The social satire, produced by Lantica Studios, is the first dark comedy from the acclaimed Dominican filmmaker.
By Annika Pham
José María Cabral, a three-time Oscar hopeful for the Dominican Republic and the first Dominican filmmaker selected for Sundance, with 2017’s “Woodpeckers,” is set to deliver with the Tallinn competition entry “Sh*t Happens” his first dark comedy.
An Almodovaresque tale of social divide and powerplay in a Dominican household where – literally – shit happens, the film has been picked up by Madrid-based Latido Films ahead of its world premiere in competition at Tallinn’s Black Nights Film Festival.
The feature was produced by Rafael Elías Muños and Sárah Pérez Báez for leading Dominican player Lantica Studios.
An admirer of Cabral’s work – ever since his outlet handled “Hotel Coppelia” (2021) and long-time collaborator with Lantica Studios, Latido Films’ managing director Antonio Saura said, “This film is brilliant, the premise is original and provocative and performances are great; it is not only entertaining but also has a deep clever analysis of class and racism that makes you think after you’ve seen it.”
Indeed, in the film (formerly known as “Gut Feelings”), shit does happen for the family of three: the father Raúl (played by Spanish star Fele Martínez of Almodovar’s “Bad Education” and Netflix hit “Alpha Males”), his wife Véronica (Lizbeth Santos) and daughter Isabella (Leonoro Forero).
To cure his sickly daughter, the biotechnologist Raúl finds the cure… inside Lidia (Cindy Galán), her nanny. “When Lidia and the maid Dominga (Isabel Spencer) grasp the value of what they’ve been unknowingly providing, they decide to challenge the upstairs-downstairs dynamic in the household,” the synopsis runs.
Cabral spoke to Variety about the pic’s social commentary, well-calibrated absurd humor, Almodovar influence and… shit!
Link Variety (full interview)
Also link Variety to «Ray Panthaki Debut, Jose Maria Cabral, Frederic Baillif Pics Make the Cut at Tallinn Black Nights Official and First Films Competitions«.
