BERLIN '09 PODCAST: Gerardo Naranjo

I'm Gonna Explode (Voy a explotar) is the audacious third feature from Gerardo Naranjo (Drama/Mex, Malachance), a rising Mexican auteur who was also previously seen as the star and co-writer of Azazel Jacobs' The GoodTimesKid (which, with full disclosure, Benten Films will be releasing this summer). I'm Gonna Explode has indeed exploded on the festival scene: last fall alone, it premiered at Venice, Toronto and New York (reviews here), and can be seen later this week in the Generation 14plus section at the 2009 Berlinale. Here's the trailer, and the synopsis used by NYFF:

"I'm Gonna Explode is a mood-shifting mock epic that channels Pierrot le fou complete with Georges Delerue music, albeit transposing the myth of the Last Romantic Couple to an upper middle-class Mexico City exurb. Ramon, the son of a sleazy right-wing congressman, contributes to his new high school’s talent show by ineptly attempting to hang himself on stage. Maru is the only one who claps. They bond in detention, and then it’s off in a stolen Volkswagen with daddy’s gun to the end of the night… or something like that. Absurdist and ultimately heartbreaking, I’m Gonna Explode is further proof of Mexican cinema’s ongoing vitality, a prime example of its nuevo nouvelle vague."

Back at the New York Film Festival, Naranjo and I met up after a post-screening Q&A to discuss his own rebellious childhood, how writing film criticism has influenced his work, and the case to be made for living fast and dying young. Our interview wasn't originally meant for podcast consumption, so I've left all 15 minutes unedited, with the uh's, um's, and squeaks intact.

To listen to the podcast, click here.
[WARNING: ONE MAJOR SPOILER]

I'm Gonna Explode screens at the 2009 Berlinale on Feb. 7, 8 and 14 (festival page). The film will also be available On Demand from IFC Festival Direct later this year. To visit the official site, click here.

Posted by ahillis at February 5, 2009 2:15 PM