USA: Director Fernando Eimbcke talks about his Ariel award winning debut film "Duck Season"

Record ID: 784797

  • Title: USA: Director Fernando Eimbcke talks about his Ariel award winning debut film "Duck Season"
  • Date: 7th March 2006
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) WRITER AND DIRECTOR FERNANDO EIMBCKE SAYING: "I think it will get a good reaction. It's a very human story and the audience will be able to identify with the conflicts of the characters. They are universal so they will be able to identify with them."
  • Embargoed: 22nd March 2006 12:00
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  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA6F835IN7BAGOIT28UB6IMOZEB
  • Story Text: After winning 11 Ariel Awards and taking home numerous prizes at international film festivals, Director Fernando Eimbcke's debut film, "Duck Season," is making its way to American theaters. Eimbcke sat down with Reuters and talked about his inspirations for the film and the film's universal appeal.
    The film tells the story of two 14-year-old boys, Flama and Moko, who are left alone on a Sunday afternoon. The boys plan to play video games and eat junk food all day. But things don't go quite as planned.
    Eimbcke's tale follows the struggles of growing up, falling in love and experimentation. The director says he was inspired to write about adolescence because it is a time when teens are constantly searching and looking for answers in their lives. He notes that he was influenced by J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye," which he read shortly before he wrote the screenplay.
    As the boys set out on their day, they are interrupted by the neighbor, 16-year-old Rita, who wants to use the oven to bake a cake. A power outage further delays their plans, so the boys decide to order a pizza, which is guaranteed to be delivered in 30 minutes, or it's free.
    After arriving 11 seconds late, the boys refuse to pay Ulises, the pizza man, who will not leave without payment. When Ulises decides he won't leave with out the money, the boys challenge him to a video game contest, which leads to him spending the afternoon with the teens.
    As they carry on their soccer video game match they are disrupted again by another power outage.
    Left alone, the four characters explore their individual conflicts and issues - Rita's family have forgotten it's her birthday, Flama's parents are in the middle of a divorce and Ulises struggles with his obligation to care for his ailing grandmother. Combined with some potent pot brownies and a hideous duck painting, the foursome have an afternoon to remember.
    The film is shot entirely in black and white and is filmed almost entirely in one location. Eimbcke says the script begged for this kind of simplistic approach.
    "The script asked for it really. I didn't realize it when I finished the script. But I'd seen a lot of black and white films when I was writing. So I went with Alexis the photographer, I talked with him about that. We read the script once again and we decided to shoot it in black and white. It helped the film to bring out the smaller more simple conflicts," he said.
    In his native Mexico, the film was received with critical acclaim. Eimbcke thinks the story and struggles will translate well with international audiences as well. After all, everyone undergoes adolescence and confronts similar sorts of issues.
    "Duck Season" will open in New York on Friday, March 10th.
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