Interview With Tomás Gómez Bustillo Writer/Director of CHRONICLES OF A WANDERING SAINT

There were a lot of terrific films at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, and one in particular really stuck with me. The fantastical drama Chronicles of a Wandering Saint, and the feature debut from Tomás Gómez Bustillo, was a truly enchanting experience.

I was lucky enough to speak with writer/director Tomás Gómez Bustillo about the writing process, finding the perfect lead, and locale, what this experience has been like, and much more!

Hello! Kristy Strouse here with Film Inquiry. Congratulations on the movie!

I’m wondering where the idea for this film came from, but also how it grew/changed throughout the writing process?

Tomás Gómez Bustillo: The initial idea came from an image that popped into my head unannounced. It was the image of a lonely ghost, full of light, wandering around an empty field. I was in my last year of film school at the time, and I started journaling and writing stream of consciousness to try to see where that first idea would follow. I was very intrigued by the idea of someone who had achieved outward perfection but yet, still found themselves alone.

The writing process took about 3 and a half years, and throughout that time, more of my background and personal experiences started to seep into the story. I was raised catholic, and although I am no longer religious, my experience in my teens as a catholic missionary heavily influenced the story. For 4 years, I would visit the town where we shot and I met all the local people, especially the elderly women. They shared their stories with us, and it was so heartfelt and real, that it really stuck with me. This place became, in Garcia Marquez’s terms, my own little Macondo.

I thought the chemistry of the two leads was really wonderful, can you tell us a bit about the casting process? Was it tough to find your perfect Rita? (She’s amazing by the way). 

Tomás Gómez Bustillo: Thank you! Yes, I agree that Monica is absolutely fantastic. She is an absolute legend in Argentina, having starred in many of my country’s most notable films and TV shows for over four decades. For a long time, I wrote the script with her in mind, but it always felt like she was a little bit out of my league. I was fortunate enough to get a hold of her phone number and I pitched her the idea, and miraculously enough, she really responded to the script and agreed to come on board. I was through the roof!

As for Horacio Marassi, who plays Norberto, we found him through our casting directors Mariana Sanguinetti and Iair Sair (who also plays Lucho, the moth). They did a wonderful job of putting together options, both traditional types and out-of-the-box types. It was during Covid, so it was mostly done through self-tapes, but I could immediately tell from Horacio that he had a vulnerability and earnestness that would be perfect for the character.

It’s amazing and hilarious that you just referenced a character that is a moth. It’s what I really loved about this film. Can you tell us a bit about the locale? 

Tomás Gómez Bustillo: Like I mentioned before, during my brief stint as a catholic missionary, I would visit the small town of Antonio Carboni multiple times a year, for weeks at a time. This town is incredibly isolated from the rest of the world, only connected to major highways by a lonely dirt road that takes 45 minutes to transit. That means that it has kept a very magical sort of timelessness to it. The people are real, honest, authentic, and incredibly friendly. I became very close with them and continued to visit them even after I stopped identifying as a Catholic.

Something about this town is so beautiful, so small, and so isolated made it seem like it was almost destined to be a setting for a fantastical story. And sure enough, as we started to shoot, the people from the town opened their doors to us and even became part of the cast and crew. I can’t say enough good things about this place. As I mentioned earlier, in a small way, this town is like my Macondo.

I love how comical this is, but also how thoughtful the film can be. Was it difficult to find that balance? How important was it to you to find that?

Tomás Gómez Bustillo: To be completely honest, in film school, I had been trying way too hard to be a “serious” filmmaker, you know? Like that somehow, the more dramatic the story, the more I would be appreciated and respected. Then, through therapy, I started to understand how incredibly silly and petty this “putting on a show for others” kind of attitude towards filmmaking was, and I became determined to somehow tell a story of a character who would do exactly that, so that I could poke fun at myself. This is really where the comedic aspect of the film began. I needed to let go, be playful, make fun of myself, and find a character who needed the exact same thing.

Absolutely. 

Another source of comedy comes from some of the more absurdist influences, everything from Garcia Marquez to Achipatpong Weeresakathul or Aki Kaurismaki. I love people who help me understand that being alive is a mysteriously absurd, strange thing, and we have to coexist with way more contradictions than our tiny minds can hold. You can either choose to celebrate these contradictions or work hard to pretend like they don’t exist. It was really important for me to try the former.

I love that! What would you say were some of the most challenging parts of the production?

Tomás Gómez Bustillo: There were a few things that are worth mentioning as the most challenging parts of the production. First, is trying to coordinate international production during COVID amidst shutdowns, curfews, and new variant spikes. We must’ve lost almost a year with a couple of failed attempts at starting production.

Another challenging part is working with the elements. For example, I originally had the idea that the cemetery scene would include pouring rain, after the lightning sequence from the night before. A sort of catharsis that the story needed at that point. Well, sure enough, on the day we shot the cemetery scene, it was as sunny as it could possibly get, and we had our rain crew standing by. I had an incredible teacher and mentor who once told me “Your job as a director is to listen to the movie, not talk over it.” The movie was talking to me. It didn’t need rain. It was going to look super cheesy if I just forced it in there. So we stopped and looked and realized that we had another element that was very prominent that day: the wind. This could give us new, unexpected connotations and emotions on the screen. So we harnessed it, went with it, and I’m very happy that the scene worked out even better than I had anticipated.

That’s great advice. Congrats on having it premiere on SXSW! How has the experience been for you?

Tomás Gómez Bustillo: Oh my goodness. It was a dream. I was already incredibly excited just to screen at such a big festival. But the audience reactions and turnouts have been so moving. Many people connected with the film, and as a very insecure first-time filmmaker, seeing all of this was both overwhelming and incredibly rewarding. At the end of the day, I make films to try to connect with others. And it’s been just that.

That’s wonderful. What would you say is the most important thing you would like people to take away from the film?

Tomás Gómez Bustillo: Honestly, whatever they want/need to take away is okay with me. Everyone steps into the theater with a different life story, a different emotional mindset, a different cultural baggage. I try to start the movie, but ultimately, I believe that it’s the audience that needs to finish it. I think ideally though if they could walk away with a renewed sense of wonder of the little, seemingly unimportant things in life, I would be over the moon.

Terrific answer! Is there anything you’re working on now?

Tomás Gómez Bustillo: I’m currently working on two more feature films. One is a time travel story set in Los Angeles, and would hopefully be my first English-speaking film, and the other is a fairy tale set against the backdrop of Buenos Aires. Both are currently in development, but I’m very eager to keep practicing my craft, telling stories, and hopefully connecting with more audiences in the future.

Lovely! Well, thank you again!

Film Inquiry would like to thank Tomás Gómez Bustillo for taking the time to speak with us. 

To read the review from SXSW, click here.