Interview With Enrique Buleo

"When I create, I don’t usually set limitations for myself—I try to make something that speaks about me and how I see the world."

After directing a couple of short films, the Manchegan filmmaker Enrique Buleo presents his debut feature, a title that will delight fans of works like Destello bravío or Espíritu sagrado. With this film, the director positions himself on the Spanish cinematic map as one of the filmmakers reclaiming his homeland as a place where magical realism merges with traditional storytelling. To mark the arrival of Still Life With Ghosts, an anthology film divided into five chapters, we spoke with Buleo about his inspirations and how he conceived this peculiar gem of Spanish cinema—a film that proves a different kind of Spanish fantasy cinema is also possible. – by Javier Parra

Where did the idea for Still Life With Ghosts come from?

I have a very baroque approach and usually start from many different ideas and themes when making my films. At least that’s how it has been with my short films so far and the artistic projects I’ve been involved in. It’s hard to pinpoint one specific origin, but one recurring idea in my writing for a while was exorcizing or transgressing death. Unfortunately, I experienced several deaths of relatively young people in my close circle. That made me very sensitive to the subject, and I spent some time writing about death.

How would you categorize the film’s genre?

It’s a hybrid, and at first, I struggled to place it in a specific genre. I like to think of it as a rural tragicomedy. But it’s true that it also has fantastic elements.

There’s a connection to magical realism and the kind of traditional storytelling that has been emerging recently, like in the works of Chema García Ibarra.

Yes, it has something of magical realism. La Mancha fascinates me. To me, it feels very close to Latin America in terms of beliefs and many other things. I think Spain, in general, has that connection, but since I write from La Mancha, that’s what I see.

Who are your favorite filmmakers or influences in fantasy or horror cinema?

Even though I don’t strictly make genre films, when I do, I don’t pay much attention to my influences. I love horror, and I really like Cronenberg, Carpenter, Craven, Hitchcock, and Lynch. On the other hand, I also love filmmakers like Aki Kaurismäki and Berlanga, which is why I think my cinematic perspective is quite broad.

If you had to name three favorite films, what would they be?

That’s tough, but I’m certain about the first one: The Shining. I’ve seen it two hundred thousand times, and I never get tired of it. It fascinates me from the first second to the last. And in recent years, I really liked The Hills Have Eyes, the Alexandre Aja version, and Hostel.

How do you think Still Life With Ghosts will be received outside Spain?

During the development of the film, we attended several markets and labs, and people connected really well with the humor—whether in Toronto, Cannes, Trieste, or Locarno. They say it feels very similar to the rural humor of their own countries. I’ve made something very personal and relatively local because it’s a type of humor and a way of understanding the world, life, and human relationships that is deeply tied to a specific region, yet it seems to be understood quite well.

What’s your take on the current state of fantasy cinema?

In Spain, I think fantasy films have been quite interesting for years now, unlike many other genres and areas where I feel conservatism is taking over. That’s why I try not to limit myself—I want to create something very free and personal. This means that, when I create, I don’t usually set limits for myself. I try to make something that speaks about me and how I see the world, about the things that make me laugh, the things that scare me, and the things that fascinate me.

So, what scares you, and what fascinates you?

I’m really afraid of loneliness—it’s one of the things that terrifies me the most. I’m also scared of heartbreak, and I’m afraid of death. But at the same time, I find death fascinating in fiction. Slashers give me life. However, in real life, death terrifies me more and more. Maybe because, as you get older, it becomes natural for loved ones to approach that reality. It’s something that deeply frightens me. And the way I exorcize those fears is by also feeling fascinated by them.

[Interview excerpt from the Festival Daily on October 5, 2024]

[Listen to the Still Life With Ghosts Press Conference here]