Valeria Bertuccelli returns to the Festival de Málaga with 'Culpa cero’ (No Guilt), a dramatic, uncomfortable and critical comedy about cancel discourse
The winner of the Silver Biznaga for best actress for her performance in 'La reina del miedo' also writes and co-stars in her film alongside Cecilia Roth and Justina Bustos.
Argentinian director Valeria Bertuccelli has returned to the Festival de Málaga to present her new film 'Culpa cero', a dramatic, uncomfortable and critical comedy about cancel discourse, impunity and second chances.
After winning the Silver Biznaga in 2018 with 'La reina del miedo' -a film she co-directed with Fabiana Tiscornia-, she has come to the Official Competition with a film that takes a satirical look at society, current affairs and how discourses fluctuate and are recycled. "What is cancelled today can later rise to the top and vice versa," says the director. With regard to Berta, a character played by Bertucelli herself, she explains : "These ups and downs that the main character goes through are also a sign of how the world works today".
"We think there is an obvious critique of the character of Berta, who is a monstrous and unpunished character, who makes us very uncomfortable. However, it is also a critique of the other side, that is, of those who listen, who consume, of the role we take on as spectators, as listeners, as readers. In short, how one day we love something and the next day ironically we hate it", argued Valeria Bertuccelli at a press conference together with co-director and co-screenwriter Mora Elizalde and actress Justina Bustos.
The plot deals with the sudden downfall of a successful self-help writer whose career crumbles after she is accused of plagiarism. Unable to come to terms with her guilt, she doubles down on absurd excuses, unleashing a whirlwind of manipulation and self-destruction.
During the scriptwriting process, she was "very afraid" that the true meaning of the concept of 'No Guilt' would not be understood. "It's not about liberation, it's about someone who gives zero thought to what she did, to everything that happens around her, but what we’re really happy about is that it was so well understood,” she exclaimed.
Bertuccelli also pointed out that the plot invites us to reflect "on the grey areas, those in-betweens where things are neither good nor bad". Actress Justina Bustos also believes that there are many Bertas in the world of art, creation and in all fields: "There is a lot of this zero-guilt that we’re experiencing today also in politics and in everyday life".
On the other hand, both Bertuccelli and her co-writer Mora Elizalde conceive their film "as an invitation to analyse oneself, to look inward to ask oneself why one can empathise with a monstrous character". "It's not about empathising in order to love her, but to understand her and become more tolerant,"the co-screenwriter said.
Finally, Elizalde and Bertuccelli expressed criticism of the state of cinema in their country: "The truth is that it’s in a bit of a crisis and it’s going through a really controversial situation, which is why we are always grateful for these opportunities like the one offered by the Festival de Málaga". "Financing has been cut, as well as the screen quota, which is what allows our Argentinian films to be shown in the cinema and stay for a minimum of two weeks", among other factors that they consider detrimental to the sector.
The film - produced by Pampa Films - was released in Argentina in August last year and later came to Disney Plus.
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