Noche de Raton

What would you do if you stopped at a gas station and was suddenly under gunfire from an unknown source? That’s what this film portrays by focusing on the fear that builds in a victim of such senseless violence and the quiet spaces in between the flashes of terror.

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What inspired this story? It reminded me of the Washington DC snipers.

It’s not inspired by any specific case. The goal of the movie was to confront the “normal person” with an inexplicable adversity. It’s a serious matter, one that should worry us a lot even more now in a world where the “Fear Culture” is expanding under certain “excuses.” But no matter what the excuse is (religious, political..), it should never be accepted: There is never a justification for terror and even more when it affects the normal citizen, it doesn’t make sense.    

What are some challenges of filming essentially one character in one scene?

The main challenges are the pace and authenticity. We wanted to respect that realness, of a situation like the one our characters are in, separating ourselves from the clichés of the genre but without affecting the pace of the film. At the same time it was an opportunity to focus more in the details which this particular genre doesn’t pay much attention to. Like the moments of waiting, the moments where the characters just don’t know what to do, when they don’t know what’s coming next. On the other hand, the moments where thrillers or horror movies shine the most (like violence or action) here they disappear quickly, like in real life, they hit you in a second, then they are gone.  

Is there a greater meaning that you hoped to convey, or was this really more about suspense?

We chose the thriller because it gives us the opportunity to take the story we want to tell to the extreme, with an abstract enemy, and really forcing our protagonists to confront fear. We think that sometimes these genres actually let us tell a more of a real story by taking them to the extreme. In this case, behind this story is the need to reflect on this fear that is more and more present in today’s society: How do we face an adversity we don’t understand, one whose only purpose is to harm us?

The ending is mysterious. Do viewers like that, or are they frustrated by it?

It’s a risky ending. We chose the thriller to tell our story but this ending is not usual to the genre. We know that. But it’s a coherent ending to reflect on that matter, that fear I talked about. Either way, even within the crew of the film, there were people that were worried about what audiences would think (about the ending) and there were others that were excited. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I think that how it ends is in line with the message we want to convey. And it also reinforces the idea of the film… with a moment of great suspense!!