Away [+lire aussi :
critique
interview : Gerard Oms
fiche film] was one of the most pleasant surprises at the last Malaga Film Festival, where it received two awards: Best Actor for Mario Casas and the Critics' Jury Award. The debut feature from Gerard Oms, acting coach and short film maker before becoming a feature film director, arrives in Spanish cinemas this Friday, 11th April, distributed by Bteam Pictures.

Cineuropa: You’ve surrounded yourself with friends such as Neus Ballús (director of films such as The Plague [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] and The Odd-Job Men [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Neus Ballús
fiche film]) in editing and Mario Casas in the cast.
Gerard Oms: Neus has been a close friend, teacher, confidante and companion for a long time - she play many roles in my life. And Mario as well.

Being in such good company, did it make it easier for you to get the project off the ground or was it as difficult as any other?
It took five years to secure the funding and get it off the ground, but I wanted to make the film as a family. Having spent so much time in the world of cinema as a technician, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many people in the industry and see how they work. I chose the team with the best people in mind to tell the story from the perspective I wanted. It also had to be a small team, so that we could film in 22 days. A small team meant we could be agile, and that means doing it with fewer people and good communication.

Football play an important role in Away.
It is a place where heteronormativity and toxic masculinity prevail. My main character doesn’t reject football, regardless of anyone's sexual orientation: much like the Moroccan character in the film, who does not judge anyone for their sexuality. It’s important to create new points of reference, as the world changes through them. These references educate; without them we are condemned to stand still.

But it feels like rigid labels suit the social order...
Everything is very closed off; the world finds it difficult to move. Of course there are people who push forward and become activists, but the majority of society is slowly evolving and changing these labels.

Fortunately, today it seems that diversity is widely accepted.
I don't go around kissing my boyfriend in the street in Barcelona because there’s still a latent fear. I think my film is a “late coming-of-age”, about someone who, at the age of 35, is living the life they didn't allow themselves to live when they were a teenager. With Mario Casas we worked a lot on that teenager aspect to construct the character: someone who suffered from writer's block, but who now, with the first stolen glances, begins to observe as if he were 16 years old. Mario brought both sides of the character to life: the charismatic and leader-like side, but he also embraced the sensitivity, tenderness, and accessibility the role required... the constant shifts in direction that that character undergoes. I knew that Mario could get there, something that he hadn't been allowed to do before in his career, as he had always been cast in hero roles, which are harder to portray. But I wanted to show the world that he has this range of possibilities, which is more about constructing from a state of vulnerability rather than composition. And the result is there: a Mario Casas that we hadn't seen before, and people are discovering him and that makes me happy.

You also address the issue of immigration.
The experience of the emigrant runs throughout the film, which tackles with privilege and identity, two concepts that engage in a dialogue with each other. When the protagonist loses his privileges, he is forced to face a new identity. And when that identity is questioned, he realises that he has no privileges because he is a white European. This is where the possibilities of being a first or second class immigrant come into play, depending on which country you come from... there are as many immigrants as there are people who emigrate, and as many masculinities as there are men. I wanted to paint a portrait of these possibilities, without getting stuck in archetypes, but exploring these places and without polarising.

The film exudes truth.
My first experiences in filmmaking were with Neus Ballús: I saw how she scouted locations or held castings without being intrusive, but by positioning herself as a listener, creating a faithful portrait of the story. I did the same thing while I was writing, I went to Utrecht and engaged with the people there. Luis García Berlanga and Rafael Azcona also listened to the people. As I didn't go to film school, I've learnt to observe the world and listen to it, without imposing anything. And that is present in Away.