16/11/2023 - The filming of the film noir showcase starring Hugo Silva, Susana Abaitua and Julián Villagrán was completed at the beginning of November

Susana Abaitua, Julián Villagrán and Hugo Silva on the set of Desmontando a Lucía (© Miguel Ángel García)

Desmontando a Lucía is the title of the new feature film from Alberto Utrera (director of Smoking Club [+see also:
trailer
film profile], of the series Yrreal and the documentary Impuros, among others), starring Hugo Silva (currently in the recently released Un amor [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Isabel Coixet
film profile] and the series Fleeting Lies [+see also:
series review
interview: Esther García
series profile]), Susana Abaitua (discovered in the series Patria [+see also:
series review
series profile] and recently seen in feature films such as El comensal [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Staring at Strangers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Félix Viscarret
film profile]) and Julián Villagrán (winner of the Goya for his work in  Unit 7 [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and seen this year in Not Such an Easy Life [+see also:
film review
film profile] and the series The Snow Girl).

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Its synopsis reads: Lucia is stopped driving her boyfriend's car at 200km/h, dazed and bloodied. She shared a weekend at the beach with him and her best friend. Now these two have disappeared and the girl only remembers a small argument that ended with a broken bottle to her boyfriend’s head. This complicates the life of Simón, a legal expert, because when his partner Oliver, a lawyer with financial problems due to gambling, asks him to investigate Lucía and the disappearances, Simón does not know that he is about to take his expertise to another level. Obsessed with Bogart's film noir films, Simon pushes all boundaries when he falls in love with Lucia, the amnesiac suspect in the murder he is investigating.

Shot over six weeks between September and October on location in Madrid and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the film now enters its editing phase. According to its makers, the film will have its own recognisable visual universe, structured around three narrative levels: the real world (expressive naturalism), the memories of its protagonist Lucía (a tribute to Super 8 mm films) and the fantasies of Simón's character (a declaration of love for film noir and comics). A story that can be framed within a new film noir with tinges of acid comedy that presents the viewer with the dilemma of where the limits of our actions lie: Do our past experiences justify our future actions? 

According to its director, Alberto Utrera, "Desmontando a Lucía is a story that depends a lot on the point of view. For me it is a story of characters trying to survive in very complicated situations. Like Lucia, Simon and Oliver, we do what we can with what we have.” He concludes, "It’s also a declaration of love for the cinema I grew up with and where some of its characters take refuge to try to endure a reality that overwhelms them and makes them make complicated decisions."

Desmontando a Lucía is a film by Garajonay Producciones. Carlota Amor, Fede Pajaro and Juanjo Amor are the executive producers. It will be released in Spanish cinemas in 2024, distributed by Tripictures.

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)