In Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake we meet Olivia, a girl who, following an unavoidable eviction and helped by the organization PAH, with her little brother Tim and her mother Ingrid, squat in an empty flat in a Barcelona suburb. When her optimistic mother loses all her energy, Olivia is forced to take her place and look after her brother. To conceal her fear and protect her brother Tim from the harsh reality, Olivia pretends that they are shooting a film. We talked with its director about the film and about animation.

How did your interest in animation arise, and why stop motion in particular?

I worked in an art cinema in France where they often scheduled Gary Bardine and Jan Svankmajer. I was fascinated by their short films. They told stories through materials and objects, without dialogue, with powerful symbolism... all the while using the stop-motion technique. This type of film captivated me.

You are the co-founder of the animation production company Citoplasmas Stop Motion. How did this project arise? And what is Kinetic Armatures?

Citoplasmas started from an e-mail. An NGO saw one of my previous works and proposed a project to me. Then, to bring it to fruition, I formed the production company Citoplasmas Stop Motion together with Edu Puertas.
Later on, my partner’s passion for industrial design led to the creation of Kinetic Armatures, the brand of skeletons for stop-motion animation with puppets, which sells worldwide.

How did you come to Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake, based on The Film of Our Life, a book written by Maite Carranza? Do you have a special relationship with the author?

Maite was my scriptwriting teacher; we’ve worked together and we are friends. She explained things to me while she was writing her book, The Film of Our Life, and I read it when she’d finished. I was so moved by it that I suggested adapting it to film. And that’s where we are now.

What was the process of writing the script like? Is the story very different from the book (in so far as you can tell us, of course)? Did the author collaborate?

The author is also co-screenwriter of the film, together with the screenwriter Júlia Prats and me. Maite was very generous because there were several changes to make the adaptation to cinematographic writing as sound as possible. You’ll have to read the novel and see the film to know what they were (laughs).

How do you visually translate the duality between fantasy and reality in such a harsh story about a family suffering from eviction?

Fantasy comes into play when we need to explain what Olivia feels on concealing her fear: strange earthquakes where she falls and finds things.

Her imagination also lets her create the illusion of the film and find solutions and humour in everyday life. So she understands that the invention of the film doesn’t change reality, but does allow her to observe what’s happening to them from a certain distance, to change her point of view and take action.

The film deals with very complex and mature topics, but is suitable for all audiences. How do you achieve that?

By explaining these topics from the children’s perspective, with respect, tenderness, and a little humour. We also show the children’s resilience and their ability to transform the adventures of life into a game.

What difficulties did you encounter on bringing the project to fruition?

There was a little resistance because of the subject matter, but in general it was very well received. I think everyone realized that it’s necessary to de-stigmatize child poverty.

What advantages do you think stop motion has over other types of animation? Because the process is also very long and very laborious, isn’t it? It takes a whole day to shoot four seconds.

I chose stop motion with puppets to dilute the harshness of the topic. Using puppets instead of actors creates a distance which enables children to feel safe while we explain such complicated topics to them. Also, the real-life textures are only possible with stop motion: wool hair which vibrates, water created with plastic wrap for cooking, the imperfections of the materials...

Yes, the process is long and laborious, like a 3-D animation film, but much more handcrafted. Each animator can animate four seconds a day, yes: you have to be very patient. It’s a production rate that runs counter to present-day society.

It seemed as if stop motion had declined with the rise of new technologies. Why do you think there is a return to this art?

Because human beings need to work and create with their hands, and the imperfection that this gives is part of our DNA.

The plot of the film, which is shot in the San Martín neighbourhood, takes place in Barcelona’s suburbs. Will it be possible to identify parts of the city? We imagine that creating the film sets is very laborious.

The film sets are inspired by various neighbourhoods from the Barcelona suburbs. You’ll be able to identify the architecture, the atmosphere of the streets and the character.

And yes, it’s very laborious: the film set team has done fantastic, really detailed and realistic work...

In this film you work with the animators Tim Allen and César Díaz, who have collaborated with directors such as Wes Anderson and Tim Burton. What is it like to work with them and what do they bring to the film?

I’ve known César and Tim for a very long time and I really wanted to include them in this project. They bring a lot of experience; it’s a luxury to work with them.

They are the tip of the iceberg of a wonderful team of animators, who are not so well-known but have a lot of talent.
 

You have also worked in the world of advertising. Is there a great deal of difference between the work that you do for advertising and what you do for shorts or films?

They are different ways of narrating, with different objectives, different rhythms... I prefer to do (feature length or short) films.
 

When will we be able to see Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake on the big screen?

If all goes well, next year. Be patient!