In Everybody Has A Plan, Pedro is a beekeeper living deep in the Tigre, a backwater province of Buenos Aires that lies on the Paraná Delta. He is in poor health and, after being drawn into a kidnapping attempt, he has become wary of his associates. He escapes to the city to see his twin brother Agustín, who has made a success of himself as a doctor. Yet Agustín is facing crises of his own, and Pedro’s arrival presents an opportunity for him to escape his own circumstances. The choice Agustín makes leads him back to the Delta where he spent his youth, and to fateful confrontations. Ana Piterbarg’s debut feature is an engrossing and distinctive modern noir that evolves amidst the unfamiliar, unsettling environment of Argentine swamplands. Viggo Mortensen, playing the roles of the twin brothers, delivers electrifying performances, cementing his reputation as one of the most daring screen actors working today.
The Fan Carpet's Holly Patrick sat down with writer/director Ana Piterbarg during the 56th BFI London Film Festival, where they discuss the inspiration for the film, choosing the location and how Viggo came onboard...
Did you always have one actor in mind to play the main characters?
At the beginning of this project I didn't have an image of the character in my mind. I only wrote the character in the script. One time I thought about Viggo and I was thinking about him playing the characters for years. I then met him by chance.
Did you always see one actor playing the two characters or did you ever think that you might have two actors playing the two characters?
No, sometimes I thought maybe It might have been a good idea to work with real twins but I didn't know any good enough actors!
Was it difficult filming the scenes where Augustine and Pedro were together? You must have had to use body doubles etc?
Yes we were working with body doubles and some shots were with CGI, digital enhancements.
Were there any challenges with that?
No. We worked with the post production crew all throughout the process and it was easier than we thought. On the other hand the really difficult thing was for Viggo to adapt as for two days he would play one character and then for the next two days he would play the other so it was difficult for him to imagine how it was going to look.
In terms of Viggo playing the main character, he is not native Spanish…did you have any concerns about how Spanish audiences would receive him?
Well actually from the age of 3 until 11 he grew up in Argentina. When he was a child he went to Tigre to fish. People will always make negative comments but it is never quite as they say. There is a saying in Spanish that goes 'The people are bad and they will comment.'
The story line is quite dark and menacing did you have any concerns about how people would react to it?
Yes but at the same time I like the movies that make me feel uncomfortable. It is a risk but if you don't take this risk then all movies are going to be slightly similar/boring. For me it was like a need. I think when you are uncomfortable you can think about what has made you feel that way. The movie doesn't have a closed message or a closed plot, the audience have to put a meaning to it themselves. Some people may not be able to understand this point within the movie and maybe this a challenge for me next time but this was the purpose of this film so if it makes some people uncomfortable then that is OK.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE
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