Friendship and Fantasy Intertwine in ‘Don’t You Let Me Go’ as It Heads to Huelva After Tribeca Win

As a devoted cinephile with a penchant for stories that resonate deeply and tug at my heartstrings, I find myself utterly captivated by Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge’s masterpiece, “Don’t You Let Me Go.” This film, which won the Noah Ephron Award at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, is a poignant exploration of friendship, loss, and the unique joy that comes from shared experiences.

In “Don’t You Let Me Go,” directed by Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, the profound delight that comes from friendship takes center stage.

Produced by Uruguay-based Agustina Chiarino’s Bocacha Films, the feature clinched the Noah Ephron Award at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. It marks Guevara and Jorge’s third collaboration with Bocacha, a production company at the forefront of pan-regional co-productions. Paris-based Alpha Violet is handling international sales.
The film opens at a wake. Adela, portrayed by Chiara Hourcade, reminisces with friends there to mark the death of her best friend Elena, dead at 39. The friends and family gathered are heartfelt, polite and emotional in this most clinical and anodyne of places. “Nothing here reminds me of my sister,” remarks one.

Grief strikes people at varying instances; for Adela, it occurs as she gets ready to depart in her car. In these initial moments, the extraordinary manifests itself. From this instant, the narrative through the extraordinary transports spectators back to a joyful weekend with Elena (Vicky Jorge) and their companion Luci (Eva Dans).

We’re born to families and fall for our lovers, but friendship has a unique quality that this story captures. At its heart, “Don’t You Let Me Go” is a celebration of friendship’s unique capacity for unburdened joy—the quiet nourishment found in moments shared without expectation or responsibility.

After winning at Tribeca, the movie is now preparing for its next big event at Huelva. A market screening will be organized by Alpha Violet during Ventana Sur in December. Just before the Spanish premiere of the film at Huelva, I had a chance to talk with Guevara and Jorge:

Though the narrative initially portrays a sense of loss, it eventually unfolds as a heartwarming depiction of profound, resilient friendship – the laughter, the private jokes, the solace that only close companions can provide. Is friendship the primary theme of the movie, perhaps even more so than sorrow or are they inseparably intertwined?

Friendship and Fantasy Intertwine in ‘Don’t You Let Me Go’ as It Heads to Huelva After Tribeca Win

How did you foster the noticeable camaraderie among the actresses during rehearsals and filming? Can you describe your methodology for nurturing such a connection?

We put considerable effort into crafting the scenes, particularly the dialogues, to make them seem authentic. The actresses also developed their character portrayals, which evolved as they joined the project.

The title “Don’t You Let Me Go” captures Adela’s yearning to escape her grief, which she’s granted—at least for one more weekend. How did you settle on this title and the words that introduce each chapter, and what does it mean to you within the context of Adela’s journey?

As a cinephile immersed in literature, I draw inspiration from various sources for my work. The title, which exists in both Spanish and English versions (notably different), is borrowed from a captivating story by Alice Munro, an author whose words have deeply resonated with me.

In the finale, Adela appears to eternally cherish her friend’s memory. What message do you think viewers should grasp from this ending, and how does it reflect the common human experience of preserving the memories of those we’ve tragically lost?

One way to rephrase this could be: “There’s a lyric in Maxi Angelieri’s song that resonates with us deeply, and it goes: ‘I yearn to create a moment so flawless it transforms into a sanctuary you can visit whenever you need solace.’ That encapsulates our intentions. Also, the idea that the other person is an extension of oneself, just as one is intertwined with them. As long as either exists, a piece of the other persists too.

Would guiding a project as a director entail significant duty and tension? Would collaborating as joint directors be more beneficial than going it alone in this scenario? How might splitting the role impact your creative approach and decision-making during the course of a project?

Over the course of our shared cinematic adventure, this marks our third collaborative project. Each of us followed our unique creative paths, but Don’t You Let Me Go wouldn’t have seen the light without our partnership—a partnership that faced an emotional challenge and fostered a deep desire to share our experience.

2024-11-15 17:20

Friendship and Fantasy Intertwine in ‘Don’t You Let Me Go’ as It Heads to Huelva After Tribeca Win

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