The finely oiled directorial duo of Isaki Lacuesta and Isa Campo presented their new film The Next Skin at a press conference. They wrote the script for it ten years ago and tailored it to actress Emma Suárez. "Casting Emma was a clear choice, but Álex Monner was still a small boy ten years ago, so we obviously couldn't have been counting on him. Luckily the film kept not coming out, so Álex had time to grow into the part," said director Isa Campo with a smile, commenting on the casting of another main role.
After Almodóvar's Julieta at the 51st KVIFF, Emma Suárez has now appeared in a second film, in which she plays a single mother who has experienced the tragedy of losing a child. "This mother wants to create a bond, any kind of relationship, even if not a blood one. It's a love that goes beyond relationships, whether between a father and son or mother and son," director Lacuesta and actor Monner add.
Aside from Álex Monner, who is planning to take some time off acting to study directing, Sergi López also stars in the film. He signed on for the movie about a lost son with amnesia coming back because he liked the story and his character: "The Next Skin is a constant game of doubts. No one has a clear identity so the viewer must look under the surface of things a lot."
The film's thriller mood is further underscored by the environment of a small town in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees. "We had to find a village with a closed society so that the film makes sense," producer Rafa Portela adds. "The hint of psychological changes was also helped a lot by the change of accents, with Álex shifting from a French accent to a Catalan one over the course of the film. This aspect is lost a bit abroad, but nothing can be done about that," says director Isaki Lacuesta.
