Movie theater

Mariano Barroso, during the filming of 'The invisible line'. Lisbeth Salas.

The president of the Film Academy directs the series 'The invisible line' (Movistar +), which recalls the first murders of ETA, and talks about the breakdown of the film industry in Spain

Netflix: all premieres of April 2020

Coronavirus, latest news

In The Invisible Line , the series that premieres Movistar + on Wednesday April 8, death appears as the backdrop in a story full of chiaroscuro. Specifically, this production shot in the Basque Country recalls the first two ETA murders , which were committed in 1968. Some acts that were committed after a long period of internal debate within a terrorist group made up of twenty-year-olds who at the time they felt harassed by the Franco dictatorship. Throughout six chapters, Mariano Barroso (San Just Desvern, Barcelona, ​​1959), the president of the Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences of Spain and director of feature films such as Ecstasy and Hormigas en la boca and series such as El día de Tomorrow and Criminal , tells the process followed by the band until committing that first murder, at the hands of Txabi Etxebarrieta , with a cast in which Àlex Monner, Antonio de la Torre, Anna Castillo, Enric Auquer or Asier Etxeandia, among others, stand out.

Actors and director will present the series on Wednesday the 8th, at 10pm, on the Movistar + YouTube channel, and then the first two chapters will be streamed for free. The rest of the episodes can be seen on Movistar + and movistar.es/lite.

'The Invisible Line' trailer

Is it true that you were able to finish the series in the first days of home confinement? The last flicks I have been able to do at home. The truth is that it has caught me in a final phase, where everything was already questions that could be done digitally. Luckily, I was able to finish it and that it is ready. The news rules: what did the Minister of Culture tell you in that video call on Monday, April 6? As you say, I was able to talk to him. He has listened to the various representatives of the Culture and has taken note of the demands and proposals of the sector. And he has promised to implement them. Right now we are in a survival phase and we are aware that there is one priority: health. And that the sector is still in a very affected situation. As president of the Film Academy, what image comes to mind when you think of the closed cinemas in our country? I keep that image in mind every day that we are confined to our homes. For example, the cinema room that we have in the Academy is empty. It's a bit of a strong image ... (pause) but that's the way it has been. In recent days, initiatives have been launched to premiere directly on platforms and not go through theaters. What do you think of that decision? Well, that is very positive for some movies that choose it. It is a window and an opportunity. But not for everyone. There are some that may interest you and others that may not, which are made to be seen in theaters and at festivals. And we must give them that opportunity and we hope that the activity can be resumed in theaters. What message would you like to convey to those who are part of the film industry in Spain? Specific measures have not been taken because they are being studied. What is imposed is a joint action by the Government, professionals and companies that will have its complexity. Those of us in Culture know that we are like the last in line. But I think it is essential to take measures such as tax exemptions to activate private involvement in the form of financing because the state is going to run out of resources. We don't all want to go call 'Daddy State'. We have transmitted this and certain legal security issues to the Minister.

Àlex Monner plays Txabi Etxebarrieta, the person who committed the first murder of ETA.LS

Do you think that the public that has felt alienated from culture in recent times will value from the support that books, series, movies or music have given them in this time of confinement? Look, I am very skeptical with that. Generally skeptical, not pessimistic. I trust that things will be resolved, but the reality is what it is ... There are many people who say that this health crisis is going to make us change. I do not believe it. Rather I think that whoever is going to change has already changed. Not to have a worse time people are going to get the best of themselves. It is appreciated that some think about it, but I think that should be said by each one and with the passage of time.With regard to the series, did you appreciate that many people will come to see it with a very clear prior idea, for or against? Yes. I would ask everyone to see The Invisible Line to put aside prejudice. All of us who have participated in it have done so. The challenge has been to confront telling something while abstracting from what we all know happened next. That is, the ETA attacks. In a way, it was like a spoiler that affected us both in the scripts and in the actors' work. It is like something, saving distances, when you do a comedy. You know that even if a fight between lovers appears, in the end it will end in a wedding. So here we couldn't start with the wedding in the first scene. We couldn't anticipate what was coming next. The prejudice was great because of the information we have and how what came after affected us. It is surprising to see that the protagonists of the real story, those who committed the murders, were so young ... Yes, we saw it from the first moment . We were all very surprised. They were kids in their twenties. Why are young characters mostly played by actors from outside the Basque Country? With the more mature characters that does not happen ... When we did the casting, the priority was to find Basque interpreters, as long as they fit well. But, well, there are some that are and others that are not. As a curiosity, Àlex Monner, although he was not born in the Basque Country, knows this well because his mother is from there and has lived in the Basque Country for a long time.

From left on the right, Anna Castillo, Àlex Monner, Patrick Criado and Joan Amargós.LS

Was there a problem filming with someone who was uncomfortable with what this story tells? No the truth is no. There is a lot of calm in that regard. Yes, I will tell you that, with respect to what we have here, there are as many versions as people who lived the events or listened to the account of what happened. Ours is a version made from real events and with rigorous, exhaustive and extensive documentation. It is said clearly at the beginning of the series: "it is a fiction based on real events." Above all, because you have to limit it in a matter of time. If not, it would have lasted as long as the ETA story lasted, being a story lasting approximately four hours, have you appreciated having so much time to develop the plot and characters? Yes. I love having what the series has: time to develop the story, open plots, or unfold character layers. You don't force yourself to compress stories as much as a movie that lasts an hour and a half or two. Specifically, the history of this series unfolds over several years. You can show that a character is capable of doing one thing and the opposite and showing its complexities. It is clear that no one is whitewashed, that there are no bad and good ... Here there are bad and good. There is everything. What happens is that there are levels. When you make a movie or series, as has been the case, you don't do politics. Fortunately, the privilege that we who do this is that we do not have to give answers. We work with questions. So a character on a human level can be one thing and, on a moral level, the opposite. He can be a morally execrable type and, on a human level, a great father. The bad guys also buy bottles for their children. In this complexity lies the essence of this series and the credibility of the story. When the stories are Manichean, they are not credible. Even in cartoons you cannot tell Manichean stories. Before Yes. But now even Pixar shows complex and layered characters.

According to the criteria of

Know more