Juan Minujín premieres El suplente: the difficult task of teaching in slums against the advance of drug trafficking

Juan Minujín and Diego Lerman, star and director of Alternate, are ready to present their new film. The international premiere took place this Sunday (September 11), at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The cast of this co-production is completed by Rita Cortese, María Merlino, the Chilean Alfredo Castro, recognized for his participation in films such as No Y The cluband a group of non-professional actors.

The film tells the story of a literature teacher who begins teaching in a high school in a suburb of the city, where he must win the trust of his students and integrate into a world that is completely different for him.

The plot includes the problem of the advance of drug trafficking in vulnerable neighborhoods and its filming took place in various locations of Isla Maciel, Avellaneda, Barracas and Lugano.

After going through the upcoming San Sebastian Festival, where he will participate in the official competition in search of the Golden Shellwill open the Biarritz Latin American Film Festival (26 September) e its arrival in local theaters is scheduled for next 20 October.

Almost with one foot on the plane, the interview, first with Minujín and then with Lerman, allows an approach to the genesis of the film and the filming in the middle of the second wave of the pandemic.

Pandemic and after …

Juan, what attracted you to the proposal?

Minujín: In principle, he works with Diego. He is a director that I admire and whose films I have seen. Also, the script, which I really liked. I know Diego has been working on it for many years. I read it and loved it. In between came the pandemic and we suspended everything, because we didn’t know what was going to happen to the project. Like this the main attraction was the combination of the work with Diego and the story.

A very current story …

Minujín: Yes, in the research I did, sometimes with Diego and sometimes alone, that It included going to schools in popular neighborhoods, meeting many teachers, participating in various classes, we were able to see the relevance of the topic.

Speaking with Nacho Levy, from The powerfulSince I was also in the Fatima district (Villa Soldati) with people from this movement, I verified that the situation is very current. What role does education play as a safety net? You can see how drug trafficking progresses in neighborhoods and takes advantage of the weakness of younger kids.

The advance of the drug traffickers

The most vulnerable …

Minujín: Exactly. It is very difficult to talk about social policies without talking about drug trafficking. Unfortunately, that’s the way it is. Leaving aside the question of drug use, moral or otherwise, there is something that has to do with the reality that these people experience every day.

It is alarming that no one takes the matter seriously, with the complexity and the complete answer it should have, does not just focus on the punitive. It is a very complex thing to deal with.

Actors “not” actors

Young people who are not professional actors participate in the film, how did you work with them?

Minujín: They are all guys who came out of a casting of María Laura Berch, who in turn trained them. I think it was the most challenging experience because it’s always working with non-actors. Also, there was a full group here representing the students. Diego likes to look for a certain spontaneity, but the bond with and between them has been tried a lot. In addition, I also attended the hearings.

What was the relationship like?

Minujín: Towards the end, something very emotional was generated because we were saying goodbye. For us it was perhaps a more normal situation because you finished a job and then entered another; for the boys, on the other hand, it was something unique because it was the first thing they did. Many of them would never have imagined acting. The last two weeks of filming all the school scenes were over.

The actor’s raw material

In these cases where the characters are almost a carbon copy of real life, to what extent does the actor apply his experience?

Minujín: I think even when the character doesn’t have circumstances similar to mine, To a large extent, the raw material we actors work with is our experience, both human and personal. When you take an increasingly microscopic look at that human being, you find more things.

I always put my experience into roles, both in this story and as an undercover cop inside a prison. Maybe what I get has nothing to do with me, but if I don’t, I don’t know what else to put on.

What was it like finally working with Lerman? Were you able to incorporate or suggest things while filming?

Minjin: many. Diego was extremely open, both in the development phase of the script, both during pre-production and on the set. He was very open and awake to see what was going on and what was useful for the development of the film. That interaction was very enjoyable.

Do you feel more comfortable acting in a comedy or drama? What’s more difficult?

Minjin: Everything is impossible for me (laughs). Everything is very difficult …

The truth is that you don’t notice …

Minjin: Seriously, I find it all extremely laborious and difficult in the sense of complex. I have no difficulty in starting to work, but I spend a lot of time on it because things don’t come out right away and comedy is easier because I’m so funny.

William Coppola on the horizon

Is your next challenge the mini-series about the life of soccer businessman Guillermo Coppola?

Minjin: We went into pre-production a month and a half ago and started shooting in mid-September. I can’t anticipate much and that will be for the Star + platform.

Are you moving forward with your Atlantis artistic venture?

Minjin: I am still connected, but I no longer manage it. It was a great idea that exploded during the pandemic because Many families felt very supported. It has something very cute which is to add some knowledge of the world, animals, flora and at the same time combine playfulness in drawing and coloring. My parents raised me on knowledge and play and I try to pass it on.

Are you tied to another type of philanthropic activity?

Minjin: I prefer to call them social rather than philanthropic. I keep in touch with people The powerful and I participate in various campaigns such as Unicef.

I emphasize the The powerful because it seems to me that it is a group that has the merit of having generated an enormous network of support in the neighborhoods. It is as if the entire absence of the state, which is enormous, is covered by this type of community and group. I respect and admire them a lot.

Substitution: Minujín leaves, Lerman enters

Although after a day of interviews, Diego Lerman’s face shows tiredness, he still has the drive to tell us his impressions of the shoot. One last note awaits him, a circle of anxious influencers, ready to surround him with their cell phones and cameras.

How did the idea of Alternate?

Lerman: About five years ago with producer Juan Vera, who spotted a teacher in a suburb of Buenos Aires. He had done some research that he generously passed on to me. Then I started writing a script that involved a first phase alone, then joined by María Meira and Luciana de Mello.

There was a lot of research and teachers and students were interviewed. Then we looked for funding and with the pandemic everything was pending. We didn’t know if it would be possible.

How long did the shooting last?

Lerman: Seven weeks, with the first four quite normal and the latter very complicated because they worked during the last great Covid outbreak. We had everything from infections to close contacts and thought we would never be able to finish it.

It seems so far away but the shots were done with swabs, protocol and sea in the car. Within a week the entire production team fell and they had to go out looking for replacements so as not to interrupt filming.

Did you think about non-professional actors from the start?

Lerman: Yes, I was attracted to the idea of ​​crossing experienced actors with the students and teachers who also participate. They had to be trained and trained in advance. We try a lot to generate bond and trust, even from improvisation.

Did you find any surprises among the selected ones?

Lerman: All the while I was surprised by the reactions. Some were more participatory than others. I felt the idea of ​​a live movie where you have to be careful to grasp the reactions. The artifices of cinema have been given so that everything happens naturally.

Did you have any safety concerns in the areas it was filmed in?

Lerman: We have the decisive support of the people of the neighborhoods where we filmed. We feel very protected and protected in that care. Everything went smoothly and without problems. Previously we went to tell them what we were going to do, we tried to generate trust and to make ourselves known.

What was it like working with Juan? Are you strict with the actors?

Lerman: you should ask him (laughs). I am very close to the actors, I like them to propose and decide. Juan was a great ally in this film and a very sensitive actor who understood where the research was going. He was a great accomplice in this adventure.

CJL