We spoke with the director about the film that hits theaters on June 3 and in which he adapts a book by Albert Espinosa.
Days before starting the recording of the excellent second season of ‘La Unidad’, already available in MovistarPlus + Plus, Daniel of the Tower chatted with us about ‘Live Is Life’, of which we already have a new trailer. The film, which will hit theaters next 3 of Juneis a tribute to the 80s, to his land, to his friends but, above all, to his mother. “She passed away when the script came to me, she got sick with cancer. Before she died she asked me to do this film because she had never done anything like it. I was very close to my mother: she took me to the cinema for the first time to see ET, she bought me the movies, she was a big movie buff. That’s why it’s so special to me.” tells us.
It all started with a book by Albert Espinosa that tells the story of five kids who are about to spend the summer of their lives. “I suggested transferring the story to my land, the Ribeira Sacra, because making it mine was important to me. I was riding my bike through the same places where the characters in the film go”Explain. “When he sent me the script, I liked the story but I wanted to take it more into the adventure. The movie was more drama and now it’s a mixed bag. As a director, I’m more adventurous than dramatic and he knew it. It has been a very nice collaboration, we have never argued”.
A tribute to the cinema of the 80s
Among the references that the director has handled, who radically changes the register with this film, mythical titles such as ‘The Goonies’ could not be missing: “I am a big fan of all that 80s cinema, of Spielberg… And I wanted to pay tribute to him with this story. Parents like it more than children, because today’s kids I think are more towards Marvel, Spider Man, King Kong and that kind of thing.
As we can see in the trailer, there are fights between gangs, adventures, love… And everything from the hand of a group of new actors, headed by Adrian Baena, Juan Manuel del Pozo Raul of the Well, David Rodriguez Y Javier Casellasfruit of the good eye of the casting directors Eva Leyra and Yolanda Serrano. “They are cracks getting people off the street and this distribution was very difficult. The kids carry all the weight of the film, there is no Luis Tosar here to support them, adults appear very little. Finally, we got a mixture of children from different places: there are two Galicians, one from Madrid and one from Barcelona”, explains the manager.
A shoot in the midst of a pandemic
Much of the filming took place in Monforte de Lemos, Dani’s hometown. “We shot last summer, in the midst of a pandemic, so we were alone there and it was a very special way of experiencing it”. The landscapes, the music and many hours of conversation with Espinosa helped him reconstruct what is practically a portrait of his adolescence. “We both talked a lot about the friends around us so this group is a mix of everyone. Of course, I identify a lot with one of them and Albert with another”. The legendary song that gives the film its title “He was present from the beginning and expresses the spirit of the film very well.”
The film, produced by Atresmedia Cine, will hit theaters next 3 of June from Warner Bros. Pictures. This is the official synopsis:
Summer 1985. Like every year, Rodri leaves Catalonia and returns to the Galician town of his parents to reunite with his gang. However, this year is different for him and his friends. Real world problems begin to creep into their lives threatening to tear them apart. Clinging to the friendship that unites them, the five friends plan to escape on the night of San Juan in search of a magical flower that, according to legend, grows on top of a mountain and can make wishes come true. Because his only wish now is to solve the problem of his friend in trouble and thus be able to continue together. An adventure that will make them grow through a fascinating path full of action, emotion and hope, and that will leave them in the memory forever of that summer when “Live is Life” was playing in the background.
Source: Fotogramas
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
