Paloma Suau brings the classic “The Lady of the Camellias” to date

Making a film in the middle of a pandemic can be a living manifestation of magical realism. It is necessary to lift “bubbles” of work, and to enter the body of talents and technicians, constant COVID-19 tests must be performed, physical contact must be limited, so it is a new way of making cinema. which is accepted as presented, or discarded.

Director Paloma Suau accepted the challenge posed by producer Rafael Abudo Massó to take a script in October 2020, bring it up to date -both physically and in text-, and start bringing the camera to life during this month. It was the opportunity the Puerto Rican filmmaker was missing.

“Some time ago I was wishing they would call me as a director and I wouldn’t have to produce, because it’s pretty complicated to do both, and I was wishing they would call me to hire me and do something,” Suau said.

The script, as originally presented to her, did not connect her. It was a tragic version of the novel “The Lady of the Camellias” (1848) which, fortunately, had the freedom to transform, bringing it to the present day in an authentically Puerto Rican context. Hence “Les camèlies”, a film that takes place in a slightly more advanced time within the pandemic, preserving the nuances of the original world of the dancer and prostitute “Margarita”, played by Denise Quiñones.

“It’s a classic, but we’re navigating a sea of ​​clichés and I wanted to see how this turned into a kind of homage to something that is part of our idiosyncrasy, because clichés are real and make up a lot of what we we are, but the challenge was like navigating — without making one charrería, Making a good movie, and then I said, the only way to do that is to change the pace, modernize it and find the humor through characters played by first-rate actors, and creating these relationships within them where we get that language that we’re still really doing, makes us laugh, ”the director explained.

They compose the list Xavier Morales, Mickey Negrón, Anushka Medina, Jose I. Hernandez, Salomé Monroig (daughter of Glenn Monrig, sister of Suau), Erick Rodriguez, Junior Alvarez, Carola Garci’a, Yan Collazo, Bryan Villarini, Luis O ‘Farrill , Marian Pabón, Israel Lugo, Cristina Soler, Modest Lacen, Cordelia González, Camil·la Monclova, Heyda Salaman, Braulio Castell, son, and Alexandra Malagón, among others.

“He does not lack respect for death, or COVID, or all the serious things that are happening, or impossible loves, but within the situation is done in a way that we laughed, because even the ugly there are always beautiful things and in everything there is always humor “, Suau reflected on the optimistic message he seeks to leave to the public.

“If you don’t know how to turn the tragedy into something you can laugh at, we will continue to be caught, because these are very difficult times,” he said.

“The Camellias” is part of the character “Margarita” (Quiñones), to whom the owner of the brothel, “Osman” (Junior Álvarez), announces that in the evening they will be visited by a major television producer, which to her it feeds him the illusion of leaving this environment to discover another world. The same night he arrives at the club “Armando Vidal” (Xavier Morales) to enjoy his bachelor party, and there is a confusion, very typical of bug comedies, which starts a love triangle between these characters.

The transvestite character “Ruby”, played by Villarini, is a tribute from the director to the finite Antonio Pantojas, who at the time acted “The Lady of the Camellias”.

“Another happy accident”

Honoring the title of his latest documentary, “The Happy Accident,” Suau spoke enthusiastically about the content of the project up to work on the set. On Monday he completed the first stage of filming in the “bubble” created in Aguadilla and today begins the second in Sant Llorenç, which will last for three days. The last will be two weeks in Aibonito.

“It’s been wonderful, it’s been a long time since I’ve wanted to make a narrative feature film, it’s been completely collaborative,” he shared. At the cinematic level he is “playing a lot” with the sensory, so he is combining long camera shots with transitions to short, closed shots.

About the stage work with Denise, he said, has been a delight. He previously directed her in the project “Elena Sants”.

“The work he’s doing is so out of the ordinary in his characterization … He’s a teamwork person,” he detailed.

Both will have their first experience leading a sex scene, one as a director and the other as an actress. “It’s a relief to have a lead actress who is playing.”

In the technical plan, “The camellias” integrates Abudo Massó, executive product; Yamara Rodríguez, producer, Willie Berríos, director of photography; Luis Edgardo Maldonado and Emilio Olabarrieta, art; Tita Núñez, wardrobe; Bryan Villarini and his team, makeup, and sound, Margarita Aponte.

The songs in the film, “En boca de tots” and “Vamo ‘allà”, are compositions by Glenn Monroig, which will be performed by Denise Quiñones and Salomé Monroig, respectively.

Filming will end on March 15 in Sant Joan.