberto Aman (Cordoba, Argentina, 1978), And Elena (Bruna Kosi) in the film “When you enter” A surprisingly simple 74-minute film that keeps the viewer on edge and then makes them think: Could the government invade your personal privacy just to force you to give up your dreams?
Question: Goya reached this point with his character Diego in “On Entry.” I think the script came to you in 2018, what did you initially like about this project?
Answer: Yes, it was probably 2018. I loved the script and then I didn't know anything else. Years later, Carles Torras called me and said: “Do you remember this text?” “Yes, yes,” I say. He said, “Well, I didn't get the financing, so we have to shoot it before then.” So, I teamed up with Carlis and we put together a great cast. Katerina Bionas, who is also a co-producer, also helped us a lot. It was a very interesting and amazing process because we shot in 17 days and had less than a month of preparation since shooting.
s: The film talks about the brutal nature of US immigration policies and is also based on true stories. Can we say that it is a little-known fact that needs to be told?
a: I think he's talking about several topics and he's talking about the tyranny of customs administrations, in this case the United States. This also happens in other countries, but the United States takes the cake. As well as distortion between people who are supposed to have a union. This is announced when Laura Gomez's character [agente Vásquez en la película], a Latin American, attacks another Latin American to see if he will let him pass. Always with that power at hand. I remember a Mexican guy who moved to the United States decades ago, who voted for Trump, and they interviewed him: “But did you know that this guy is going to build a wall so his country’s people can’t get into this country??” He said, “Yes, yes.” There are already too many of us here.” This dehumanization, this obsession with selfishness. It also talks about the love affair between the couple, and about the contradictions of the characters. There are many elements that humanize the story because it starts from a real place, although to get A good scenario does not have to start from reality, and in this case, by virtue of the subject it deals with, it was necessary, because reality is surprising.
Question: What we see in the film contradicts the image presented by American cinema that the United States is a land of opportunity.
a: Yes, it's another lie. The dream, the American dream, “the best country in the world,” it's all just pure propaganda. It has nothing to do with the reality these people live in. Of course, this has nothing to do with the reality experienced by the rest of the world. It's all nonsense and this in everyday terms is also a topic that On Entry talks about in the background.
Frame from “On Entry”.
Q: Racism too.
a: also. We have already entered the world of viewer reading. People leave the cinema with a somewhat bitter smile. Smile because he saw a good movie, which also lasts 74 minutes, and bitterness because it is reality itself. There are people who leave the cinema and say to us, “This happened to me and this happened to me.” Even people with a European passport. These are the things that surprised me too. I thought that with a European passport it would be less. It also has to do with bias.
Question: What we conclude is that the United States has a list of countries, and depending on it, it is very easy for you to enter them.
a: Yes, it has several menus, not just one, and the menu has several colors. Of course, I think it is more difficult for the people of Latin America and Africa. Bruna Kosi, who is wonderful in the film, has a process that takes into account many things in life, in order. She is a young woman who has not lacked for anything, and lives in a place where she is healthy, content, and happy. And his partner is exactly the opposite. This contrast ultimately has an impact when they bring these two elements together. She begins to demand her rights, which is the logical thing and what any human being should do, but the other looks at her and says, “Put him down, take him down.” Deep down, he tells her “You have no idea where we are,” “We're in hell.” There's something in the scene with Colin Morgan, the actor in the customs clearance, when we get into the elevator and Bruna asks him “Where are we going?”, and he says “To the second manhole.” My character already knows, “Boom! Let's go to purgatory.”
A: The film has a very simple concept: a four-square-metre room, four actors and a good script, with very long scenes. Does it almost feel like you're doing theater?
s: Well, not per se because the cut always comes, but what we did was stabilize the character. We played in the passages, but in the opposite way, that is, we told each other everything that the characters did not want to say to each other. So, I reached out to Ben Temple, because he's from North America, and I said to him, “You alluvialists, this and the others.” In other words, I felt comfortable saying out loud what I thought the character was thinking, but I also added things of my own. And we had fun, I can't explain how much fun because, on the one hand, we maintained the tension with the character's problems, and on the other hand, because there was some bestiality, we released the tension and made our pent-up laughter. When we started working, the photography came back, the shadow part, the darkness.
