Antonella Sudasassi Furniss: “I wanted to demystify the notion of sexuality after a certain age”

The Costa Rican filmmaker recounts the creation of Memoirs of a Burning Body, brilliantly mixing fiction and documentary to tell the story of the sexual oppression suffered by women throughout their lives

When does the idea of Memories of a burning body ?

Antonella Sudasassi Furniss: It all started 5 years ago, while preparing my first feature film Hormigasfor which I met many women. And talking with the oldest among them made me want to talk to my grandmother about her life. What I had actually never done, at least not in detail. But my grandmother was 92 years old at the time and inevitably her memories were imprecise. So I went to meet other women just a little younger than her to pursue with them what has guided my desire for cinema since my first short, The Awakening of the Ants: Childhood. With Memories of a burning bodyI intended to demystify the notion of sexuality after a certain age. And it was these fascinating testimonies that gradually built the idea of ​​this film while making me understand what my grandmother had experienced without ever having spoken to me about it.

Why did you choose this hybrid form, between fiction and documentary and not build the film solely on the testimony of these women?

For a very simple reason: most of them did not want to appear on screen. This was even a prerequisite before any discussion for fear that they might be recognized. Which obviously speaks to the taboo that this still represents for them. I therefore found myself faced with a formal challenge: how to transcribe on screen all these incredible testimonies that I had collected. I then let myself be guided by what immediately came to mind when she spoke to me, in particular their often very strong relationships with a piece of clothing and an object from the past which made me want to wander through an apartment to go back the thread of their memories. But with this film, I also wanted to show the bodies of these women who, past a certain age, become totally invisible. The question of form therefore went hand in hand with that of the representation of a septuagenarian who regains possession of her body and her desires.

Why did you choose this hybrid form, between fiction and documentary and not build the film solely on the testimony of these women?

For a very simple reason: most of them did not want to appear on screen. This was even a prerequisite before any discussion for fear that they might be recognized. Which obviously speaks to the taboo that this still represents for them. I therefore found myself faced with a formal challenge: how to transcribe on screen all these incredible testimonies that I had collected. I then let myself be guided by what immediately came to mind when she spoke to me, in particular their often very strong relationships with a piece of clothing and an object from the past which made me want to wander through an apartment to go back the thread of their memories. But with this film, I also wanted to show the bodies of these women who, past a certain age, become totally invisible. The question of form therefore went hand in hand with that of the representation of a septuagenarian who regains possession of her body and her desires.

MEMORIES OF A BURNING BODY: A BRILLIANT MIX OF GENRES [CRITIQUE]

To make the words of all those who confided in you heard, why did you want just one actress?

Because I realized, through the testimonies of these women who come from different social backgrounds and who have not had the same life, that there was in their relationship to the body and to the patriarchal domination that they have suffered, a bond that united them all. And this choice of a single actress also allowed me to protect them. This prevented this or that anecdote from being able to identify the person who had entrusted it to me. You know Costa Rica is like a village. Everyone ends up knowing each other. And my obsession was to protect their privacy.

We then had to find the actress to take on this sacred challenge…

Many actresses I had contacted declined because they did not want to appear naked. Sol Carballo comes from dance. So she had this natural ability to physically embody this character where so many things go through the body. And I think that the words of these women struck something in her. It was a cathartic role and shoot for Sol. Not to mention that as my friends pointed out to me even though I hadn't paid attention at first, she looks incredibly like my mother! (laughs)

The mix between documentary and fiction at work in Memories of a burning body requires precision work during assembly. Did it take you a long time to “find” your film?

Yes. Quite a bit of time. Watching the first end to end, the film did not exist, did not work. So I went back to work, taking some time off – while obviously earning my living elsewhere with my own production company via commercials and music videos – and you know what? All this rewriting work brought me to a result that ultimately resembles the initial scenario like two drops of water. But it was necessary to get to that point to make the film come to life.

Memories of a burning body. By Antonella Sudassasi Furniss. With Sol Carballo, Paulina Bernini, Juliana Filloy… Duration 1h30. Released November 20, 2024