Venice. Gael García Bernal gets behind the camera again in Man Overboard, presented yesterday in Venice, with which he portrays the manipulation and falsehood of the most powerful classes, in addition to sharing shots with Ricky Martin.
In the film, García Bernal is the protagonist and plays the role of a responsible and dreamy Cuban lifeguard who saves a rich Mexican businessman who is about to drown.
“We are living in a moment where everything is co-opted to be capitalized,” García Bernal said in an interview with Puerto Rican star Ricky Martin, who stars in and produces the film.
“One wonders how we got to this moment where everything has to have a function of profit, of capitalization, of electoral co-option as well, as if we were constantly living a reality show of popularity,” added the 47-year-old actor.
Some scenes in the film, programmed in the Spotlight section, out of competition, also remind us of certain unscrupulous rulers who manipulate their messages to win votes.
These movements are so afraid “of cultural artistic expressions because they immediately blur, break, deactivate what they are building with pins based on fear,” he warned.
Livin' the movie life
The cast has a more than stellar name: the Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin, who has a small role, playing a character who acts in the film that Camilo's wife is making.
Participating in this film “is a very important page in my history, in my work,” commented the musician. Being in Venice "isn't anything, maybe García Bernal is used to it, but I'm not. This is wonderful," acknowledged the Livin' la vida loca interpreter.
“I have been in front of the cameras since I was 12 years old, but at 54 years old, to say that it is the first time that I am working, being part of a cast of a film at the Venice Festival, is very important for me,” he added.
"My part was very short, but it continues to give me. I already saw the movie once and it continues to give me," said the singer.
"It's an intelligent film, with a beautiful eye. The setting was spectacular... I had to be part of this," he recalled with a smile.
Ricky Martin explained that he did not hesitate for a second to accept the collaboration. "When he calls you, you are there. You don't think twice, you are there. Tell me what time and when I arrive. I always admire his work, I think he is brilliant in everything he does," he added about García Bernal.
The Echo Chamber
For her part, actress Susan Sarandon said she continued to lose jobs because of her outspoken support for the Palestinians, despite what she described as a broader shift in public opinion against US support for Israel.
Speaking at the festival and presenting her most recent film, The Echo Chamber, Sarandon noted that some sectors of the film industry continued to reject her for her activism.
"I think the discourse has completely changed when it comes to the historical relevance of Palestine and the Zionist ties to the United States and our politics. It's been a big eye-opener for people to find out how much money the United States gives to Israel; no one really understood it," the actress said.
The latest opinion polls in the United States have revealed that support for Israel is weakening and that sympathy for the Palestinians is increasing since the start of the Gaza war in 2023.
However, the 79-year-old actress noted that her support for the Palestinian cause continued to carry professional consequences.
"I've recently had movie roles taken away from me because there are agencies that keep telling people not to hire me. But that's the power structure. I think that, among people, certainly internationally, I feel welcome," she told reporters.
The conflict has spilled over into this year's Venice Film Festival, where several activists have called on organizers to raise the Palestinian flag in recognition of Palestinian directors whose films are screened at the event.
The artistic director, Alberto Barbera, has stated that this is impossible because Italy does not officially recognize the State of Palestine, but has pointed out that several of the films shown on the Lido show the struggle of ordinary Palestinians.
Sarandon noted that the reluctance to hire outspoken critics of Israel remains especially strong among the big studios.
“If it is a big studio, I think it has not only happened to me, but also to other people who have been told that this is impossible,” she said and thanked Andrea Pallaoro, director of The Echo Chamber, for having chosen her for the cast.
“I have found my family, my people, and I am fine,” he said, which caused prolonged applause at the press conference.
In the film, adapted from Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci's latest script, Sarandon plays a singer who hires a music producer recovering from a drug addiction to work on a comeback album.
The Echo Chamber is one of 21 films competing for Venice's Golden Lion, which will be awarded on September 12.
