An engrossing mix of melancholy, social issues, and cringe comedy, “Most People Die on Sundays” opens with a scene of David (writer/director Iair Said) naked and crying on an Italian hotel room floor during a “farewell vacation” with his boyfriend. Making matters worse, David has to leave this unhappy situation for an even more unhappy one — his uncle’s funeral back in Buenos Aires. Returning home, he must contend with his mother, Dora (Rita Cortese), who is taking his hospitalized father (Mario Bodega) off life support. David distracts himself from his misery by learning to drive, and trying to find romance, but his efforts, while awkward, are also darkly amusing.
The strength of Said’s film is how he finds the heart in David’s story. The writer/director recently spoke with Gay City News about making “Most People Die on Sundays.”
Can you explain your penchant for embarrassment humor, or cringe comedy?
I think that we are living in a moment where it is more interesting to connect with empathic characters than the typical heroes. It was very important to show David’s misery. If you don’t laugh at yourself, you can’t laugh at anything. I wanted to show you that I am laughing about this so you can laugh about it with me, not at me. I connect more with characters who show misery and the bad side of the human experience. I love the film “Sick of Myself,” which doesn’t show the nice side of life. I prefer to see the soul of the person who has more misery.
The film has a great line, “If you want to be Jewish, you must learn how to suffer.” Can you talk about incorporating Judaism into this film?
When you see a film of Christmas, you don’t say, “It’s a Catholic film.” This kind of Jewish family is like my real family, so for me, it is not a typical “Jewish” film. It is a typical family film, or a film about the middle class. We have a large Jewish population in Buenos Aires, so it is not extraordinary to show or talk about this. In Spain, people think it is a very Jewish film. A lot of critics and people who see the film think it has Jewish humor, but I can’t explain why. Is suffering Jewish humor? I am flattered when people call it “Jewish humor,” because it is a good thing, I think. For me, it was important not to talk about “being Jewish” or “being gay.”
What about the depiction of gay sexuality? I was amused by David’s awkward attempts at seducing his neighbor or kissing his driving instructor.
I think that he is not in the present. He can’t see what is happening and is very confused. It is interesting that people can laugh about it. Is he funny because he’s fat, and empathic with love? His decisions are abusive. When he goes in his boxer shorts to his neighbor’s house or kisses his driving instructor, it is invasive. The driver is clear that he doesn’t want to be kissed, and David insists, which makes him less empathic. It was important to not empathize with him.
“Most People Die on Sundays” also addresses the issue of euthanasia. Were you trying to make a statement about this?
I don’t know what I think about euthanasia — if I agree with it or not. It was important to talk about it because it is not the same for Jewish people, for Argentines, for the French, or Americans. I didn’t want to make a film on this topic, but it is something you feel throughout the film. Is the mother trying to kill her husband, or is she trying to help him? In the family, there are different opinions about it, and different consequences. It’s a very deep topic and when you are in that kind of mood, when you are sad, or have to go every day to the hospital, there is no clear answer. It is a difficult thing to think about and decide. It was more about his mother’s character. She can’t think about anything else but the decision she has to make.
I also appreciated the idea of David’s fear of dying alone, as well as his mother’s reflection on her husband being gone. What are your thoughts on loneliness and aging? Those are sensitively depicted here.
I wanted to describe, with quotidian things, the feeling of loneliness. My boyfriend used to travel a lot. When I started going out with him, whenever he was away, that feeling was the perfect definition of loneliness — you touch the other side of the bed, and it’s cold. David’s mother was accustomed to being with her husband for 30 years, and one day, that company ends. How can she describe that feeling? When I understood that feeling of loneliness in an older woman, it was more painful than the loneliness I had experienced. She may have another 30 years to live alone without another partner.
Can you describe how you approached the film visually?
I wanted to film it like a documentary or reality show. I prefer a transparent camera. I need something to accompany the actor or the characters. A lot of the characters are not really actors. I just cast them or asked them to act. It was important to feel a familiar or close sensation—that you are living with them throughout the film. It was necessary to be close to David without big takes. When you are with him in the car, it is very intimate. I wanted everything to be real. The actors needed to feel comfortable to move where they wanted or laugh when they wanted. I wanted them to be free in the moment.
Despite all that goes wrong for David, we are rooting for him. What observations do you have about our feelings towards David?
In my own experience, I empathize more with people who have problems than the “perfect” people. When you understand the beauty of not being perfect, you will always want the character to win. I think that people who hate David are less sensitive than I am, but a lot of people connect to him and his miseries. David shows his misery more, but all of the characters suffer.
It was very important for me to feature a different kind of queer character in this film because I hate seeing the same kind of gay people, gay films, and gay main characters. I hate “Call Me by Your Name.” I need different kinds of stories, and different kinds of main characters. I want to show normal people in normal stories. I don’t want to tell dark coming out stories or show that all the queer people have perfect bodies. The people that empathize with David’s character understand this. The beauty of people is not in their hegemonic bodies.
“Most People Die on Sundays” | Directed by Iair Said. Opening May 2 at the Quad Cinema. Distributed by Big World Pictures.
