21/08/2024 - Young newcomer Julia Sulleiro stars in a road movie where she travels around Galicia and meets Isak Férriz, Manuel Manquiña, Marta Larralde, María Pujalte and Maggie Civantos

Director Carlos Solano (left) with actors Isak Férriz and Julia Sulleiro during the filming of Leo & Lou

Leo & Lou, the debut film by Carlos Solano - Goya-nominated in 2018 for Strangers on the Road - has recently finished shooting in Galicia. The film stars Isak Férriz (most recently seen in the film We Treat Women Too Well [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and in the series Burning Body) and the young newcomer Julia Sulleiro, supported by Manuel Manquiña (last year in Un hipster en la España vacía), Marta Larralde (awarded at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for León and Olvido, recently in the series I Don't Like Driving), María Pujalte (two-time Goya nominee and seen this year in the series Clanes [+see also:
trailer
series profile]) and Maggie Civantos (series Locked Up and Express).

Written by Carlos C Tomé and its director, we are introduced to Leo, an orphaned mute girl (played by Julia Sulleiro) who fails to fit in socially and escapes from the shelter where she lives in order to go to a fishing competition that reminds her of her parents. On the way, Lou, an out-of-work maverick (Isak Férriz), finds her hitchhiking and, without knowing the girl's real purpose, agrees to take her in his car thinking that he is returning her home. Together they will set out on an adventure in which, despite the obstacles they encounter along the way, they will become inseparable and discover the extraordinary significance of the word family.

According to Carlos Solano, this film “uses journey as a visual reflection of the inner world of its characters, on a road trip whose destination is not really a physical place, but encountering yourself and others. It is a feel-good movie that explores the difficulty of communicating for different reasons, so that non-verbal language becomes vitally important.” He concludes, “Lou is a nihilist and Leo is mute. However, despite them both finding it difficult to establish relationships with other people, they connect, support each other and manage to create a special bond.”

Carlos Solano's previous works, which include advertising, include the award-winning short films We Are Friends (2014), El club de los 27 (2015) and Strangers on the Road, nominated for a Goya in 2018.

Leo & Lou is being produced by Zeta Cinema and Frida Films, in co-production with British company Lunatica Limited and Romanian firm Motion Picture Management in partnership with LipSync and Richmond Pictures. It includes the participation of RTVE and CRTVG, with funding from the ICAA and the Community of Madrid, and is supported by Creative Europe - MEDIA and AGADIC through the Spanish Audiovisual Hub. The film will be released in Spanish cinemas and distributed by Filmax.

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)