A Night of Etheria: El Gigante
Where Gigi Saul Guerrero gleefully grosses us out.
Last week we talked about Mara Tasker’s Sheila Scorned and I thought it was pretty violent, but it turns out I didn’t know from violent yet. El Gigante’s trailer seemed to promise levels of violence I had yet to experience at Etheria. “It is gory, Girl,” Gigi promised me, herself. Spoiler: she delivered.
Canada-based Gigi was born in Mexico City and shares directing and editing credit with Luke Bramley on the film, which was nominated for best short film at the Fantastic Cinema Festival. She was also hands-on in casting and set dressing. The short is an adaptation of the first chapter of Shane McKenzie’s novel, Muerte Con Carne, which surrounds a sadistic family that kidnaps poor souls desperate to cross to US/Mexico border and subjects them to a sadistic wrestling match with their resident champion, El Gigante. “In short, without spoiling anything,” Guerrero says, “El Gigante is Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but Mexican. I guess that is the shortest way I can say it.”
“With wrestling,” I prod.
“Exactly. Instead of Leatherface, it’s a giant luchadore.”
Seems like the perfect fit for Gigi’s company, also founded with Luke Bramley and Raynor Shima, Luchagore Productions. I had to know: “Was your name Luchagore after this or was finding a book on luchadores a happy accident?”
“No, this is the best accident that could ever happen to us,” Gigi says animatedly. “We bumped into this book thanks to John Skip, who hooked us up. A giant luchadore who kills people is the most up-our-alley thing we could have imagined. First it was just a concept, but the short kicked off so well that we’re actually going to make the whole book. The whole feature’s written — all ninety pages written — and we’re actually going to pitch it in Fantasia in Montreal next month.” That’s amazing, considering this all started with crowdfunding on Kickstarter, but more on that below…
Prior to this, Gigi had already worked in so many aspects of film and TV, behind and in front of the camera. “I think, as a filmmaker or actress, what we all have in common is that we’re all fans of films. We all love films for what they are, for the entertainment value. For me, as a filmmaker or actress, the most rewarding thing is getting the audience reaction you wanted. Hearing them laugh, hearing them cry, hearing them scream, hearing them want to throw up, hearing them cringe. That is just so rewarding and that is worth all the hard work…
“So, with El Gigante, there are certain moments when people go ‘euuughh,’ like they just cannot handle it, then I know I did my job and that is amazing.”
Job well done, Gigi. El Gigante is definitely the kind of film that, while it might not put you off your popcorn, a hot dog (really anything with meat) is out of the question. It’s not just visually squeam-inducing, the sound certainly helps. In fact, it was nominated for best sound at the FilmQuest Film Festival this year. I have to agree with that nom. Entirely in Spanish and with very little dialogue at that, the film’s soundscape is in every little noise — every growl, grunt, tear, and (God help us) squish. It also has the look of a feature film, the makeup and visuals and editing artfully bringing you into this surreal and sadistic world. I won’t spoil the ending, but… Well, look at El Gigante (David Forts). You can imagine how this might end, though the film has an unappetizing twist or two outside of that. Considering this is more a prologue than the first leg of the novel’s main plot, I would definitely like to see the full feature when it comes out. I say when, rather than if, because I think it very likely Guerrero and company will get it done, one way or another. They already know their way around a successful Kickstarter campaign.
“I think the biggest mistake a lot of people make,” Gigi explains, “is they ask for too much money on Kickstarter. And you can do things a lot cheaper than you think. I think you just need to organize yourself, have your fanpage, and have your following in order because that’s what made El Gigante work. You really need to commit yourself to it and have your research for a successful campaign because there aren’t a lot of them, but when they are successful, you can tell why. You can tell from every detail of the project, like how they made the video or involved everybody in the video…
“If the perks are great, the project is original, if all the research is done for a successful campaign. It’s worth it. It’s definitely worth it. But you gotta commit.”
You can follow El Gigante’s progress toward feature status at Luchagore’s Kickstarter, Facebook, or Twitter.
You can follow Gigi herself on Twitter here.
Etheria Film Night is accepting film submissions for 2016. Check their website for more info here. You can also follow them on Twitter and like them on Facebook.
Next up: Arantxa Echevarria amps up the tension in the visually stunning De Noche y De Pronto.
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