Interview with Alberto Vázquez, director of Homeless Home

Why did you want to relate the appearance of the characters to famous mystical figures (sorceress, ghost, devil, etc.)?
I liked the idea of ​working with witches, ogres, orcs and wizards to delve into current social issues, because although the protagonists of the short film are monsters, their problems are very human: economic crisis, depopulation, addictions, mental problems, old age, etc. It seemed interesting to use a medieval imaginary close to Tolkien’s world as a metaphor to talk about reality and today.

How did you do the backgrounds?
Well, they are made digitally, imitating oil or acrylic paint. Some are based on photographs or collages, but others are not. Graphically, the short has a gloomy and pictorial aesthetic, in black and white and its characters are treated as silhouettes. There is a constant use of large general shots and landscaping, that is, small characters within large landscapes. This serves as something stylistic and reinforces the loneliness of the protagonists in the environment in which they live.

How did you decide to deal with the issue of usual violence, and how it affects relationships, for this film?
I was interested in dealing with physical violence but also emotional violence, which are usually related. The characters are quite violent, they do bullying and even one protagonist (the ogre) is a physical and emotional abuser. Let’s say that the desolation of the place, the lack of economic expectations and its depressing and polluted environment somehow also contaminate the interior of the characters. In this story there is a love triangle between a witch, an ogre and an orc. This type of conflict typical of small places is the common thread of the story and will lead to a story of love and jealousy.

How much was it important that the characters express their feelings and how long did it take to write the speeches?
The dialogues are very colloquial, and a very modern way of speaking is used. This serves to give contrast, originality and bring history closer to the contemporary world. That monsters are able to speak explicitly about their feelings is part of Homeless Home‘s sense of humor. It didn’t take me long to write them because they speak like my friends and I. That was the idea.

Will you reuse the universe of Homeless Home for further projects?
Well… it may be, I think the idea has potential, but right now I am focused on my next feature film Unicorn Wars and this will keep me busy for at least two years.

What do you think the future holds for short films?
Maybe a change in its distribution. Today we live in a world where speed and immediacy prevail and I would like to think that this could favor the short film. Digital platforms are programming more and more shorts and hopefully this is the beginning of a golden age. If people don’t have the patience to see a “weird” feature film, maybe they have it for a short film. This is a very optimistic reflection. In the end, as always, what the industry will sustain will be, as always, festivals, public aid and the efforts of its creators and producers.

If we were to go back into lockdown, what cultural delights would you recommend to alleviate our boredom?
Many things. In this lockdown we have seen the vital importance of culture. Many people who are not dedicated to the cultural sector have found that without culture a society becomes ignorant, bored and lacking intelligence. I have taken the opportunity to read a lot more and watch a lot of classic cinema. I have also taken the opportunity to play an instrument, meditation and do a lot of sport. Basically taking care of body and mind.

Homeless Home is part of Lab Competition L3.