Spanish filmmaker Carla Subirana presents today at the Berlinale her film “Sica”, set on the Costa de Morte, which she describes as “a journey of discovery, of the loss of the skin of childhood”, as well that “a cry of relief in the face of the climate crisis.
In an interview with GLM the director explains that the “seed” of this film was the “very strong magnetic connection with the landscape”, which she discovered in 2016, one of the most dangerous coasts in the world, which is like “an open grave”. with this “brutality of the ocean” which “feeds us and at the same time takes our life”.
Sica is a teenager who must cope with the loss of her father, who drowned while fishing, and searches for answers in the waves of the rocky Costa da Morte, while a storm hangs over the fishing village where she lives.
As a documentary filmmaker, Subirana was very clear that the first thing he was going to do was research work to learn more about the marine culture and the region of the Costa da Morte, “the language of landscape and the language of the people who live there.”
In addition, he was interested in addressing adolescence, “a stage of human transformation”, of “vital” and “fundamental” change that defines people.
Another aspect is the unbalanced context of nature, “because ‘Sica’ is a call for help in the face of the climate crisis”, which is why he wanted to put nature at the center.
Thus, “Sica” is a “journey of discovery, of the loss of the skin of childhood”, in which the protagonist discovers that “in the community in which she grew up, nothing is as it seems”. .
But at the same time, she understands that, although she mythologizes the figure of the father, “the current figure, who is at his side and accompanies him, is the mother”.
Therefore, in this film there are two mothers, that of Sica as a central and important figure that the protagonist understands, and on the other hand, “Mother Nature, who is responsible”.
In her research process, the director also came across a series of legends, from oral tradition or that she has read, and which also find their place in the film.
“Sica” also meant a “reverse journey” for Subirana compared to his first film, “Nedar”, a portrait of a family of women – his own – marked by the absence of men, a theme he rediscovers therefore now in his film, screened at the Berlinale in the Generation section, dedicated to films for children and adolescents.
He specified that his first film was “more documentary, with fictional strategies, with fictional structures”, while “Sica” is a “more fictional film, based on a more documentary methodology”, hence this “path to the reverse”.
For actress Núria Prims, what attracted her the most to this project, besides the “great gift” of filming in Costa da Morte – “a region where nature is so strong, so alive and so present” -, it’s the fact of working with non-professional actors and actresses.
“The challenge is to overcome the fear of knowing how to be up to it, to work with the magic and naturalness of those who are not professionals, not to be out of place,” he explains.
For Thais García Blanco, who plays Sica, being at the Berlinale makes her “very happy, because it’s not something that always happens”.
As a non-professional actress, she briefly explains that the filming was “very repetitive, but at the same time fun” because it allowed her to meet people, and later she remembers, a little looser with Subirana, some curious things that surprised her. the filming process. .
The director, for her part, considers that the Berlinale is “a wonderful gateway for ‘Sica’ to have an excellent run”.