American Cinematographer - October 2002 - 14

Mind-blowing Thriller from Spain

A

by Stephen Pizzello
Spanish translation by Marie Pontverges
After

Spain's Canary Islands. Two jumbo jets
on a runway in an accident that
killed 578 people, and the horrifying inci¬
dent left its mark upon Fresnadillo, who,
by pure chance, found himself just
outside the airport's entrance - after
his family's car had broken down for the

challenging

collided

Sam, the God of
Chance (Max
von

Sydow, left),
of

to a game

Russian roulette,
Tomas (Leonardo

Sbaraglia) takes
very deliberate

first time

aim.

ever.

"Ever since that crash, I've

been obsessed with the theme of luck

and fate," Fresnadillo says. "In addition,
I've always been interested in paranor¬
mal concepts, or ideas that just border on

reality or go beyond reality. I wanted to
take the concept of fate and turn it into a
fable, but

In the visionary Spanish film Intacta,
luck becomes

can

be

whether
fortune

or

first-time feature director Juan Carlos

bad. Certain characters in this

nomination for his comedic black-and-

a

or

person

extremely imaginative movie are able to
"steal" the luck of others by touching
them, which presents the viewer with an
intriguing array of existential questions.
What would one do with such a gift?
Would it be a blessing or a curse? And
would this "karmic currency" create a
new

kind of class conflict?

The film's

heady, cerebral premise
will surely generate excitement among
cinephiles who enjoy trippy, expansive
"concept films" like the equally inventive
Spanish picture Abre los Ojos[Open Your
Eyes, later remade as Vanilla S/ry). After
earning a slew of Goya Awards and
nominations (Spain's equivalent to the
Academy Award), Intacta blew minds at
this year's Sundance Film Festival, where
it generated a buzz among audiences
who enjoy their philosophy with a few
Twilight Zone twists.
12 October 2002

impending U.S. release
should generate even more attention for

that
lost, depending upon
has a knack for good

gained

a

form of currency

Intacta's

Fresnadillo, who earned
white short

a

1997 Oscar

Esposados (Handcuffs).

Earlier this year, Fresnadillo's work on
Intacta (which he co-scripted with
Andres M. Koppel) resulted in the Goya
for Best New Director,

along with a
Sundance spotlight as one of Variety's 10
Filmmakers to Watch. The picture has

also boosted the fortunes of

Spanish
cinematographer Xavier Jiminez, who
earned a Goya nomination for the moody,
evocative visual style he brought to his
first feature project.
After Sundance, AC was able to
chat with Fresnadillo and Jiminez

by
The
for
Intacta began to take shape on March
27, 1977, when, as a 9-year-old, he
phone with the help of

a translator.
director noted that the concept

witnessed the aftermath of

a

cata¬

strophic airline disaster in his native
town of Santa

Cruz de Tenerife, in

even though the story of
fantasy, I wanted to make it
seem tangible and realistic."
The film tracks four key characters
whose lives eventually intersect in a
tense,
compelling climax. Tomas
(Leonardo Sbaraglia), a young thief and
the sole survivor of a devastating plane
crash, soon finds himself being molded
into an instrument of revenge by Federico
(Eusebio Poncela), an earthquake survivor
who first gained and then lost the
uncanny ability to rob those around him
of their good fortune. Federico initially
honed his gift while serving as a protege
to the world's mysterious God of Chance,
Sam (Max von Sydow), a European Jew
who lost everything but his life during
World War II. After being stripped of the
gift by his mentor, Federico begins train¬
ing Tomas for a showdown with the
master. However, Tomas is also being
hunted by Sara (Monica Lopez), a police¬
woman who escaped unscathed from a
car crash that claimed her family. Sara's
dogged determination eventually leads
her to infiltrate a shadowy gambling

Intacta is

a

GPEnoasmeezd.t

byJPohorgtes
American Cinematographer - October 2002

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