The Costa Rican Kim Torres returns to Locarno to premiere "Solo la luna comprenderá," selected in the international short film competition, Pardi di domani. With this premiere, the director completes a cycle of three short films in three years, in a journey that took her from Locarno to Cannes and back to Locarno. The director made her debut in 2021 at the Swiss festival with the short film "Atrapaluz," a story of identity with futuristic touches; last year, at Cannes, she premiered "Luz nocturna," a drama about abandonment and resilience, with which the Costa Rican filmmaker secured a place in the current landscape of Latin American cinema.
Latam Cinema, full interview
Screenslate, full review
Torres captures the texture of what it is to live in the Costa Rican village of Manzanillo by means of immersion. Oscillating between scenes of leisure and moments of disquieting stillness, the film moves quickly between geographies.
Variety, EXCLUSIVE TRAILER PREMIERE
While not autobiographical, Costa Rican Kim Torres’s feature debut “If We Don’t Burn How Do We Light Up The Night” (“Si no ardemos, cómo iluminar la noche”) is rooted in her childhood experiences. It draws inspiration from her early years in rural Costa Rica where she began to perceive certain dynamics in the village and grew more aware of the dangers lurking in this idyllic setting.
Her coming-of-age drama, which world premieres at the San Sebastian Film Festival’s New Directors sidebar, follows 13-year-old Laura who feels stifled in her new family. As she begins to adjust to her new environment, surrounded by verdant forests and palm plantations, she finds out that the village hides a shadowy secret that preys on the women in it.
