When a young pregnant girl knocks on his repair shop desperate for help, José will have to face his demons and risk his parole in order to get her to safety.

Interview with Writer/Director Tomas Gomez Bustillo

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

José was the thesis project for my studies at AFI. But it was a story that I'd been very interested in exploring for a while. Although this is a short, it is inspired by a feature film written by my long time friend and collaborator Hernan Bustamante and I in Buenos Aires, before I moved to LA.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

There are many reasons to watch this film! Pepe Serna is fantastic as José and exhibits a level of mastery in his craft that is extraordinary. Pepe is able to convey so many emotions with just a gesture, a look. He's incredible. Janice Robinson is also a powerhouse - her pain on screen is gut wrenching, hard to look at yet hard to look away from. Then there's the beautiful visuals and imagery composed by cinematographer Anton Fresco, the layered and beautifully rich world building by production designer Doriane Desfaugeres, the pace and rhythm set by our editor Benjamin Tolentino. The music by Felipe Delsart is a haunting riff off of a medieval Christian Nativity song that expands and builds on the past and brings it into the present.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I wanted to explore the archetypical character of Joseph, from the New Testament, and especially his role during the Nativity Sequence. How could I bring this fairy tale into the present and make his character feel like a part of our flawed, broken world? This is a constant theme in my work: bringing the mythical and the magical back into our world, reinterpreting them, looking at them in a different light. I think it is a personal exploration, too - having grown up in a very Catholic household, I am still haunted by many of the bible's characters and images.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

Originally, the story was a feature film script developed by Hernan Bustamante and myself, and the events would take place during the December 2001 riots in Argentina. At AFI, I had the idea of adapting it into a short film, but very quickly had to lose the riots as a backdrop due to very obvious production limitations. During development, Maor Azran, our very insightful producer, had the note that the dialogue felt almost unnecessary. What if we tried a version without any dialogue at all? And so the script found itself having only two lines of dialogue, in which both of our main characters say the word "help". It was a very interesting, trial and error kind of process.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

There has been a lot of positive feedback, especially regarding the excellent performances by Pepe and Janice, as well as the stunning images composed by Anton and built by Doriane. A lot of praise has gone for our composer as well. I think some of the more critical feedback that I tend to agree with are the lack of further clues into Jose's backstory that could help audiences engage more emotionally with his decision making.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I think so. Every film is a learning experience, especially one that is a student project. Making this film, I wanted our protagonist to go through an enormous character arc, through a huge range of emotions. And the more that I see this film and understand visual storytelling, the more I am inclined towards smaller moments in character's lives that illustrate a turning point in their arcs rather than the entire arcs themselves.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I think it's a great opportunity for the film to interact with audiences, to see how they engage or disengage and why, and also for the many months of hard work to be finally seen.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

At this point in the process, I think it would be great for more press to come on board. The film is just starting to be published and shared, and I think having different audiences engage with it can create a very interesting dialogue about the myths behind it, and the black and white morality it is trying to grapple with.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

Ideally, I would like for the film to find an audience that can be excited by a different kind of film experience, where they can engage more actively: although there are little words and dialogue, there is a big emotion, and I'm interested in seeing if that emotion lands or not with audiences.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

The main question here is can a bad person do a good thing? There is no redeeming Jose's past, there is no denying his wrongs. But can those who seem lost ever find a way to become helpful to society again without putting others in harm? Does one good act do anything to change his person at all? I don't know if have a good answer for these questions, so I'm hoping that a conversation about them so that I can hear from many sides that I may be blind to.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Many of the key collaborators from Jose finished a film called MUSEUM OF FLEETING WONDERS, which is still playing in festivals and will soon be online as well. Likewise, we are gearing up for my first feature film, CHRONICLES OF A WANDERING SAINT, to be shot in Argentina.

Interview: August 2021

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Jose

Length:

15:30

Writer/Director

TOMAS GOMEZ BUSTILLO is a writer and director from Argentina. He studied Political Science in Buenos Aires and earned his MFA in Directing at the AFI Conservatory. His films have won awards and screened at festivals like Tribeca, Slamdance, Montreal, Mar del Plata, Flickers, among others.

Producer

Maor Azran

Key cast:

Pepe Serna (Jose), Janice Robinson (Maria)

Looking for:

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/tomasgb

Made in association with:

AFI Conservatory