Peruvian director Javier Fuentes-León tells the compelling story of his film that world critics compare with “Parasites” and “Roma”

Nine years before releasing his debut feature “Countercurrent“, director Javier Fuentes-Leon he had the first musings about what would be his third and most hilarious feature film. The initial idea that ended up shaping the story of “The best families” began to take shape two decades ago, in Los Angeles, on an afternoon in which the director and a Peruvian friend remembered with good spirits the scene that marked their lives . “We were talking about the world in which we grew up and laughing a little about how we still drag out obsolete, colonial mentalities, such as prejudice, discrimination, the difference in social classes, when the seed of this project sprouted that over time took a turn”, Recalls the creative about the film that will hit the Peruvian billboard next November 4 after its successful passage through international festivals.

The cast is led by Tatiana Astengo, Gabriela Velázquez, Gracia Olayo (Spain), Marco Zunino, Grapa Paola (Argentina), Jely Reátegui, Sonia Seminario, Giovanni Ciccia, César Ritter, Roberto Cano, Vanessa Saba and Jimena Lindo.

Synopsis

The revelation at a lunch of a great secret kept for 30 years decomposes the idealized world of two upper-class Lima families – and that of their household employees -, forcing them to reveal uncomfortable situations, break appearances, and discover in the process from that meeting a new way of defining “family”.

Wasn’t the story you ended up filming at the end of 2018 the one you started writing in Los Angeles?

I radically changed it five months before filming it. It was always a comedy, but it focused on homophobia. The characters of Marco Zunino and César Ritter were a gay married couple who had their relationship hidden, and when it comes to light, chaos ensues. Mothers by pretending to society create a (heterosexual) marriage for them. It was a funny story, but I felt that something was missing, and I had already touched on this topic in “Contracorriente” and although it was another genre, I considered it convenient to give it another twist. And I like the result, I am happy with the changes I made.

You turned a Peruvian reality based on classism into a sitcom …

Also based on privilege, prejudice, the blindness of privilege and discrimination. We have tried to use humor to talk about uncomfortable things and put ourselves in front of a mirror that does not try to ridicule or judge someone in particular or a social class. The film tries to show that, in the end, it is the system that is not only exclusive in Peru. “Parasites” is a clear example of the class divide in South Korea, and I think it is part of the reason why “Best Families” did so well at Busan, that country’s film festival. The same goes for “Rome.”

It is a friendly choral comedy, but the situation that explodes the conflict is strong, it has to do with a series of invisible injustices that the film tackles in a crude way. There are those who believe that it can hurt susceptibilities.

When you talk about uncomfortable topics, I don’t think everyone is going to love it, so comedy, satire and humor are crucial tools, it helps us laugh a little at the uncomfortable and be able to see ourselves in the mirror without feeling that they are teaching or judging us. And my intention with the film is not to point the finger, I think the problem is the system in which we grow up, it is still difficult for us to create a national identity, and it does not happen only to Peruvians, it is a global problem. Class divisions are global, and the pandemic has made them more apparent. When one speaks of hurting susceptibilities, I think it is important that we recognize ourselves in this comedy, that we identify ourselves with one or another character.

Are you looking to open dialogue with your film?

My intention is to contribute a grain of sand to the dialogue, I am not thinking of opening the dialogue because these issues have been discussed with greater or lesser intensity since we have been a republic, even before. My intention is not to give a negative or pessimistic view, but neither to idealize it. Precisely for that, because I think it is the most realistic, the film gives a bittersweet message at the end.

Hollywood Times, Rolling Stone Colombia, La Opinion from Spain, Close Up from Italy or Cine 21 from South Korea have shared positive opinions about the film. The latter assured that “The Best Families” “talks about class issues with the same bitterness as ‘Parasites’, but turns the situation around with a lot of humor” How do you receive these comments?

I love it, it’s amazing. Always when you do comedy you fear that it is very local and that people cannot connect, and with this film the opposite happens. In Italy people approached me to tell me that they felt identified with the story, and in Lebanon a filmmaker told me that this could easily happen in his country. The same is true in the United States. I am very interested in connecting with Peru, but also with the rest of the world. I live between Peru and Los Angeles and I am interested in having my cinema seen all over the world.

Did the theme of social division present in the last polarized presidential elections influence the creation of the film?

Not really, because before all this happened, the movie was already filmed. We filmed in October and November 2018, so it is not direct inspiration, but of course there is a worldwide polarization, and not only in Peru, but also in Spain, the United States, Brazil, Italy … And the more privileged classes tend to be from the right and the less privileged, from the left. That polarization is lifelong.

Practically all the characters that head the film and have decision-making power are women. Was this initiative on purpose?

Although valid, I am sure that if the film were led by men, this question would not exist. Yes, there is something on purpose when giving women the agency, because I believe that even in societies like ours, it is women who create community, thanks to them there is civilization, because in this film they are the ones who arm and disarm, they are those that try to maintain ties, nurture families and relationships.

How was the choice of the actors? Was there casting?

For some roles I did cast, for example that of the ladies because I was very interested in the chemistry between them, not only that they were good actresses and that they could handle drama and comedy at the same time, that they believed that they are sisters and that they really they are not, they adore and detest each other. That kind of relationship was crucial to the story. To the role of Marco Zunino and César Ritter I also cast them. I gave Jely Reátegui and Tatiana the role head-on.

What projects do you have for the rest of the year? Is it true that you are filming a Netflix miniseries?

That’s right, we are filming a miniseries with Netflix, the recordings go until the end of the year. I also have my band, in April and May I released two songs, then I stopped due to the political situation. I have twelve songs to release, starting in January next year I will release every month or two. I love it, it’s my big dream, and to have been able to record this album with people like Manolo Barrios, Rafo Arbulú …, super recognized musicians in Peru. There are a lot of very good people who have collaborated with me to record this album and I want it to keep coming out. And when I’m done with this series I’ll be back to continue writing a couple of scripts and hopefully I can shoot a new movie soon.