Sem dor

Sem Dor/Sin dolor/No Pain is director Michael Wahrmann's second feature film. During 2019, the project participated in the IKUSMIRA BERRIAK residency in San Sebastian and the Torino Film Lab. It also received backing from the Ibermedia development fund 2018. Throughout 2018 and 2019, Michael developed the first version of the script with Argentinean writers Diego Lerer and Alejandro Fadel and Brazilian Gabriela Amara de Almeida.

The processes of creation and research are inseparable —and often indistinguishable— in the development of both the conceptual/theoretical and audiovisual/practical aspects of any film project. In order to develop, prepare and participate in the pre-production research process for Sem Dor, a core creative research group was formed, comprising EQZE students and members of the film crew. Using creative research methodology, the action explores the work of scriptwriting and the various different aspects that shape the audiovisual world of the film. The primary goal is to complete the final script by the end of 2020, together with a solid audiovisual dossier, setting out the content of the research and development, with a view to start filming in 2021.

The focus in this research action is on learning, taking as a starting point the director's creative process and project and the collaborative forms of the film work within a creative nucleus.

Sem Dor/Sin dolor/No Pain tells the story of a retired French couple who buy an old house on an island paradise in North Eastern Brazil. However, the island turns out to be more secluded than they first imagined. On their arrival, they are surprised to discover a small fishing village, peopled by descendants of a former German settlement. The strange scars on the people's bodies conceal a secret that they have kept hidden for decades: they feel no pain. This discovery leads to an inevitable confrontation between the couple and the locals. Sem Dor uses the narrative form of a social horror thriller to address issues such as class struggle, ownership, territory and borders, through the limit between pain and empathy. At the same time, it also reflects the cruel panorama of modern-day Brazil.

Research team:
Michael Wahrmann

Students 2019-2020:
Aldara Pagán, Astrid Villanueva Zaldo, Laura Moreno Bueno, Magdalena Orellana, Marcos García, Sandra García Bueno

Timeframe:
October 2019 . October 2020