Gael's Directing Career
Gael Garcia directed five movies according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) starting with his first Déficit (2007) and the most recent La Mano Visible (2015). Most of his directed works are either shorts or segments with the exception of his first film.
Déficit (2007)
Déflict (2007) was the debut of Gael Garcia’s career in directing, making it his very first film. It was written by Kyzza Terrazas and was first played at the Cannes Film Festival, May 21 of 2007. The movie was based off of the TV project “Ruta 32”, both the project and movie examine and portray the different classes in Mexico. Déflict is about the story of a wealthy young man named Cristobal. In the beginning the movie opens up with Cristobal in a car driven by a servant native to Mexico to his parents’ home in Tepoztlán. They drive through a group of protestors, but Cristobal does not care or show any concern. His sister, Elisa, is already at the house by the time he gets there along with her hippie friends as well as a childhood friend named Adan, but he is not there on good terms- he is there to work. Cristobal and Adan both fancy the same Argentine girl, Dolores. There is this tension between Adan and Cristobal, a large part of it is because Adan was accepted into Harvard University. Cristobal was not accepted and his father apparently really wanted him to go. Later during the movie during a rave, Elisa is under the influence of a psychoactive drug and ends up overdosing, she then blames Adan for what happened, causing more tension between Cristobal and Adan. By the end of it, Cristobal bursts into tears because of the previous events.
Déflict (2007) was the debut of Gael Garcia’s career in directing, making it his very first film. It was written by Kyzza Terrazas and was first played at the Cannes Film Festival, May 21 of 2007. The movie was based off of the TV project “Ruta 32”, both the project and movie examine and portray the different classes in Mexico. Déflict is about the story of a wealthy young man named Cristobal. In the beginning the movie opens up with Cristobal in a car driven by a servant native to Mexico to his parents’ home in Tepoztlán. They drive through a group of protestors, but Cristobal does not care or show any concern. His sister, Elisa, is already at the house by the time he gets there along with her hippie friends as well as a childhood friend named Adan, but he is not there on good terms- he is there to work. Cristobal and Adan both fancy the same Argentine girl, Dolores. There is this tension between Adan and Cristobal, a large part of it is because Adan was accepted into Harvard University. Cristobal was not accepted and his father apparently really wanted him to go. Later during the movie during a rave, Elisa is under the influence of a psychoactive drug and ends up overdosing, she then blames Adan for what happened, causing more tension between Cristobal and Adan. By the end of it, Cristobal bursts into tears because of the previous events.
8 - The Letter [segment] (2008)
The actual movie, 8, is an anthology film (package film) directed by several people, one being Gael Garcia, and is centered on "The Eight Millennium Development Goals". The goals are as follows:
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Gael Garcia specifically directed the segment The Letter which was focused on the second goal, the achievement of universal primary education. The film itself is actually Icelandic and first premiered in the 2008 Rome Film Festival. Gael might have not won any awards for this, but the segment he did film was well executed. Below is a ten minute clip of his segment. It is about a letter written to the narrator's father. In it he tells his father how he felt about his daughter going to her first day of school, how he remembers his first day of school. The short is easy to digest, meaningful and enjoyable.
Revolución - Lucio [segment] (2010)
Revolución is another film directed by multiple individuals, one of them being Gael Garcia. The film itself is about the 100 year anniversary of the Mexican Revolution and it challenges its viewer to question what has really changed since then. Gael was responsible for the segment Lucio, which features a boy just "coming of age" and his ornery cousin, Omar. The portion begins with the boy getting ready to salute his flag for school. Omar comes to stay with Lucio and is forced by his cousin to question his religion and patriotism, along with everything else taught by his grandmother. Gael did not directly act in this movie either, but his influence in the movie definitely helped it gain some recognition.
Revolución is another film directed by multiple individuals, one of them being Gael Garcia. The film itself is about the 100 year anniversary of the Mexican Revolution and it challenges its viewer to question what has really changed since then. Gael was responsible for the segment Lucio, which features a boy just "coming of age" and his ornery cousin, Omar. The portion begins with the boy getting ready to salute his flag for school. Omar comes to stay with Lucio and is forced by his cousin to question his religion and patriotism, along with everything else taught by his grandmother. Gael did not directly act in this movie either, but his influence in the movie definitely helped it gain some recognition.
Los Invisibles (2010)
Los Invisibles was directed by both Gael Garcia and Marc Silver, it is a film consisting of short documentaries about individuals trying to cross the border into the United States as well as the trials they face. These people are targeted for robbery and sexual assault by drug gangs. Some are abducted by kidnappers and are demanded to release information of any contacts in the United States so they could be extorted for more money. If the information desired is not produced, the kidnappers kill the migrants in front of others to set an example. It sounds absolutely ruthless, but this is the harsh reality of what does happen, it isn't a made up story and Gael Garcia and Marc Silver do a great job as far as bringing this into light.
Below is a clip from the film, Los Invisibles. It is the first part of the film and focuses on the fear that these people face even before they head out and why they are willing to take the risk.
Los Invisibles was directed by both Gael Garcia and Marc Silver, it is a film consisting of short documentaries about individuals trying to cross the border into the United States as well as the trials they face. These people are targeted for robbery and sexual assault by drug gangs. Some are abducted by kidnappers and are demanded to release information of any contacts in the United States so they could be extorted for more money. If the information desired is not produced, the kidnappers kill the migrants in front of others to set an example. It sounds absolutely ruthless, but this is the harsh reality of what does happen, it isn't a made up story and Gael Garcia and Marc Silver do a great job as far as bringing this into light.
Below is a clip from the film, Los Invisibles. It is the first part of the film and focuses on the fear that these people face even before they head out and why they are willing to take the risk.
Works Cited
- "Déficit". Internet Movie Database. IMDb.com, n.d. Sat. 4 Apr. 2015.
- "8". Internet Movie Database. IMDb.com, n.d. Thu. 9 Apr. 2015.
- "Los Invisibles". NPR. NPR.org, n.d. Thu. 9 Apr. 2015.
- "Revolución". Moviefone. news.moviefone.com, n.d. Thu. 9 Apr. 2015.
Page by Shannon McHugh