The actress Eulalia, Forget it, Ramon (Barcelona, 64 years old) decided three years ago to pause his four-decade career, with titles such as Mater al Nani, The river that takes us, Alou’s letters, The stunned king, Birdy o Goya in Bordeaux (these last two, directed by her husband, Carlos Saura, who died in February 2023), to try her hand at directing. Ramon must have learned something from working with several of the greatest directors of Spanish cinema because his first short film, divine beads (2022), “has won almost fifty awards at festivals,” he says; It was also nominated for the Goya for best short fiction. Now the second one has premiered at the Sitges festival, Agonywhich again is a cocktail of suspense, a little blood and considerable dark humor. Ramon is delighted that the interview is taking place in a room in the Linares palace, headquarters of Casa América, where the outrageous film was filmed in 1981. national heritageby Luis García Berlanga.
Ask. Why did you go to the other side of the camera?
Answer. It was something natural, I have always liked photography and it fascinates me that a story can be told depending on the framing and lighting, and if you have control over that it must be very satisfying. They had sent me the script divine beads to do it myself (as an actress) and on the third page I had an impulse and I said to myself: “I want to direct this.” My intention was to do an end-of-degree exercise, after 40 years of so many shoots, in which I was attentive to the technique, of so many conversations with Carlos… to see what one had learned. And it has been an unexpected explosion.
P. Why have you chosen that tone of black humor?
R. I feel very comfortable there, and I wanted everything to be very contained, for the light to accompany the mental process of this woman (the leading actress of divine beadsCelia Freijeiro), who is up to her nose in everything; It is something that we identify with sometimes because depending on the situations we have all said: “I will blame this one in front of me.”
P. What is it like working with your daughter as a producer?
R. I was excited when my daughter (Anna Saura Ramon) told me: “Mommy, I will produce this script for you.” I like that he believes in me. And each one knows her place in the filming.
P. Does a director who has been an actress have any advantages when directing actors?
R. It is a great advantage and that is what they have conveyed to me. I don’t have a directing method, I’m discovering myself, but as an actress I know that it is very important that they accompany you because everyone has their needs. And I always tell them that we all adapt the text, I like working together.
P. Agony addresses ageism, the withdrawal from the labor market of people who, in this case, are in their sixties. One is a teacher and the other is a hitman.
R. That’s it, although ageism seems like a horrible word to me, but I have also discussed the issue of concerted education.
P. As an actress, have you suffered age discrimination?
R. I think so. There are no papers and sometimes there are prejudices in this world in which everything is cataloged and labeled. Furthermore, I plan to continue telling stories especially with women, and not because I am a staunch feminist, but because it is a way of presenting my themes. I find it interesting to do close-ups of mature faces that say so many things. I like it.
P. Since she started as an actress in Last afternoons with Teresa (1984), what has changed the most in cinema?
R. That was my first contract as an actress, although I was already doing many things. In the cinema nothing looks like that anymore. Now everyone can experiment, you can make a movie with a mobile. The atmosphere and dynamics have changed a lot.
P. Did you experience unpleasant situations on filming that you would not tolerate today?
R. Some, but nothing aggressive has ever happened to me. Of course, I have gotten rid of many of them. They are very uncomfortable situations because you don’t know how to react, although I can get very naughty (laughs).
P. Anything about current cinema that irritates you?
R. There are so many ways to make films. There is such an abundance of content, especially with the platforms, that the purest cinema, the one that does not have large budgets, has been somewhat lost. It costs more to make those types of films.
P. Your next project?
R. Screenwriter María Zaragoza is working on what will already be a feature film. I also can’t continue making short films for a long time and wait because I’m old. I will speak in it of a bestial revenge. On the other hand, I’m also interested in talking about the issue of sizes and fashion, and that of older people who go to the bank and… ugh, they would drop a bomb!