Saskia Nislow
After being blown away by Huesera: The Bone Woman, I was delighted to have the opportunity to sit down with the director, Michelle Garza Cervera, and lead actress, Natalia Solián. Though we only had a few minutes to talk over Zoom, we managed to discuss everything from Love and Rockets to King Kong Theory to Toni Collette’s versatile talents.
We started off discussing the legend of La Huesera (also sometimes called La Loba). Though Solián hadn’t heard of the folktale before filming, she explained how “huesero” is a term used to describe someone who does chiropractic work and drew an interesting comparison to Valeria’s journey in the film when she explained how a huesero sets your bones because “you will be healthy when you are in the right place.”
We then moved on to discuss some of the influences both artists drew on in making this film. Cervera noted that the spider motif in the film was inspired by the sculptures of Louise Bourgeois. Specifically, she was interested in “the figure of the spider as a place that looks like a home but also a jail.”
Cervera also mentioned how she ran a film club with the cast and crew where they screened films like Jacob’s Ladder, Don’t Look Now, and Possession.
As for Solián, she was inspired by Toni Collette’s ability to transition seamlessly between genres, as well as performances in We Need to Talk About Kevin and the Babadook.
As we neared the end of our conversation, I asked what drew both Cervera and Solián to horror. Cervera responded that it’s something “very innate to me” and explained:
”I found horror and was like, this is where I am myself.”
Finally, we closed out by discussing what both artists are working on next. Keep an eye out for Solián in the upcoming film No Voy a Pedirle a Nadie Que Me Crea, as well as for new collaborations from Cervera and Huesera co-writer, Abia Castillo, and Cervera’s entry in the upcoming reboot of La Hora Marcada.
Check out the video of our full interview below and make sure to catch Huesera: The Bone Woman in theaters beginning on February 10th!
