Martín Rodríguez Redondo – Marilyn #Berlinale2018

PODCAST| Mario Galasso interviews Martín Rodríguez Redondo, director of the film Marilyn.

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1979, Martín Rodríguez Redondo studied filmmaking for cinema and television at the Centro de Investigación Cinematográfica (CIC) in the same city. He has been assistant director and producer on numerous documentaries. In 2016 he directed the short film Las liebres which screened at international film festivals and won the short film competition at the Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA) in Argentina. Marilyn is his debut feature as a director. FRED Film Radio met him during the Berlinale and learnt from him those “true facts” his film was “inspired from” – as opposed to “based on”, a distinction Martín seems to care about – and discussed with him violence representation in contemporary cinema.

Marilyn:  There’s not much going on in this part of rural Argentina where a shy young man named Marcos lives with his family. Theirs is a modest existence, where gender roles are clearly demarcated. The hot summer doesn’t make life any easier, but money needs to be earned and the herd of cattle must be kept together. Marcos manages to carve out little islands of freedom during his routine; in these moments he likes to put make-up on his childlike face or slip into colourful dresses behind closed doors. Carnival is just around the corner; this year’s event will change Marcos’ life as dramatically as the family’s unexpected relocation. Martín Rodríguez Redondo’s cinematic debut is a tender portrait of youth and initially repressed self-discovery, told with serene understatement, devoid of guiding music. The roar of motorbikes promises both freedom and danger and, although there appears to be no escape from this world, the situation is far from hopeless for at some point young Federico appears on the scene. The images are contemplative and the narrative linear, yet the course taken by the film’s seemingly predictable trajectory is nonetheless surprising. A story based on true events.