Cesc Gay: “I prefer my film to premiere directly on Netflix”

BarcelonaThe stories of Cesc Gay (Barcelona, ​​1967) return to the stage and screen. After Sentimental, which adapted his debut as a playwright (The neighbors upstairs), the director has turned 53 Sundays, the play that premiered at the Teatre Romea in 2020, in his first Netflix original film: 53 Sundayswhich will arrive on the platform this Friday. The plot and characters remain almost unchanged: three brothers try to meet one day to decide what to do about a father who is becoming increasingly difficult, and the wife of one of the brothers, who enjoys watching them argue. What does change is the cast: Javier Cámara, Carmen Machi, Javier Gutiérrez, and Alexandra Jiménez play the roles that Pedro Arquillué, Marta Marco, Luis Villanueva, and Àgata Roca played in the theater.

If The neighbors upstairs It was born out of an anecdote about Gay – the orgasmic frenzy of a neighbor – the origin of 53 Sundays It's the director's interest in the arguments that often entangle siblings. "I have a very good relationship with mine, but I've always found it curious how siblings can argue, and how much jealousy and recrimination there is in such a close bond that goes back so far," Gay explains. "There are conflicts from when they were 10 that are still present at 60 and are magnified when they resurface." The film, like Jiménez's character, observes with evident delight the squabbles and power struggles between siblings, and squeezes every last drop of humor from the situations. "Friends can get angry and never see each other again, but siblings can't," Gay points out. "It's like an ex when there are children involved; you never completely break up. And that's what interested me, that inability to fight, which leads you to pretend. And that bourgeois tendency to act like nothing's wrong, but that a little comment is enough."

The fact that Gay's two films, written primarily for the stage, are his most directly comedic works has a very simple explanation. "Cinema has become very serious and intense," he says. "People go to the movies looking for a certain solemnity." Therefore, instead of rehearsing the resigned discourse of so many directors, Gay celebrates that 53 Sundays It premieres on a platform. "I love that my film isn't being released in theaters; I prefer it to premiere directly on Netflix," he says. "Platforms are ideal for a film like this, which is 70 minutes long and has a tone perfect for watching at home." Clearly, he emphasizes, what works for 53 Sundays It shouldn't work for all films. Gay would have been very upset if... My friend Eva It will not be shown in theaters. But in the case of his new film, he insists, a release on streaming platforms seems "very appropriate, without detracting from the film in any way."

A 53 Sundays Javier Cámara, a regular actor in Gay who also appeared in SentimentalHis role in both films is precisely the one Pere Arquillué played in the plays. "They're two accomplices, two actors with different energies, but at the same time very similar and with a tremendous capacity for comedy," Gay points out. "And I thought it would be interesting to bring that repetition of actors to the screen." The director acknowledges that the cast came from the "letter to the Three Kings" he writes for all his films, and that this time it came true. "We've been very lucky." Regarding the difficulty of getting the film's tone right, Gay emphasizes working with Javier Gutiérrez and his character of the successful brother. "It already happened to me in the theater with Lluís Villanueva, who played the same role, and I insisted to him that the key was that he was one of those people who don't realize the damage they do to you with the things they say. I remember a friend who, when it premiered..." My friend EvaHe told me, "I'm going to see your film tomorrow, to see if I like it more than the last one." The typical comment made with utter innocence that will keep me up for two days.

A million-dollar remake

Cesc Gay's films are also in the news thanks to their success at Sundance. The invite, he remake of Sentimental with Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton in the cast, which It was acquired by A24 for more than 10 million euros"I have friends who, when the news came out, thought I was a millionaire now, but no, the 10 million is for the American producers." The director hasn't seen the remakeAlthough he has spoken with Penélope Cruz and Olivia Wilde, who also directed the film. "The producer explained to me the other day that it will premiere on June 27 in the United States, and here it will be distributed by Elastica," says Gay, who was able to see some of the seven remakes which have been made of the film and he's completely fascinated. "It's fascinating to see other versions of your film. The Korean one blew me away," he says. "The director clearly knew what he had on his hands, but suddenly he found a goldmine in a dialogue between Javier and Griselda and started making up scheme after scheme about the guy touching the woman's ass."

The director suspects that the story's international success has to do with how easy it is to adapt. "Producers see it and realize it's cheap: four actors and a set," he points out. "And it has a very solid script in the sense that it's like dominoes: you can't change a single line, one leads to the next." 53 Sundays It has also begun its international tour and has been performed in a couple of South American countries and, next month, in Munich. Gay hopes that the premiere of the Netflix adaptation will increase interest in the text, but assumes that its success will be far less than that of his first work. "This is a somewhat more complex story and, unlikeThe neighbors upstairs either Sentimental"It doesn't feed off sex, which is an ingredient that always sells a lot," he points out.