A: It's a short film, but it's an hour and a quarter of pent-up tension, at least on the part of his character Diego. What was the process like arriving at this role?
s: I have chosen a psychological personality type that I have studied, and in addition, I have friends who have this personality type, of course with nuances, but in depth the main axis of expression starts from the same place, which is fear. . . I've built a Diego who constantly has horrible thoughts, but they're actually things that go wrong for him. He is a man, in short, who is socially awkward, fearful, and a bit claustrophobic as well. There comes a point where he gets a warning, an escape valve when they really mess with him too much, and he starts to get upset and can't hide it. He is a good person, but he has his own darkness and contradictions, and this is what causes the second conflict to erupt in the middle of the film. Not only are you stuck there, missing the flight to get to Miami, they also tell you that you don't know if you're going to get in or not, and that's where the first thing kicks in, which is very powerful, and the second is the character, the couple.
Question: This is another great reading of the film. He doesn't have dark secrets, in fact he has secrets that he keeps to himself for a reason and story He talks about how these little pieces of information that we sometimes ignore can destroy trust between a couple.
a: Well, dark depending on who's looking at them. It's another interesting thing. The audience also comes away with very mixed opinions. I watched the whole movie three times with the audience and the fourth time I went to the end to see how people leave, because one of the interesting things about this movie is that you're not the same when it starts when it ends, and that's for the better, fortunately. That's why that bitter laugh, because there's something about seeing reality, but it also has a part of relaxation deep down. Apparently, nothing terrible happens but something is very painful, so it seems to me accurate and interesting and makes people think one thing or another. Ultimately, this is how each person puts together their mental landscape.
Q: That's nice because they made a movie that not only belongs to the person who made it, but also belongs to the viewer.
a: Exactly, because every viewer ends it as he wants in the end or as he can.
Q: The film has a small format, a small budget as well, and was made in 17 films, yet it comes with three nominations for Goya. Is it an award for the essence of cinema?
a: It's a film that has already received 29 nominations and 20 awards. It was also nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards, which are the Academy Awards of independent cinema in the United States, and there it was nominated for Best New Feature, Best Editing, and Best New Feature Screenplay. For example, Almodovar or Amenabar passed through this festival. It's a huge accomplishment for such a small film. It is very interesting what happens with the film. At the South by Southwest festival in Texas, we weren't in competition, but the film showed and there was a buzz. Of course you are in the heart of America, white America. There were many people who came to apologize to the directors. I mean it's very interesting what happened, there's a lot of buzz and I'm very interested to see what Alejandro Rojas and Juan Sebastian Vazquez have to tell us about their new projects, both separately and together. It seems to me that they are two very talented people with a very deep sensitivity, something that is very appreciated in cinema where time kills and there is always a lot of tension during filming.
Question: There is so much intelligence in all the filmmaking processes.
a: Yes, there is a great camera approach, and there is editing that was essential. I want to highlight this, because this movie wouldn't be what it is without editing. It was really a hit in the head. Emanuele Tiziani did an amazing and flawless job.
Q: Personally, this is your second nomination, fifteen years after Goya received Best New Actor for Celda 211. Same nerves?
a: No, with more calm, more poise, and with similar enthusiasm but not the same enthusiasm, because the first is the first. He was also younger than 13, so he was younger, more restless, and more energetic. It was a shot of adrenaline and then serotonin. I am now living a calmer moment in my life, and I am very grateful for the nomination because it is also for the lead actor and you have already been nominated along with your colleagues who are “respected actors”. A superstar actor is a fresh face and it's easier to do when you're young too. Then there are the wonders of young actors and actresses who, fortunately, are doing great things.
Q: Finally, can you tell me about upcoming projects?
a: Well, I have “Disco, Ibiza, Locomía” scheduled for release in April or May, directed by Kiki Maillo and produced by Nadie es Perfecto. It's been a very interesting journey, with a character that has absolutely nothing to do with what I've done so far, and I'm excited about it too. It was an important risk, but the road is full of dangers, so let another danger come. Then we premiered “Artificial Justice,” a Simon Casale film that will spark conversation. The heroine of the novel is Veronica Echegui in special collaboration with Tamar Novas. Then a Mexican series called “El Dentista”, from the Chilean production company Fábula, written by the Larraín brothers, starring Demian Bichir and me as the antagonist. She also stars in an episode of Griselda, although it has nothing to do with Pacho Herrera [su personaje en ‘Narcos’]. To be honest, I'm back to playing some bad guys, but now I'm interested in another energy in comedy, which I want to dig a little deeper into and have a little fun to see how I progress and learn from comedy. .
Frame from “On Entry”.
