Laura García Alonso’s feature debut, Runner, tells the story of a young competitive athlete who goes insane while training intensely for a big race.
The film will be distributed internationally by Madrid-based Latido Films and will premiere in competition at this year’s Malaga Film Festival. It will be introduced to buyers at a Spanish screening in Malaga.
Adding to the fun of this movie, it has a top-notch production package. Barcelona’s Distinto Films, whose film “Deaf” won the Berlin Panorama Audience Award; Elastica Films, which backed the Berlin Golden Bear winner “Alcarràs”; and Dos Soles Media, the same producer as Elastica of Carla Simon’s Cannes main competition film “Romeria”. Elastica is sold in Spain.
Breakout newcomer Alba Saez stars as Chris, a man who is mentally and physically devoted to track and field. While preparing for the 800 meter race at the Spanish Championships, she suffers from severe psychosis due to the increasing pressure. As the recovery process progresses, Chris remains obsessed with running and planning a difficult comeback.
Marina Salas (“This Too Shall Pass”) and Alex Blendemuhle (“Creatura”) co-star as her sister and father, who play a key role in her recovery.
For Garcia, the issue of mental illness became deeply personal after an experience with a close family member, and he tackled it in his 2022 short film Summer Storm.
Through Runner, she hopes to spread understanding of mental illness.
“The intention of this film was really to get people talking about this topic and spark a discussion,” Garcia told Variety.
“Mental illness is highly feared. Movies often portray mental illness in a manipulative or sensationalist way. With this story, I wanted to show the reality of Chris, a young woman struggling with the symptoms of a newly diagnosed mental illness, the uncertainty of its progression, the side effects of treatment, changes in the perception of those around her, and changes in herself.”
Digging deep into this subject wasn’t easy for the filmmakers.
“This was a big challenge, especially because we wanted to break away from certain stereotypes and because this subject is complex and diverse. We did research, interviewed people in the mental health field, and observed a lot.”
In “Summer Storm,” Garcia approaches the theme from the perspective of a caregiver, with the main character being a young man caring for his mentally ill mother.
“With ‘Runner,’ I wanted to do it in first person from the point of view of someone struggling with a disability, and that required a lot of immersion in terms of writing, acting, and directing the actors. On a personal level, it was tough because there was so much suffering, but it was also positive because I think I was able to convey hope.”
Director Garcia praised her impressive cast’s work on this challenging project, saying, “To play Chris, we were looking for an actress who not only physically fit the image of an athlete, but also had a certain way of seeing things and accessing very deep states of being. Finding Alba was a gift. She gave herself completely. We worked on this character for a year through dialogue, readings, and improvisation.”
“Then we added Marina and Alex, completing an unbeatable cast. They are generous, creative and sensitive actors. Working with them was a great learning experience.”
Set in the competitive world of track and field, the film posed additional challenges for both Garcia and Saez. The director says running is a “humble, beautiful, and tough sport.” “In this movie, it’s a double-edged sword. Chris runs to calm down what’s going on inside him, but it’s also a source of tension.”
“On a technical level, the running sequences were also a challenge. We didn’t want to shoot in so many shots and have them fragmented. We were interested in following the character continuously. Alba was able to run at a realistic speed for the championship in the 100-meter section, but we couldn’t film too many takes, because otherwise she would get too tired. It was a huge physical effort for her and for the whole team.”
It’s too early for Garcia to talk about future projects, but he has some ideas in development. “I have a starting point and a universe that I want to explore. In movies, I like to delve into uncharted territory. I like challenges and talk about things that I don’t know and that I find interesting. I can’t share it yet, but I’m excited.”
