Jonás Cuarón presents the mythical Chupacabras in his latest film

the mexican filmmaker Jonas Cuaron fills the Latin American myth of the Chupacabra with fantasy with “Chupa”, a film that aspires to turn this fearsome figure into a universal character in the style of the protagonists of “Gremlins” or “ET”.

“When this script arrived that told the story of a boy and his magical relationship with a creature through the myth of the Chupacabras, I was very moved because I think that something that those (two) films always lacked was that they did not describe my reality”he said in an interview with EFE about his film, which arrived on the Netflix platform this weekend.

After writing the screenplay for the Oscar-winning “Gravity,” directed by his father, Alfonso Cuaronand writing and directing “Desierto”, Jonás Cuarón wanted to make a film that his children could enjoy and that would allow him to expose his culture away from clichés.

“I knew that with the myth of the Chupacabras I could base the film on the Mexico of the 90s and that allowed me to fill it with things from my childhood (…) It was the opportunity to capture parts of Mexico that are rarely captured”, mentioned.

From the music of Maldita Vecindad y los Hijos del Quinto Patio and Café Tacvba to wrestling, Cuarón, 42, made an effort to relive his childhood and the feeling of adventure he had when he visited his grandparents and lived with his cousins. .

BASED ON TRUE EVENTS

In the 1990s, Mexican television began spreading a rumor that an alleged unknown creature was bleeding animals to death, leaving a vampire-like bite mark on their skin.

The mysterious killer was nicknamed Chupacabras and a terrifying representation of the beast was formed in the collective imagination that included claws, beaks and a strange morphology.

Cuarón was a child when the news reached his ears and he remembers the emotion that it caused him to know that such a strange and unknown animal existed.

“Unlike Bigfoot (Bigfoot) and other characters that already existed, this was a real one. I think as a child everyone fantasizes about meeting a magical creature.” noted the filmmaker.

That childish illusion made him vindicate the fearsome Chupacabra and in the tape, spoken in English, he turned him into a defenseless and tender living being who finds support in a child who travels to Mexico to meet his grandfather and cousins.

Evan Whitten stars as Alex, an American boy who, after the death of his father, is sent by his mother to Mexico to spend time with his grandfather Chava, played by Demián Bichir, and his cousins.

“Alex is a complicated character who believes in love for his family, but since his father died he hasn’t shown it”Whitten commented.

His arrival in Mexico will give him another vision of his country and his meeting with Chupa will change his life.

For Bichir (“The Hateful Eight”) it was a surprise to become a grandfather for the film. “I’ve done a lot of roles that I never imagined doing,” he said with a laugh.

In fiction, his character was an important fighter in his youth who, already retired from the fighting ring, enjoys his life with his grandchildren and faces some health problems.

“It was a joy to play this character, I see so many things of him in me, but there is also a lot of my father in Chava and that was very nice to interpret”, confessed.

Bichir agrees with Cuarón in his belief that the film has the potential to internationalize a myth that could be considered local.

“Spielberg created ET and made a very American movie that everyone loved. This is what is happening with ‘Chupa’, we took this creature and turned it into a universal character because the film is about love, family, going back to the roots and knowing who you are.”he expressed.

WITH INFORMATION FROM EFE.