The transition from a short to a feature film is a risky move, especially when there are raised expectations from previous success. In Chapero-Jackson's case, however, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Shortly following its release, the film has been nominated for the Goya Awards, the most prestigious awards in Spainish cinema, including in the Best New Director category.
Born in Madrid in 1971, Eduardo Chapero-Jackson began his film career as a shorts filmmaker, with his award winning debutContracuerpo released in 2005, which shows a bleak view on the destructive nature of body image-obsession. His next filmLightborne, which he wrote and directed, is an equally intense and dark story about the ways we deal with death. The film received huge critical acclaim and won five awards at the European film festivals.
Though they differ in their themes and storylines, the common thread in Chapero-Jackson’s films is their incorporation of truths about ourselves and the world we live in. They deal with issues both personal and universal, connecting with each viewer in one way or another, playing on the psychological, philosophical as well as the political aspects.
Verbo is no exception. Sara is a teenager who doesn't understand the world which she lives in. She feels much like Don Quixote, able to see the dangers that no one else notices. Her search for meaning leads her to a secret world, where she will embark upon a great adventure in which life and death are at stake.
Incorporating the themes of modern day education, adolescent struggles and mental illness, the director manages to tackle multiple issues, all of which affect many people in today's society. As the most recent reports show, the school drop-out rate is currently at around 30%. “There is clearly something wrong with the way children in schools are being taught”, Eduardo claims. Verbo addresses this need for a critical re-evaluation of the educational system. A post-modern satirisation of an ordinary fairy tale, Verbo is anything but ordinary.
Latinolife: How did you come up with the concept of the story?
Eduardo Chapero Jackson: The original script which I had was about a troubled teenager, who like Sara, is disenchanted by the place he grew up in, has trouble communicating with his family and teachers. The kid finds this building which is probably the first beautiful thing he ever sees, but which unfortunately is destroyed by a construction company, leading him to commit suicide. That was the story!
However I felt that this was too simple. I didn't want to leave it there. There are many, many films I love about adolescence, which portray the hardness of life, but I wanted to go beyond that. Then, I suddenly felt the need to tell that kid a tale, something that would help him. This is how it all started. I thought maybe before he commits suicide, he goes into another world, to learn how to confront all of those things which are destroying him.
LL: Why did you decide to make Verbo in this particular way?
ECJ: I really wanted to make a children's story that concentrates on growing up. However typical stories are very old fashioned, so I wanted to create a story which today's teenager could relate to more.
LL: What were your inspirations?
ECJ: I've always found myself moved by street art and hip-hop. Especially art in desolated spaces, where there is nothing – almost as if hip-hop is ready to appear, as a way to express yourself. From a young age I've also found Japanese anime really interesting, which is a style of cartoon animation. I thought it would be something someone from her own age would like. Ultimately, I wanted to show the power of expression.
LL: Why did you decide to incorporate the book of Don Quixote in to the film?
ECJ: Don Quixote works on several levels within the film. It is a book we all have to learn in school – and a book we all hate to learn in school! The reason why it makes me angry is because we grow up being taught these books, which don’t have anything to do with our experiences, due to the way in which we are taught. But infact, that’s the irony, because it has a lot to do with Sara’s own experiences. She, just like Don Quixote, loses her sense of reality, she goes looking for an adventure, for something lost. So there are a lot of parallels between her and Don Quixote, however both characters have both been taught to go the wrong way, as we normally are in literature. And unless a teacher sparks an interest in you, you can lose so many years.
LL: Did you include some of your own experiences and visions?
ECJ: The story was very personal for me, but I wanted to make it as universal as possible. I think that this age is very difficult for everyone. Even for the people who seem to be well adapted, acting out as if there is nothing wrong, because of course acting in any other way at that age makes you unpopular and rejected. It is a very complex age, and one at which you start to understand the world. This was very important for me to try to convey, sometimes in a concrete, and other times in a more spiritual way.
LL: The film criticises the Spanish form of education. Why?
ECJ: At the moment, there is around a 30% drop out rate in schools in Spain. Something is clearly wrong in the system.
LL: What did the critics say about the form of the film?
ECJ: The film critics criticised the form of the film, as they thought it should be more realistic, without the artifice of that world. However I wanted to bring forth the thoughts and philosophy behind the story and make it more explicit, which on the other hand is exactly what other people liked about the film. At the end, that was my bet. I wanted to create a fable, a fantasy, and fantasies are never realistic. I even transgressed my own style and taste in film-making.
LL: How was the reception of the film by students and schools?
ECJ: The film is now used by schools for educational purposes and in therapy sessions. That’s really what it was made for, to educate!
LL: How did you find working with teenagers?
ECJ: I love working with kids. They are very pure, and if you get on their level of role-play it's very fun to work with them. In this case, the character of Sara, Alba Garcia, had no previous acting experience. We found her in a casting in a school. This was especially delicate for me as I had to take her to dark areas in the psyche of the character. But there are always ways to do so in a respectful way.
