César Charlone on 'El Baño del Papa'

Uruguayan director César Charlone talks Time Out through the making of his excellent new film, 'El Baño del Papa'

You get funding from lots of different places, but what country would you tag the film to?
‘Uruguay. The story was created by my co-director Enrique Fernández. It was a Uruguayan producer who fell in love with the story and she helped him get started which, at the beginning, took about $70,000.’

Was it always called ‘The Pope’s Toilet’, or was this a name you gave it later on?
'No, that was always the name. We thought of changing it, because sometimes if the name is wrong it can distract from the meaning of the film. We certainly had doubts, but then it came out and even in English we weren’t sure if it was going to be ‘The Pope’s Toilet’ or ‘The Pope’s Bathroom’. We really thought it could be bathroom because, for example, they told me that in Canada and North America ‘Pope’s Toilet’ wouldn’t be rude because over there it means washroom.’

Was it an enjoyable film to make?
'I loved it. It’s a stupid thing really, it was shot in Super 16 with a little camera and very few resources. Then afterwards you work on it in post production to try and get those colours out, and I think it’s quite beautiful.'

You’ve worked as a cinematographer before coming to this film (with Fernando Meirelles and have created a very distinct visual style. Could you explain how you honed that style?
‘I think it is difficult for one to describe his own style because it is something that you do. I come from stills photography and I spent a lot of time with a camera finding and framing images. I also did a little bit of painting when I was a kid. My grandfather was a art critic, so there was a lot of talking about painting and painters in my family. With the photography, I found that I enjoyed the dark room more than the clicking, so post production is something I really like. I try to capture the images in the most simple way possible, then I work on it in post production. It’s like kids who take pictures and then spend hours in photoshop just re-touching. I don’t give a damn about the negatives.'

Was the transition from cinematographer to director easy?
‘Yes. When I was a film teacher in Cuba, I insisted that all the students learn all the techniques. One week somebody would do sound, next camera, next editing... So to me, it’s not a new stage, but more a continuation of the same stages. I directed a couple of TV episodes of the ‘City of Men’ series, and I wrote them all. Forty minutes is almost half a feature, so I was pretty much there. My father was a theatre director so I’ve always been very interested in directing actors.'

The films you’ve made so far such as ‘City of God’ and ‘El Bano del Papa’ are very beautiful films, but thematically they’re quite dark.
'My favourite Uruguayan painter is a guy called Pedro Figari and he paints Uruguayan costumes, and they’re so colourful and so beautiful, but when you look closely they’re all so miserable. I think it’s a little bit of that.'

The main character Beto (César Troncoso) reminded me of Homer Simpson. You’re always rooting for him even though you’re not sure he understands what he’s doing.
'Yes, he is based on somebody that visited Enrique’s house when he was a kid. In the scriptwriting stage you start adding things, then when the actor comes you can add some more things. We wanted there to be contradictions to make him more human. When we were looking for money to finish the film, we showed it to an important American company. They said they would never buy a film where the main character hits his wife, and I said that I would never hit my wife, but I know it’s a very big problem in the world, not only in Latin America.'

The film is also quite critical of religion.
‘I think religion is a little bit general. I’m not a religious person but I’m very respectful of people with faith. What I tend to think is that the things that happen in the film are not the fault of the Catholic Church, but of the need we have to create this abstract authority, almost like a super hero or super idol. It's very common. I remember during my childhood seeing my mother and her friends going to mass and looking at the priest, and I kind of got jealous for my father, because she wouldn’t look at my father in that way.'

Has the film encountered any criticism from Catholic Church?
'No, on the contrary. Some people have criticised it but I think we’re not as disrespectful with the church, as we are with the mass media. We shot the film when the left-wing political party had finally come to government in Uruguay, and in a way the film was also aimed at them: we were telling them not to play with people’s dreams.'

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