For many years, Lola Arias has collaborated with former Argentinian prisoners. In particular, she has been interested in the lives of cis and trans people, who find themselves incarcerated for different offences, and how they deal with it inside.
Using the original, even slightly surrealistic, format of a musical, and working with genuine former prisoners, Arias has filmed an unusual and, in many ways, a heart-warming documentary. These non- professionals bring a strong authenticity and primal energy to their performances. The result is a raw, honest depiction, which despite being rough at the edges, carries a strong impact with some humour thrown in.
The documentary is shot, largely from the viewpoint of Yoseli Arias, who dreams of travelling so much that she has a tattoo of the Eifel tower on her back with “Never give Up” as a motto. These dreams are shattered when she is sentenced to four years and six months in a Buenos Aires prison for drug trafficking. Through her, we delve into the lives of a group of women in the prison and the choices they make. It is a film about comradery, as the women, cis, trans and queers work together, and make the decision to be there for one another at all times.
“We share everything here we divide everything between everyone – cleaning – food and if you have a problem, we talk it over with everyone”
This means that Yoseli’s packet of fags barely lasts through one sitting however, so for a while she remains unconvinced, preferring to be alone. She is also, not pleased to discover, that although they get paid for sewing towels, in 8 hours she only makes enough to buy herself a coca-cola.
Nacho Rodríguez and Yoseli Arias
Yet eventually, she is drawn in. As in the lyrics of the lead song ‘Paris or New York’, the women’s hopes rise in song: “I want to reach the end of the seas and sail away in luxury.” There is an element of fantasy thrown in. This is because they must dream to survive. In contrast to the usual grim depiction of life behind bars, here the family and comradery elements carry a lot of weight, but not enough to protect Nacho, when a comment offends a guard. Another moment of subtle violence is when the prison guards destroy pretty much everything in the cells, searching for illegal items or substances. The few possessions the prisoners have become precious to them, so this apparently routine examination, that includes cutting up mattresses and pouring their sugar all over the floor is in fact, a harsh punishment.
Using music and dance, with original songs and music by Ulises Conti, the prison inmates form a group of rock & roll, that even has the guards dancing. The lyrics talk about their misdemeanours, their loves and their anxieties. They are a motley lot, some shaven, some trans, long-term residents versus new entries, like Yoseli herself, who is a first timer. Gradually, through the music, the women develop relationships, reveal the suffering of their past lives, and vent their frustrations through movement and sound.
An important lead character, trans Ignacio Nacho Amador Rodríguez, had transitioned aged 26 and managed to marry not once, but twice, secondly to Yoseli. The wedding party is held, balloons and all in the prison itself.
Shot in a former unused prison, the prisoners admit to feeling the ghosts of past inmates, many who never survived their incarceration during the Dirty War. Arias does not dwell on these things, but they are present and can be felt.
This is an international co-production between Gema Juárez and Clarisa Oliveri, founders of the Buenos Aires based Gema Films. and Ingmar Trost from Germany’s Sutor Kolonko. Sutor Kolonko is not new to working with Latin America, having also developed the Oscar nominated “The Mole Agent” of Maite Alberdi.
Minefield by Lola Arias at the Jerwood Theatre , Royal Court
Lola Arias has an unerring instinct for working with people who have been subjected to extreme conditions in different landscapes. She has not only worked with prison inmates, but previously created the theatrical play (Minefield- Campo Minado) and subsequent film, ‘Theatre of War’ (2018), involving soldiers from both sides of the Falkland’s Conflict. In both these she also used music as a tool and a language to express a myriad of emotions and situations. The soldiers in Minefield, for instance, also create a band together. In this way the healing power of music can be felt throughout.
Lola Arias
What cannot be spoken is heard by all. In the same way, this unusual musical REAS, captures a story that is more than its parts, so that when her term ends and she’s due to leave the prison, Yoseli and the others, are all in tears. It is a film about rehabilitation and hope and what can be achieved by working together, as Yoseli’s tattooed motto on her back declares “Never give Up”.
REAS will be at the BFI Flare Festival 2024 on March 16th
International sales are by LUXBOX and it will also be available on MUBI
Credits: -
Director: Lola Arias/ Production: Gema Juárez Allen/ Cxlarisa Oliveri/ Ingmar Trost/ Vadim Jendreyko / DOP: Martín Benchimol / Editor: Ana Remón, José Goyeneche/ Art Director: Ángeles Frinchaboy / Sound Design: Sofía Straface and Daniel Almada/Original Music: Ulises Conti/ choreography Andrea Servera/
Cast: Yoseli Arias, Estefania Hardcastle, Noelia Pérez, Pato Aguirre Santangelo, Carla Canteros, Ignacio (Nacho)Amador Rodríguez, Paulita Asturayme. Laura Amato, Cintia Aguirre.
