Pau Roca: "A father's job is to accompany without being cloying"

The two siblings in the play, Ernest and Sandra, have opposing memories of their dying father, Climent. In my case, the memory is more multifaceted. I see my father's good sides and also the bad ones, which are not about authoritarianism, but about a certain affective and emotional neglect. One of those men from an era when it was thought that men don't cry, who only knew how to communicate with their children by talking about FC Barcelona. There is a lot of reflection on fatherhood, from many aspects.At the farmhouse, however, strange things happen.

— Ernest is not intimidated by supernatural events because he is open to trying to understand everything that lies beyond life, as well as the legends of the place. He has undergone several therapies because he is experiencing an existential crisis. His partner has just left him and he sees that he will not be able to form a family, which is what he desires.

A sentence from the play.

— "Sometimes it's harder to communicate with the living than with the dead".

Both parents and children like fear.

— My son likes horror movies, and a lot. In fact, he would like to watch movies for an age that is not yet appropriate for him. We have sometimes given in and sometimes it has gone well and other times, not. He has seen The Nun three times. Twice at the Sala Villarroel, when he was eight years old, once from the stalls and once from behind the stage, which he loved. And he has also come now, as we have just premiered at the Teatre Borràs.

What amazes you about your son?

— So many things. Look, just a few days ago we went to the snow, to do some exploring with a sled and huskies, and one thing that amazes me is the connection he has with animals. It's amazing. I've always liked them a lot, but I notice that he goes beyond, he almost has a mystical connection.

What interests you right now?

— Well, he's been very hooked, for only three months, on table tennis, on ping-pong. He's obsessed with it, and I love it. He's very persistent. He doesn't give up. He doesn't get discouraged when something goes wrong. And I've always noticed this, I don't think he learned it from his father or his mother. I've always seen this in him, a beautiful stubbornness.

How would you define yourself as a father?

— I don't know very well. What I do know is that I fight a lot to be serene, happy, and calm in my life so I can give the best of myself to my son. I believe it's important to transmit calm, serenity, and enthusiasm to children. When I'm with him, I try to give him my full attention.

What does being a father entail?

— Accompany without overwhelming, without being too much on top of him. Sometimes I might be very excited to ask him how the Olympics at school that week went, but I understand that he might need space and that he will explain it to me when he wants to. To be able to accompany him, be available to resolve his doubts, his insecurities, but to do so in a way that is not too intrusive. This seems like a great challenge for me as a father.

What do you like, especially?

— The feeling that he is gaining autonomy, that he is developing more personality and a much more grounded curiosity about everything. I like that at nine years old he is still a child. Sometimes, in other mothers and fathers, I see too much haste to make their children grow up. I like to see that he still retains a lot of innocence.

What else?

— Accompany him to school. Lie in his bed when it's time to go to sleep. Play with him, many things. With this ping-pong thing I'm delighted because it's a relatively easy two-player sport to learn and it's allowing us to share many moments, just him and me. I like to see how he reads and help him with his reading. I love seeing him eat things he likes. In short, we wouldn't finish.

Tell me about a perfect Saturday with your son.

— Get some sleep, because my son knows how to sleep and doesn't get up at seven in the morning. Then watch cartoons for a while while I work around the house. He's very hooked on Dragon Ball now. Later, maybe we would play ping-pong. Afterwards, we would eat with his grandmother. We would surely go to the cinema, to the Verdi or Phenomena, now that they are reopening, or to the Bosque. I also really want to take him to Camp Nou again, as I am a member and we haven't been for a while. Things like that.