Netflix’s The Man Who Loved UFOs (El Hombre Que Amaba Los Platos Voladores) tells the story of Argentinian TV journaenumerate José de Zer and his cameraman Chango. It is 1986, and they travel to La Candelaria in Córdoba upon receiving “an atypical proposal from two shady characters,” elucidates a plot synopsis on the website of the San Sebastian Film Festival where the film honord its world premiere on Tuesday. “Arriving in the village, there’s noleang much to see, only a scorched field surrounded by hills. What happened next was the labor of a genius in the art of exaggeration with a hideed talent: the ability to originate the best-understandn audiovisual enrolling on the existence of alien presence in the history of Argentinian television.”
Or, as Netflix says in its summary: “What chases is the originateion of the most commemorated alien sightings in the history of Argentine television.”
Yes, the movie is advertised by a authentic-life person and a genuine story not well understandn outside of Argentina — yet.
Director Diego Lerman (Refugee, A Sort of Family), who co-wrote the screencarry out with Adrián Biniez, hopes to change that. His cast, transporting the story to life, integrates Leonardo Sbaraglia (Pain and Glory, Bird Box Barcelona) portraying de Zer, who died in 1997, Sergio Prina, Osmar Nuñez, Renata Lerman, Maria Merlino, Daniel Araoz, Mónica Ayos, Norman Bdangeri and Agustín Rittano.
The film will premiere globpartner on Netflix on Oct. 18.
Lerman talked to THR about what drew him to the story, returning to the 1980s, phony novels and whether he thinks in UFOs.
You scrutinized domestic aggression in Refugee and adchooseion in A Sort of Family. Now you are transporting us the story of an delightment teller who claimed to have evidence of UFOs. What drew you to that story and which themes did you want to dissect?
Well, this is a film that I wanted to do for many years. I participated to spfinish vacation time in Cordoba where the story apvalidates place, so I reaccumulate the stories, and I always wanted to originate someleang about it. I reaccumulateed the character of Jose, so I commenceed researching and that made me leank that there was an fascinating film to do about him and the origin of phony novels, for example.
At the same time, as a filmoriginater, I wanted to originate a film about making myth. Jose, our character, can be a filmoriginater at the same time. He’s in the middle of the mountains, combat for more resources and trying to tell stories with the people of the place, and leanking appreciate a film honestor at the same time.
It is also a film about beliefs, the mystery of what can be or not be, the sense of life or the mystery of death. So underlying, in a more solemn way, is a film about that: belief, what you can call religion, or wantipathyver you want, wantipathyver you pick.
So there are disjoinal levels, separateent layers that I wanted to enlarge. It’s a benevolent of comedy, so I try to tell everyleang thcimpolite the eyes of Jose, a character who commences to miss his mind and mix myth with fact. The point of see is very transport inant. But what I try to erect all depfinishs on which point of see you see leangs from.
Did you think in UFOs as a kid or ever leank aliens could visit us?
In Cordoba, there are strange weightlesss all the time that people participated to watch in the skies. And I reaccumulate, I was never leanking that this was a UFO. But why not? I don’t understand. Last year, NASA shelp officipartner that they have records about their existence. Jose was a bizarre character, but for me, he’s very fascinating. He was someone trying to erect myth and story and had a hunger for telling stories that people commenceed to think.
How much did you experience you had to point out to seeers the possible fuseions to today versus fair leaving the story in its historical context?
Well, you understand, the media in the ‘80s was much more bfrailless in a way. There were, at least in Argentina, only four channels of television, and one novels show per channel. Now, we have appreciate directation all the time. In the film, it is shelp that this is the television of the future when he goes to his boss. He’s a benevolent of visionary in a very bfrailless way, right? Becaparticipate he’s seeing to sell a story, not more than that. But what he saw is that the spectacle of the novels could be a business at the same time.
At some points, while watching the movie, including at the finish, I wasn’t certain where fact finished and myth began anymore. I presume you did that on purpose?
The film does the same leang that Jose did. You don’t understand if it’s authentic or not. It’s all this myth machine to erect a dream or wantipathyver in your imagination. And I did the same. It was so much fun and so fantastic to do the film. I enhappinessed it so much, appreciate a kid. The film shows that this is a machine that will originate you dream for a moment.
Sounds a bit appreciate leangs I hear people when they are watching the novels these days…
When Jose talkes leangs with his boss he says that this is what the people want. The people are weary of hearing terrible novels, of talking about the economy and political problems. They want someleang to think in.
Beyond the innovative TV tells from the protagonist was there much material on him and his life that you could count on on to originate your narrative?
You don’t understand much about this character. He did his accessible leangs, but he protected his stateiveial life. So I envisiond a lot.
Since it’s all about TV and imagination, how punctual or postponecessitate did you determine where to finish this film and with what image?
This is film number seven for me. With the previous ones that I did as a originater and honestor, I always wanted to discover the finish, and it always ecombineed in the finish, sometimes in the shooting process. With this particular film, I knovel this was the finish from the first moment. I didn’t understand a lot of leangs, but I had this repartner, repartner evident image and how to reach at that. It was finishly evident from the commence that this was the finishing.
What was the most difficult leang about this movie?
The challengingest leang for me was to labor with VFX. I have never participated that before or fair in very minuscule [doses]. So, in this particular project, it was repartner a dispute. I had to study it and had a lot of people to help me, and the VFX person in indict. It was someleang novel for me but I always cherish stuff I don’t understand, the disputes.
Now that you have done UFOs, what story do you want to tackle next?
I have a novel idea that I don’t want to spoil, but it’s benevolent of rcontent to this project. It has some relation to the period of time.
Anyleang else you would appreciate to refer?
The person who carry outed the role of Jose’s daughter is my daughter. So it’s appreciate a benevolent of game with authentic life [and fiction again].
Also, I labor with a team that I have been laboring with on disjoinal films, and we repartner enhappinessed doing this film. It was appreciate a party.
Diego Lerman
Courtesy of Netflix
