The Uruguayan “one take” horror film THE SILENT HOUSE (aka LA CASA MUDA) opened in limited theaters this past weekend by way of the fine folks at IFC Midnight. You can expect my review of the film to hit the site shortly. Till then though, dig into this chit-chat session I had with its director Gustavo Hernández. We address the development, the shoot, the US remake (yes, already) and beyond!
Gustavo Hernández Interview
What was the creative spark that incepted The Silent House story into your mind?
The producer and my friend Gustavo Rojo, had 8,000 dollars to either change his car or make a movie in the horror genre. He opted for the second choice and invited me to direct the project. I had the concept of Real fear in Real time in my head, a movie in a single continuous shot that could transmit the fear and the tension in a raw and simple way. Both of us like to risk and this is how The Silent House was born.
It is said that the film is based on a true story. Which story? And how true is that statement?
It is inspired in an event that took place in the late 1940’s in a small town in the Uruguayan countryside, where 2 mutilated bodies were found, together with a few disturbing photographs. We investigated the murder chronicles of the time, but we found fragmented information of the urban legend that reached our ears. What we did was narrate the event with the elements we had investigated. Then we began to put the pieces together to identify the causes of the events that took place in the house and we reconstructed the last 80 minutes before the murders.
How did you and your collaborators go about writing the screenplay? Can you give us a glimpse into the process?
The process was simple. Together with the producer we investigated the police case in the library, and we put together an argument of the possible causes that lead to this sad outcome. We visualized a dozen scenes that we wanted to include in the movie and we turned over the materials to the screenwriter Oscar Estévez so that he would shape it into a script and feed into the story.
How hard was it to find the funds for the picture and how many shooting days did you have?
We were searching for a few months for the location that could hold within its walls the story that we wanted to tell. When we found it, it was a relief because that construction gave us new elements to add to the movie. The Silent House was filmed in five days.
What would say was your most arduous obstacle during the actual shoot?
The most difficult part was the coordination and the choreography between the actors and the technical team because we had to coexist in small rooms and be very precise in the movements and the frames. Through rehearsals and mistakes, we were able to jump different obstacles and we demanded ourselves new challenges throughout the filming to make the content and the visual proposal more interesting.
The film is presented as one continuous take. Why did you feel this story needed to be shot in that fashion?
We thought about transferring the fears and emotions of the actors to the public in the most simple and efficient way, so that the viewer could live them as their own; let the different sensations flow without the manipulation of editing, without ellipsis of time or space. We wanted the public to feel a familiar language and to own the experience of the characters.
In your opinion; did the continuous take angle make it more emotionally/physically taxing on your lead actress than if you would have shot the film in a more conventional manner?
The continuous take helped us a lot in achieving a fluid and believable emotional state. The actors were comfortable with the way we worked, even though the concentration requirement is much harder to sustain. I am very satisfied with the actors’ performance, knowing that each and one of them made their debut for the first time in a full-length film.
Florencia Colucci had to basically be in a state of panic for the bulk of the film. How did she and yourself work together to attain and sustain that?
We had to work a lot at different emotional levels with physical and sensory exercises to achieve a flow in the emotional state of mind of Florencia’s character. Some days were very difficult, when losing concentration meant starting all over and that tiredness began to accumulate on Florencia’s shoulders. She is an exceptional actress and knew how to manage the time and the exhaustion in favor of the storyline and the character. In the audio post-production they had to eliminate my voice giving directions, since I was continuously calling out the actions or motivating the actors in the course of the story.
Now, there’s already a US remake in the can. How do you feel about its existence and were you asked to be involved on any level?
We were not part on any level, but some technicians contacted our team to inquire about some doubts. It is the first time that the United States buys the rights to a Uruguayan movie and that makes us really happy and it also surprised us; the news was a small event in my country.
Have you seen the remake yet? What did you think?
I haven’t seen it yet, but we are expectant to discover the vision of other directors on our work. We really like the previous works of Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, reason why we are enthusiastic to see the angle in which they approached the story.
Is a Silent House sequel feasible? Would that even interest you?
I’m not interested in going back on old ideas and I do not think a sequel would be feasible under my direction.
What’s next for you as a writer/director?
We are working on the script of a very interesting idea (psychological horror thriller) called “The Funeral of Elbert Kurman”. It shares a similar risk and experimentation spirit with The Silent House, but the narrative language is very different. We are very enthusiastic with the project because the story has unique and creative particularities in the way that it is narrated.
What was the first drink you downed at the Silent House wrap party?
Whisky. Whisky.
NICE!
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