Even before TIFF began, Juan of the Dead/Juan de los Muertos was creating a buzz for being a zombie film from Cuba! After reading the film’s description and seeing its trailer, I automatically had it on my list.
Hours before the film premiered, I had the opportunity to chat with the film’s director, Alexander Brugués. Here is what he had to say about the making of Juan de los Muertos/Juan of the Dead.
“I have been a fan of zombie films since I was a kid,” said Brugués when I asked him about the concept behind the film. In writing the script, “it was a balancing act. I wanted it to reflect how Cubans react to problems but at the same time it had to be a good zombie film… it needed some action, some laughs, some scares. [It had to be balanced] especially since I was fulfilling my childhood dream.”
Brugués wanted the film to show how in Cuba, “when things get real bad we gotta do something.” He wrote the film with the lead actors Alex Días de Villegas and Jorge Molina (Juan and his best friend, Lázaro) in mind. “The rest of the cast came together quite naturally. For example, the character of China was written differently but Jazz Vilá made it his own. The whole cast just worked out very well.”
Filming in Havana was fun but also difficult at times. “We had great weather during filming and we major parts of the city shut down for us to shoot. But it was also kind of tough to film because there was a lot to shoot. Not to mention the extras had to spend a lot of time in the sun [in zombie character].”
By the way, the extras are all Havana locals. Brugués explained to me how they had a “zombie school” for them, where they learned everything about zombies. They learned how to walk, groan, and all that comes with being a zombie. They were all very enthusiastic. “They’re the real heroes” since they endured long hours getting their make up done and then filming afterwards.
In terms of the project as a whole, it took Brugués about two or three years from beginning to end. The writing process took more time as “I had a flood of ideas that I wanted to put in the script.” The end result is a well-balanced zombedy, as I’ve heard it being called.
The actual world-wide premiere was here in Toronto. When I mentioned to Brugués that there was a lot of buzz about the film, he said he’d heard about it. He was excited but also said that “I don’t want to focus too much on that. I am hoping audiences just have a great time and truly enjoy the film. It should be fun!” And fun it was!
Photo (L-R): Producers Gervasio Iglesias, Claudia Calviño, Inti Herrera & director, Alexander Brugués.