Film blends Spanish, English cultures to create a unique, magical feeling in 'Twice Upon a Yesterday'
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By Ricky Herzog
Daily Bruin Contributor
We'd all love to be given the chance to go back in time to undo our mistakes, especially those having to do with love. But would changing something you said or did really be a simple, ideal solution?
Spanish director Maria Ripoll tackles this magical question in her luminous debut film "Twice Upon a Yesterday." The film is set in London, but the cast and crew are both Spanish and English, adding a unique dynamic to the production.
"In the beginning it was a little bit strange because the British are a little bit cold and the Spanish, we are much warmer," recalled Ripoll. "I was like, 'I need a little bit of warmth near me to be able to create.' But after two weeks it was amazing because we had this metamorphosis. We started using this Spanglish that no one else could understand. It was really special."
The combination of different languages and sentiments fostered a creativity and originality that audiences around the world have embraced. Ripoll has visited over 32 countries promoting "Twice Upon a Yesterday," and the film was honored with the Best Screenplay Award at the 1998 Montreal World Film Festival and won the "Audience Favorite" Award at the 1999 Seattle Women's Film Festival.
Clearly this story of a Londoner who goes back in time to have a second shot at staying loyal to his beautiful girlfriend has struck emotional chords around the world. Ripoll, a former UCLA film student, has her own special methods of directing her English speaking actors to strike these universal chords.
"I learned to direct in English here in Los Angeles, and I like it," said Ripoll. "I have a secret - when it's not your language the actors try to understand you and they pay much more attention, and I play with that as an advantage. The chemistry between the two leads and me was great because with just a gesture or a look we understood each other completely."
Ripoll learned to manipulate linguistic differences to the mutual advantage of both herself and the actors; as a Spaniard in London she also brought the fresh and important perspective of an outsider that ultimately works to create the film's uniquely original sensibility. She chose to film footage at the Notting Hill Carnival in order to add a feeling of both exuberance and complete pandemonium immediately after the main character is transported back in time.
"I really wanted to show a London that I haven't seen in other British films," said Ripoll. "I wanted a London much more ethnic, with much more of a mix of cultures. Shooting at the carnival was one of the most difficult scenes to shoot because it was so loud and so amazing. There are two million people and it's the second biggest carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro and nobody knew. I've always seen this other side of London - this cold, rainy, proper, aristocratic London and I never saw a more Latin point of view in London."
This Latin element, so important to Ripoll gives the film its heart, while the setting of London allows for a recontextualization of this Latin perspective and sentiment.
"The most important elements of the film are from Spain," said Ripoll. "The two actors that play the garbagemen are from Spain - they bring the magic. And Penelope Cruz.