Love beyond chromosomes

Spanish filmmaker Àlvaro Pastor. BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.

This was no run-of-the-mill rom-com.

For Spanish filmmaker Àlvaro Pastor and his colleague Antonio Naharro, the possibility of love between a man with Down syndrome and a so-called “normal” woman (with a baggage of romantic issues of her own) is far more interesting than pulp fiction.

Before cameras started rolling for “Yo, Tambien,” Pastor and Naharro had done rigorous research on the complex world of people with Down syndrome.

They practically lived with the film’s characters for years, said Pastor who visited Manila last week to present the award-winning movie at the Spanish Film Festival, ongoing at Greenbelt 3 in Makati until Oct. 16.

(A second screening of “Yo, Tambien” is set tonight at 9:30).

Pastor related that he and Naharro made a short film on the same subject a decade ago.

“My codirector Antonio’s sister has Down syndrome (Lourdes Naharro who also acted in the film like Antonio) and another sister (Ana) was involved in a group that work with differently-abled people, too,” Pastor told Inquirer Entertainment after the film’s first screening.

The story had been stewing in their minds for years until they saw a TV documentary on Pablo Pineda.

“Pablo became a celebrity in Spain as the first person with Down syndrome to graduate from a university,” he recalled.

When the directing duo pitched the project to Pineda and told him that they wanted him to act in their movie, “Pablo exclaimed: ‘You’re completely crazy!’”

Pineda, who had no previous acting experience, went on to win best actor at the San Sebastian International Film Festival two years ago, along with costar Lola Dueñas who won best actress.

Dueñas also won best actress at the Goya (the Spanish Oscars), and the film was screened at the Sundance fest (in the United States) last year.

The rapport between the two lead actors was poignant and yet heartbreakingly honest.

“The first time we met with Lola, she came in costume, totally in character. She’s very clever,” Pastor recounted.

Although Lola is a famous actress in Spain, she auditioned thrice for this film. “Lola’s final screen test was with Pablo.”

Pastor and Naharro wanted to make sure that the chemistry between Pineda and Dueñas was palpable onscreen.

“They hit it off instantly,” Pastor remarked.

They hired a professional actress to protect Pineda, he said. “We don’t want to confuse Pablo and blur the lines between the movies and reality. We don’t want him to fall for Lola.”

Positive comments

When it was time to shoot the love scene, Pastor and Naharro made sure that Pineda would be treated just as respectfully. “There were only five people in the hotel room then. We didn’t want the scene to be sensationalistic or exploitative.”

Pastor was pleased to hear positive comments from the Filipinos who had seen the film, particularly parents of children with Down syndrome.

“The situation for people with Down syndrome in Spain has improved through the years. Hopefully, the condition in the Philippines will change for the better as well,” he said. “I for one have become a different man before and after making this film.”