The comedy feature film from Mexico, The Perfect Club (El club perfecto), is written and directed by Ricardo Castro. The film made its World Premiere at the 31st season of the Austin Film Festival and was a hit. The very funny and well-made film won the Comedy Vanguard Feature at this year’s festival. At the beginning of the Q&A after the screening I attended at the festival, the filmmaker started out by stating that all that we saw on screen is true. Now in his 30s, he wrote a script based on the real events of his teenage years with schoolmates. Incredible as this may seem, you can read his statements below found in the AFF blog interview in October. I found the story very entertaining, and the script can take anyone on a nostalgic trip to their youth, even if not the same as this set of events. There can certainly be something most anyone can relate to in one way or another.
Synopsis: Diego and Mirko, initially rivals, become close friends and form a club with the most eccentric students in their class, united by their shared mission to steal exams. As they devise and execute a complex and risky plan, their bond deepens, forging a relationship that will shape their futures.
Among the starring cast are Rodrigo Munguía, Gabriel Fritsch, Andrea Tova, Daniela Martínez, Ana Layevska, Alfonso Borbolla, Liz Gallardo, and Paulette Hernández (Saw X, 2023).
I was able to speak to the filmmaker about future opportunities for the film to be seen. Mr. Castro stated the film will be on the streaming platform ViX, but I do not have a specific date as of now. This is his second film with Alazraki Films. Follow ViX to look for news about the release date.
Although I did not have a complete interview with the filmmaker, I did find some statements by Mr. Castro that are informative and are on the AFF Blog page. A portioiin is included below. To read more on the site, visit austinfilmfestival.com/blog/news/world-premiere-the-perfect-club/
AFF: How would you describe the writing/development process of your film?
It was very fun recollecting all my memories from my teenage years, reading my old messenger conversations which I had saved on an old hard drive, watching the most cringe photos of me and my friends back then, doing interviews with all the people and friends who were involved in the robbery, listening to all the music I heard in 2007. It was such a deep, fun and nostalgic trip down memory lane.
AFF: What were some notable roadblocks to making this film?
It was very interesting to work with teenagers who were not actors and put them in the universe of the 2000’s, to realize that they didn’t even know how an old telephone works, which for me that period in life doesn’t sound that far away, but for them it is a prehistoric world.
AFF: What audience do you think would enjoy this film the most?
It’s a universal story, but it’s made for all the teenagers in the world who are struggling with finding their identity in high school. I made this movie to tell them that life does not depend on a grade, that everything will be fine even if things don’t turn the way everyone expects from you, that high school life is about making friends and relationships that define you. The movie is also made for people my age (30’s) who lived that period in life, as a tribute and love letter to the 2000’s.
Source: AFF, Ricardo Castro.com, ViX
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