Writer and director Gustavo Milan has created a masterpiece with his HollyShorts Film Festival entry Under the Heavens. The film follows a young Venezuelan mother named Marta (Samantha Castillo), who journeys to Brazil for work and opportunity. Along the way, she meets another young mother named Alice (Brenda Moreno) with whom she ultimately forms a life-changing bond.
In our email interview below, Milan discusses the dual inspiration behind the film: “Part of the idea came from my personal story,” he says, referencing the bond his mother formed with his cousin, whom she breastfed, “but I didn’t know how to approach it cinematically until the day I saw a picture of a Venezuelan woman immigrating to Brazil.” The larger socio-political backdrop of the Latin American migrant experience provided Milan with a story that was “grounded in reality.”
Indeed, this is what makes Under the Heavens a cinematic triumph: the film uses Marta’s experience as a lens through which to broach broader discussions of parenthood, parental love, and what happens when a “state/government fails to protect its citizens against complete misery.” Milan’s direction ultimately pulls you into Marta’s world, and Castillo is an indisputable revelation as mother in search for more. Her whole life bubbles just underneath the surface, giving you enough to be sucked into her story—but only just. She keeps you curious and starved for more, so when, in the final shot, you’re standing on the boat with Marta, you, too, feel the desperation, devastation, and fear that inevitably accompanies change.
Under the Heavens is meditative of sacrifice and survival. Marta’s journey from Venezuela to Brazil in search of work and opportunity at such great personal expense is very much emblematic of the migrant experience. Where did the idea for the story come from? And as someone who’s travelled, studied, and worked in numerous parts of the world, how did your own experience of living and working in different countries inform your approach to the film?
Part of the idea came from my personal story. My mother breastfed my cousin and they ended up creating a strong bond together. She became almost a second mother to him. This gesture expanded the boundaries of motherhood in my mind but I didn’t know how to approach it cinematically until the day I saw a picture of a Venezuelan woman immigrating to Brazil. She was walking on the shoulder of a road and had a baby in her arms that for some reason I thought wasn’t hers. I merged these two stories into what ended up being the first draft of Under the Heavens.
There is an everlasting feeling of loneliness that follows me everywhere I go – even after having spent almost seven years living abroad. I think the trick is to hold onto the feeling and incorporate it into your creative process.
What’s most significant about the film is its display of different types of (and attitudes towards) motherhood against the backdrop of a larger socio-economic and political narrative about the working class. How important was it for you to tell this story about these people in this part of the world?
I traveled to the border of Brazil and Venezuela a few times. I wanted to be sure that the story we were telling was grounded in reality. The number of women and men traveling alone was shocking – people who had left everything behind in search of better opportunities. I think Brazil could play a bigger role in the social and political context of Latin America. The country is a lonely giant separated from the rest of the continent due to cultural barriers, like language, and political differences. To some extent, Marta – the protagonist – is an example of what Brazil could potentially do in the future: look inside Latin America for the answers to its problems.
There’s an ambiguity to Marta’s situation. On the one hand, we’re led to believe that she left her daughter in Venezuela so that she could find better work in order to better provide for her. But on the other hand, when she realizes that she’s been abandoned with Alice’s baby, there’s a flash of fear across her face, which suggests that maybe she didn’t want to be a mother in the first place. What are your thoughts on Marta’s choices and her situation?
I think there is a myth behind the idea that a mother (or a father) is capable of nurturing love for her/his children even regardless of the presence of certain basic conditions. It is as if we said that love is an unconditional feeling – and I have strong doubts about that. It’s only when the state/government fails to protect its citizens against complete misery that it becomes impossible for basic human needs to be met. Marta, Alice and Jorge are just outcomes of the inefficiency of the Venezuelan government.
How did you decide on Marta being the frame through which Under the Heavens is told, and what was it like to work with Samantha Castillo (who turns in such a phenomenal and raw performance)?
I pondered a lot about making Alice, and not Marta, the main character of Under the Heavens. Her silence and her decision to abandon the baby makes her a very interesting character. But the energy Marta brings to the screen is irreplaceable and very dear to me. She is the personification of the battle between instincts and rationality, a woman with thick skin and a sensitive soul, simultaneously. Samantha Castillo was perfect for the role and absolutely phenomenal to work with. Her understanding of the character’s struggle went far beyond what I had previously imagined.
What does it mean for you to have your film play at HollyShorts?
I’m honored to screen Under the Heavens at HollyShorts. The festival is known for its commitment to quality, showcasing nothing but the best shorts in the world.
What’s next for you? And where can viewers follow you and your work?
I’m now doing the post-production of my newest short film. It’s the story of a 12 year-old boy who confuses his sexual awakening with the intimacy he has with his mother. You can follow me on IG @gugamilan or my website: www.nanuchafilms.com
