UPR drama student, Amanda Mendez Martinez, won Best Actress for her performance in Lapso, a short film done for the 48 Hour Film Project 2016. As fellow IUPI-goers and cinema lovers, we were immediately proud and felt a need to sit down and get to know a little bit about who this Amanda is. Our needs were met, and now we get to share it with you guys!
Enjoy.
HC: Tells us a little bit about the film’s story.
A: The short is about a girl, Amanda, who is on a train. A girl catches her attention and she suddenly becomes obsessed with her. As the film goes on, we realize that Amanda’s interest for this girl wasn’t so sudden and that in reality, she is traveling through her thoughts and memories. I don’t know if I explained that very well, but the point is that she is following this girl in her memories.
HC: Since this was a 48 Hour Film project, did you guys stick to the script?
A: Yes and no. The script is Lapso‘s skeleton, but the short film is more than the script portrayed in the beginning of the project.
HC: Why should we see Lapso?
A: Wow! Well, people should see Lapso because I put all of my feelings and emotions into this character and I think that even if people can’t identify with the story, they’ll definitely be able to connect with the emotions. Also, I think this project proposes a different idea from what we are usually accustomed to, the comedy, musicals and superficial projects. Lapso steps away from that, it breaks with the common cinematographical shots and has a deep psychoanalysis of its characters. This type of cinema has been done in other places, like maybe Europe or Latin America, but not in the island and I think Lapso is a step towards the evolution of Puerto Rican cinema.
HC: How did you connect with your character? How did you become this other Amanda?
A: The good thing about this characters is that it didn’t have any specifications, except for the obsession. I was pretty much free to create the character’s personality. I decided to base Amanda off of me, I pictured myself in her situation and thought about how I would react to it.
HC: You quite obviously loved playing the character of Amanda. What other types of characters would you like to play in the future?
A: My favorite thing about characters are the details. I’ve always had a curiosity to work with la locura, physically and emotionally. I am interested in everything that has to do with that subconscious state of the human being, and all of the complications that come with that. I think this is because all human beings have a little bit of crazy inside of them, and the strangest or most beautiful part of that is that this is only activated in situations of drastic change in our lives, a challenge or too much stress. When I play characters that are like this, I become conscious of that moment when the crazy activates. When you’re acting, you’re doing everyday things but you’re doing them consciously, and this is when you realize exactly how you react to things and how you feel them and how you don’t. I find myself thinking: “Wow, I’d really react this way?”
HC: What has been your favorite character to play?
A: I would have to say that so far my favorite character has been, of course, Amanda from Lapso. Because it was emotionally and even physically challenging to discover and create this Amanda. This is the reason I act; I grow as a person through these characters. Acting helps me discover and explore new worlds, new experiences, and new situations. The characters that challenge me the most, and take me out of my routine are always gonna be my favorites.
HC: Are you working on something now?
A: As for cinema, I’m not working on anything right this moment. However, after I filmed Lapso, other opportunities opened up for me and they should be coming to the public in December or possibly January.
HC: Where do you like performing the most: theater or cinema?
A: Right now, at this point in my life, I like cinema more because it is what I’ve been doing the most and I am in that zone. Also, I’ve discovered that the level of concentration you need to have when you’re acting in front of a camera and there are millions of people that you see but can’t react to, it’s just extreme. In theater, you need to concentrate of course, and a million people are watching as well but it’s different. In theater everything just flows, what happens in the moment is what happened, there is no changing it. They’re just different ways to work with your concentration as an actor and how it is done for the screen is what I am really interested in right now.
HC: Just to bring it full circle now, the question we have all been waiting for; where can we watch Lapso?
A: Lapso will be available to the general public soon, and will actually have a premiere in Cinema Bar. The exact date of the event will be posted on Lapso’s Facebook Page and, at the event, we will be announcing where exactly you’ll be able to find the film online.
Cinema, UPR pride, and making dreams come true. Her Campus provides you with it all, and there is more to come. Stay tuned!