Director Dani de la Torre premieres on Prime Video Zeta, a spy thriller with Mario Casas as a CNI agent. Taking advantage of the launch, the filmmaker has issued a direct criticism: in Spain, there is an inferiority complex towards national productions, especially in genres like espionage. He points out that the audience tends to consider representations of Spanish professionals in fiction as not very credible, something that does not happen with Anglo-Saxon productions.
Large-scale production as a narrative and technical tool 🎬
To combat that prejudice, Zeta bets on a visual and production scale that matches the codes of the international genre. This implies meticulous technical work in photography, locations, and post-production, seeking a finish that does not create distance with the viewer accustomed to Hollywood. The technical objective is clear: create a solid cinematic language that supports the story and makes its world believable, without the production being perceived as a limitation.
A Spanish spy? Don't let him carry a fan and an Osborne bull! 😅
It seems that for a Spanish character on screen to be accepted, it must avoid folkloric stereotypes at all costs. But the real challenge is greater: to ensure that the viewer does not expect the CNI agent to pull out a tortilla from his briefcase in the middle of a chase, or for the villain to give his evil speech while having a caña. Authenticity, apparently, starts by overcoming our own nervous laughter at the local when it dresses up as a serious thriller.