Huacho

Another piece for the bulletin..

“Message is the medium”, famous words by Marshal McLuhan came alive on screen in Huacho by Alejandro Fernandez. This film tries to capture the life of local Chilean peasants who make a living out of small jobs like making cheese and fencing etc.
The camera follows four characters, each a member of the same family with the determination of bringing them closer to the audience. “I used handheld camera and kept the subject close to the camera to make it appear real,” said Alejandro. He added, “The film is not about the countryside it is about the people living there, thus I focussed more on the people and used lot of indoor shots.” Use of dark lighting and jump cuts provide a sense of claustrophobia to the film.
His effort of breaking the stereotype of Chilean countryside is achieved not only through the script but also through his direction. “I wanted to stand up against the capitalistic attitude lurking in the cities. They are often misrepresented in bigger ventures, creating a mockery out of their lives. ” Alejandro believes that cinema should bring out the stories of the poor and oppressed.
Alejandro hails from Chillen and his upbringing in the countryside provided him with valuable insight for the script. “I interviewed a lot of people and would often follow these four characters with a small camera, he said.
Talking about his experience working with non-actors he said, “It was difficult explaining them certain scenes, but the fact that we didn’t script their dialogues helped us.” Alejandro further explains, “People who watched the film from these villages could relate to it, I felt I have succeeded as a filmmaker when one of them told me, ‘It’s a piece from my life’.”
According to him Chilean audience is still not open to offbeat themes. Even watching a movie is quite an expensive affair. Finding funds to make films based on unusual storyline can be quite tedious. But Alejandro’s luck favoured him and he found financers for his venture. “This film is close to my heart and am very happy with the response I have received so far,” he said.
Illustrious directors like Abbas Kiriostami and Maurice Pialat have been his inspiration. Having no formal training in filmmaking Alejandro has learnt his skills by watching and reading about cinema. Being a full time journalist in New York also helped him to save some money for his dream.
A comment by his friend on his Facebook page sums it, “This is a day in the life of a Chilean family after 25 years of capitalism."

By the way, this Chilean director was a delight to talk to. Its very rare for me to enjoy conversations with strangers, with him, coffee and cinema was the perfect combination.


Alejandro