\n\t\u201cI\u2019ve always had a connection with dogs and I also wanted to reflect on the violence in Mexico since I left it,\u201d says Garcia, who now resides in Madrid. \u201cBut not so much about showing the violence itself, but about what happens to the people who stay. And how an animal that doesn\u2019t judge, that asks for nothing but love and gives love, could help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cMorro\u201d revolves around Mateo, a vet in rural Mexico, who lives quietly with the unresolved guilt of losing his son. In a town where violence simmers beneath the surface, his fragile routine is disrupted when he treats Morro, the injured dog of a local drug lord. Caring for the animal sparks a wordless, judgment-free bond that slowly gives Mateo a renewed sense of purpose.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cSo the premise is really: Who saves whom? I started researching, went into conflict zones, and discovered this story, which is loosely based on the experience of someone I met through a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u00a0\u201cAt first, he was a little hesitant because he didn\u2019t really want to tell us the whole story. But little by little, he opened up. I gradually gained his trust, and he started telling me things, and I began putting the story together with another screenwriter [Carlos Armella] and some other collaborators. It was really exciting to realize that what I had in my head actually happens in real life. So I made the story very much my own and it became a story that really came from my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tHe\u2019s quick to point out that his film is not about drug trafficking and violence is never explicitly shown. \u201cThe violence is more in the moral and physical context.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tFinding the right dog to fit the part was a challenge as he didn\u2019t want a trained one, but as luck would have it, he found the right dog, which bonded with his lead actor, Gustavo S\u00e1nchez Parra (\u201cAmores Perros,\u201d Michael Rowe\u2019s Cannes-winning \u201cLeap Year\u201d<\/a>), who even took him home. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cHe looked a little like the dog from the story I researched. And when I saw him, I fell in love with him because he had such a beautiful expression. He could also believably be a drug dealer\u2019s dog, but at the same time, he\u2019s such a gentle, sweet animal.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe also chose to film in 35mm with his DP Alfonso Herrera Salcedo (\u201cSpectre\u201d), a bold choice. \u201cShooting on 35mm was also a way of going back to basics. The set became almost like a church where everyone had to be quiet. There were no cell phones because the film stock is obviously very expensive, and you can\u2019t just improvise, especially when you\u2019re working with an animal and such a great actor. Everyone had to be completely focused and attentive. I\u2019m really grateful that Kodak, PhotoKem and others supported me so much, because I feel the film has a very particular spirit \u2013 and that also comes from our decision to shoot it on 35mm.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHis next project is even more personal: \u201cI\u2019m working on a film that deals with my relationship with my father, who died on my tenth birthday.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u00a0\u201cMorro\u201d is produced by Calouma Films<\/a>, alongside Central Films and The 42 Film. Paola Cort\u00e9s (\u201cLluvia\u201d) Alberto M\u00fcffelmann (\u201cI\u2019m No Longer Here\u201d), Julia Cherrier (\u201cThe Intruder\u201d) and Pablo Guerrero (\u201cNew Order\u201d) serve as producers.<\/p>\n
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