Javier Ruiz Caldera’s time-warp drama “5 Minutes Más,” which had its world premiere in San Sebastian, suggests a way to bring precarious relationships closer again: by plunging them into a global apocalypse.
The screenwriter stars Beto Romero (“The Other Side”) and Belén Cuesta (“The Endless Trench”) as a couple trying to repair their broken marriage, who retreat to an idyllic holiday home in Spain’s exquisite Girona countryside. There, they are handed the keys by property manager Carlos, played by the popular Javier Cámara (“Speak to Her”) in a rare, less affable role. Shortly after he handed over the keys, time went back five minutes.
Actors and screenwriters Beto Romero and Belén Cuesta in “Five Minutes More”
Quim Vives
As time goes backwards again and again, they become more and more paranoid. Catalonia has always looked to France for inspiration. The film fuses the great French and Catalan traditions of questioning bourgeois civility into a thoroughly modern genre hybrid that is part harrowing comedy, part mind-bending science fiction, and part a shockingly violent thriller driven by nightmarish logic.
5 More Minutes is a potential breakout film produced by Movistar Plus, El Terrat, a division of The Mediapro Studio, and Ikiru Films. Filmax handles domestic distribution and international sales in Spain.
Both Ruiz Caldera and Romero were interviewed type On the eve of the world premiere of “Saint Sebastian.”
What prompted you to take on this project, especially after your last film?
Ruiz Caldera: I always want my next film to be different from the last one and to present new challenges. Berto Romero’s script delivers just that, combining my favorite genres: fantasy, thriller, and irresistible humor. I immediately wanted to succeed.
The film’s musical choices are striking. What was the decision to open and end with Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams”? What do you hope the musical theme evokes?
Ruis Caldera: Finding the right song is difficult. We wanted something hypnotic and mysterious to show that this was more than just a comedy. Then “In a Dream” sounded. Many people will remember this from David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, and I hope this connection adds an interesting layer of color.
Although the film’s structure is carefully choreographed, the performances appear remarkably natural. How much freedom did you give the actors, especially Belenquista, whose character has so much dialogue?
Ruis Caldera: We rehearsed and improvised extensively in preparation, but the actual shoot was very choreographed. The film consists of five minutes of footage, so everything had to be timed precisely. The goal was to make it look spontaneous, and Javier Cámara, Belén Cuesta and Berto Romero made this possible.
The film strikes an unusually subtle tone between black comedy, suspense and fantasy. How do you adjust these elements without one destroying the others?
Ruis Caldera: Humor helps release tension before catching the audience off guard again. The dark humor also feels natural given the extreme circumstances of the characters – a way to protect yourself from anxiety and fear.
Girona’s environment plays an important atmospheric role. What drew you to this particular location? How did its familiarity and natural beauty inform the film’s dark impulses?
Ruis Caldera: It was shot in a beautiful valley in Girona, Catalonia, at the house of a friend I’ve known since childhood. It’s a paradise – the perfect place for nightmares.
The decision to make the film in precisely five minutes of footage presented formidable formal and technical challenges. What triggers this limitation? How do you coordinate the photography, production design, costume, sound, visual effects, and production teams to maintain the same conditions in each sequence?
Each sequence must last five minutes, no more and no less. We wanted the audience to really feel the weight of those five minutes without relying on editing. After months of testing, each clip was shot exactly at 6:35pm, with the same lighting. This technical feat was made possible by close coordination between photography, art, costumes, sound, visual effects and production.
How the involvement of El Terrat and Ikiru producers Movistar Plus helped enhance the production of 5 More Minutes. How should it realize its distribution potential in Spain?
Romero: I have worked with Movistar Plus on several productions over the years and have developed a strong relationship of trust with their creative and production teams. The same goes for El Terrat, who I’ve worked with for over twenty years in film and television. Together with Ikiru Films, they supported the project from the beginning and gave us complete creative freedom.
For distribution in Spain, having Filmax on board gives us a lot of confidence. Their experience, knowledge of the market and ability to connect films with audiences is a major advantage. With the support of Movistar Plus, El Terrat and Ikiru Films, we have a solid foundation to increase the visibility of “5 More Minutes” and attract a wide audience.
Five Minutes is a blend of science fiction, survival thriller, and harrowing (in the best sense) comedy. What drew you to genre-blending?
I’ve always been attracted to stories that blend different genres. Life itself is a perfect example: it can transform from comedy to horror, thriller or drama in a matter of seconds. To me, it feels natural.
I like to follow the story I want to tell and let the genres emerge organically. I come from the stand-up comedy and television industry and have been working there for 30 years, so the way I see the world is naturally influenced by humor. At the same time, I’ve always loved genre stories, especially horror, thrillers, science fiction, and fantasy.
I think my writing is a blend of everything I love, filtered through my own perspective on life. With Five Minutes More , I never set out to make a comedy. But eventually, humor, like life in Jurassic Park, finds a way.
Quite a few of Spain’s top directors – Rodrigo Sorogoyan, Alberto Rodriguez – use genre. Is there anything about Spain or Spanish cinema that could explain this preference on the part of the director?
I feel that I am not qualified to speak for other writers or to define the characteristics of Spanish cinema. For me, it’s just a personal preference as a storyteller. I find it interesting to play with genre conventions, subvert them, and take the audience to places they least expect. I think this fascination with the genre is more international than uniquely Spanish, although that may just be my own bias. In my case, writing is a purely instinctive, irrational impulse.