Faces

This production of Arriaga Theatre takes as a reference the film Faces, by John Cassavetes, which was nominated for three Oscar Awards in the categories of Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

Burdened by the emotional vacuum of their lives together, the married couple, Richard and María, embark on new relationships through which they try, above all, to find themselves again. A fundamental reference point for all independent filmmakers, Faces was, curiously enough, Cassavetes’ return to the indie language after his two failed attempts to join the great Hollywood factory. The film received three Oscar nominations and several awards at international festivals.

Loss, the acceptance of maturity and, above all, love in its most pessimistic and explicit form are themes that are explored. Cassavetes was most interested in people and love, exploring all its variations, for love is the strongest driving force in people’s lives, whether we try to achieve it or to stay away from it. In Faces, he focuses on burnt out relationships where love is confused with acceptance and resignation, ergo, fear of loneliness.

For the adaptation, Alex Gerediaga has worked on an abridged version of the text but faithful to the dialogues. Naturally, as in the film, the essential basis is working with the actors, in search of interpretations that are capable of capturing that chunk of life, those feelings that Cassavetes’ camera captures in such a raw and realistic way; knowing that the theatrical medium is different, and that is a fundamental part of the challenge.

As for the mise-en-scène the aim has been to continue our search into the relationship between scenic and cinematographic codes, on both an aesthetic and narrative level; to propose a previously studied audiovisual work, delving into the possibilities offered by sound and visual amplification, to later integrate them onto the stage, always nuturing the interpretations; and to seek to gain an insight into what these “faces” hold.