But the story isnt explored through the eyes of Geel.
We barely see her.
Check out the conversation below.
Maite AlberdiJuan Naharro Gimenez/Getty Images for Netflix
San Sebastian runs until September 28.
DEADLINE:Maite, how did this project come to you?
Did someone hand you the book?
MAITE ALBERDI:Yes, the book was given to me.
Its a nonfiction book about four cases of women who killed their partners.
And all four women were pardoned by law because they were women.
That was the thesis of the book.
The adaptation process was very organic for me because it was like documentary research.
The only difference in this project was that the people in this story were no longer alive.
But all the testimonies are real.
DEADLINE:You mention your documentary practice.
One might expect an ex-docs filmmaker to shoot in a verite sort of style.
Why did you choose this style to shape your first fiction film?
ALBERDI:My reference for the crew was Errol MorrisThe Thin Blue Line.
In documentary filmmaking, youre never there when the golden moment happens.
Youre always reconstructing scenes.
And this is the same.
I work in reality and in real life, all our emotions co-exist.
Its funny nobody asked me what genre my films were when I was making documentary films.
You see her story unravel and you immediately think of, say, Virginia Wolf.
Where did that character come from?
ALBERDI:Yeah, she was something that we created.
After all, Maria Carolina Geel never spoke about the crime in real life.
So I didnt feel I had the right to put a voice on her.
I wanted to reconstruct her through what people were saying about her.
She was a woman who had a lot of freedom in that period.
Even in jail, she had the freedom to write a book, which became a very important text.
This film is, in part, a defense of ones own room.
The necessity of silence and the ability to have personal creative independence.
DEADLINE:What would you say is the biggest barrier to that independence for women in Chile?
In Latin America, 99% of caregivers are women and mothers.
The work is not divided.
DEADLINE:Youre a double Oscar nominee.
And your last film,The Eternal Memory, had huge visibility in Europe and the States.
Did that success make it easier for you to navigate this industry?
ALBERDI:The nominations and prizes have allowed me to continue making films.
Before it was so difficult to find financing.
It is now easier to pitch an idea and Im very grateful for that.
But its never easy.
For example, things like press and campaigns are difficult for me.
I spent a year making this film and now come back to speak about it.
But I now understand thats part of the job.
Its a whole other part of the job that is separate from being a director.
And its important for the distribution of a film.
DEADLINE:Are you at all worried about how visible this film will be on a streamer like Netflix?
ALBERDI:If you asked me that question five years ago I might have said yes.
But I premieredThe Mole Agenton a streamer, and at the time, it was so painful.
It was the middle of the pandemic.
Now Ive realized there are so many audience members that dont go to the cinema to see certain films.
So were getting a bit of both.
DEADLINE:Why come back to San Sebastian with this film?
ALBERDI:San Sebastian is a festival where the audience actually goes to the cinema.
The theaters are full.
I have traveled to many film festivals and you dont always see that.
Its also a very important connection point between the European and Latin American worlds.
As a filmmaker, you get a great mix of real audience members and industry.
DEADLINE:Chile comes off as such a bustling film industry.
People like yourself and PabloLarrainare making a lot of diverse work.
Whats in the water over there?
ALBERDI:As an industry, we have been racing along together.
We are respectful of each others personal style and nobody copies anyone.
We understand our industry can be a diverse filmography and we promote that.
The previous generation didnt get to go.
They had to do everything themselves.
So we are a new generation with all the freedoms that the previous one didnt have.
DEADLINE:Are you optimistic about the future of cinema in Chile?
ALBERDI:Previously, national funds across Latin America were increasing.
So it is important to have private money and the streamers are investing.
This is providing money that we didnt have before.
DEADLINE:Will you make another fiction film?
ALBERDI:I think I will do more hybrid work.
Fiction and non-fiction mixed.
