AE: You mentioned Catholicism. Religion is present in this movie and not in a condemning way. It might surprise some to see a church and priest with such frequent presence in this film, given its queer content. Why did you choose to include that?
AMH: I wanted to make a film that I could make in the sense that it was honest to me and who I am and where I come from. Catholicism is a huge part of my culture and Colombian culture in general.
AE: It was really refreshing to see these two women not freak out over what their feelings for each other say about their sexual orientations. It wouldn’t have been that surprising if you did have them panic over that though, since Lucia is married to a man throughout the movie and Mariana was about to marry one. So why didn’t you incorporate that into the film?
AMH: For me and the way I thought about these characters, they all kind of needed each other. It felt organic and natural. Nobody was forcing anything. I feel like constantly they were saving each other during this mourning process. So the fact that they wanted to express their love with the body that they had, they were accepting of it because it was something that felt right. Nobody felt wrong. It was like a way to fulfill each other’s needs all the time. I feel like neither of them had that before.
They just embrace it. Again, because it didn’t come from a sexual place. It came from a place of love. There was nothing wrong about that.
AE: The movie doesn’t shy away from the fact that Mariana was completely in love with Andres. For some individuals, the idea that she could then fall in love with Lucia so deeply and so quickly is impossible. What do you say to that?
AMH: The love never went away. That love that she had for Andres, that was deep, is still there. It just added a layer to it. It just made it better.
That’s how I see love. Love is something that’s not black and white. It’s not something you can put in a word. “Oh, it starts here and it ends here.” It’s something big and connects us to the universe. I think what happens to Mariana, she expands herself. She became more like the universe. Open. And Lucia became part of her universe.
AE: Lucia and Mariana were not physically intimate until near the movie’s end. I’ll confess that I was starting to lose hope for them! What was your thinking with that choice?
AMH: It was an organic process where I felt it should be in the place it should be. So it was never intentionally delayed. Actually, in the script, they had sex at the end of the movie. But we went through an editing process.
I was never worried about capturing my audience. My goal was to tell a story that was believable and that was organic. That’s when it felt right. After they go through all this process of getting to know each other, and then boom!
AE: If anyone had an excuse to give us a sad ending, it would be you for making a film that revolves around the death of a brother and fiancé. First off, thank you for not doing that. But why did you decide to go the “happy ending” route?
AMH: I am Colombian and we have had a very rough history where everything about Colombia is usually negative. I have been denied visas to go to countries. I have been searched at airports. Like down to my underwear. And everything about Colombia usually–not so much right now because it’s been changing a little bit–is very negative. So when I decided to become a filmmaker, I was like, “What kind of stories do I want to tell?” Definitely not negative ones.
I knew as a director and as a storyteller and a filmmaker, I did not want my movie to have that impact. Because everything that I grew up with, everything I saw in the media–especially about myself, my country–was negative. So I made a conscious effort that I’m going to tell stories that feel real, that feel raw, that can be hard and dramatic, but they’re going to be positive at the end. I want to put a good light to it. Also, I didn’t want to make a film about poverty, or about social issues, or medical, or drugs. You know, all the shit that sells and that we’re known for. As a Colombian, I wanted to show a film with a positive light about a love story.
The Firefly will be playing in Sydney, Australia on March 3 and April 2 as part of the Mardi Gras Film Festival. Visit the movie’s Facebook page to find out when it’ll be playing near you.
