“Guilt,” by director Moisés Aisemberg, is a pitch black drama on boyhood cruelty and sexual repression. We asked Aisemberg how the project started, about the biggest challenges involved, and what comes next for him…

1) Can you talk briefly about your background, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

Since I was little I always liked to tell stories, for me filmmaking is a way of transmitting feelings and emotions in a very particular way. I’ve always believed that playing with memory and moving images is a kind of synesthetic experience.

2) Can you talk about the origins of this film - what was the initial spark and how did it evolve from there?

In Mexico and in many other countries, intolerance and repression continue to dominate as mechanisms to be able to belong, either to a job, to the group of popular children in school or to a particular society. Child abuse is more common than we think and these issues are rarely addressed. What interests on the subject is to open the conversation about a problem that is often considered a game and that, years later, the affected boy or girl conceptualizes as abuse.

Based on the personal experience of several victims of abuse, I decided to tell a story that dealt with the repression to which we are accustomed to live and which is never spoken of.

3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the best, and the least?

What I enjoy most about the creative process is improvising during filming, the real jewels come out when we are free of plans and instructions. What bothers me the most is worrying about not having enough time; it's never enough time.

The most difficult part of the shooting was to maintain the same tone in the kid's interpretations. Working on such a sensitive issue with young actors is always a risk but they were very mature about it.

4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

I just saw Midsommar and I really liked how the director introduces fantastic elements in the story that give the film a unique storytelling form.

5) What’s next for you?

I’m currently at the financing stage of a feature film which focuses on child obesity, false expectations and abuse. I promise to keep you updated!

Contact Info:

Website: http://remigioleroy.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maisemberg

Instagram: @remigioleroy