The characters he embodies Julieta Cardinali They are like those texts that do not need to be underlined to remain in memory, their thing is not the capitalized gesture or the imposed voice. She can become the owner of Peretti’s desire in an iconic series like “Enterapia” or embody a woman who gives herself over to eroticism alongside China Suárez in “Linda”, be the partner of a conflicted Benjamín Vicuña in “Alternative Therapy”, a housekeeper in “No es un tearrón” or Evita herself with a naturalness that is difficult to find.
His latest creature is Beatriz, a dubious lawyer in “Nativity scene”the movie Dolores Fonzi that against all odds gave us back something almost lost, the ritual of organizing an outing to go to the movies with friends and leaving convinced that we can still change the world.
“Belén” is inspired by the book “Somos Belén” by Ana Correa and based on real events. The film takes place in the province of Tucumán and follows the story of Julieta, a young woman prosecuted for homicide aggravated by the relationship after being accused of an induced abortion, in a case that shocked Argentine society and brought into debate the criminalization of abortion.
News: Before “Belén” was released, I heard several colleagues say: “This is not the time for this film.” Did the public prove them wrong?
Julieta Cardinali: I think so because it is time to raise our voice again, to remember how difficult the fight for our rights was, now that what we have achieved is being questioned all the time. But you know what? You can’t go back. I think what is also interesting about the film is that it talks about rights in general, although in this case the focus is on a girl who was violated, because it is always good to remember that everyone has the right to a fair trial.
News: I highlight what he says because sometimes it seems that fundamental rights are being questioned. There are plenty of examples: the university budget, retirees, Garrahan…
Cardinali: Totally, so making a film about rights can help us talk about that, right? Then there is the other part, we live in a very polarized moment and they jump to shout: “Three towns have passed.” Seriously, did we go too far? By watching the news you realize that this is not the case. If we focus a little on our history and what is happening today, we still have a lot to defend. You have to be a little more human and see what is happening to those next to you, in that sense it seems to me that “Belén” is an important film.
News: Did you enjoy playing an unfriendly character like Beatriz? He is so smart that he meets at a bar and leaves without paying for the toast he ordered
Cardinali: Yes, and he also asks for the toast to be brought to his office! (laughs). Of course I enjoyed it, for me the most interesting thing when it comes to embodying it is understanding it. Know why she is so unfriendly, where she comes from, how she thinks. I believe that Beatriz really thinks that Belén should be imprisoned, she believes that she did a good job as a lawyer, she does not understand what they are complaining about so much. Getting inside the heads of these types of people and understanding their motivations is what makes the job exciting.
News: I wanted to go back to something he mentioned, the famous phrase: “Three towns passed by.” With that mantra they have tried to establish that all the complaints of abuse are false or that Pelado Cordera is a victim, we even end up with a “they must have done something” in the face of the triple femicide of Florencio Varela. What do you think about it?
Cardinali: It is like that and it seems to me that, like all struggles, ours has many people against it. There were so many years of injustice towards women, of having to stay silent and eat a lot of things that when something moves, it sucks. When you raise your voice, of course not everyone likes it, many do not accompany simply because it is not convenient for them. A lot of things still have to be rearranged so that the system is truly fair and egalitarian, no one missed three towns, in any case, what happened three towns with us was history.
News: For years have we naturalized silence?
Cardinali: Yes, and a film like “Belén” also reminds us that we do not have to stay silent, we have to ask for our rights and fight until the end. Not only for women but for everyone, what happens is that we were always in inferior conditions. To those who claim that this violence and this setback occurs because “The mines went too far,” I ask: Where did we go too far? What did we go too far? Who are you to say if I went too far? They speak from the place they wanted to give us, but it must be said that I can think as I want and go as far as I want.
News: I remembered something I saw recently, a panelist called all women feminazis. He is the only man on the program, the rest of the panel is entirely female, but the host chose to act distracted. What happens to us with those things?
Cardinali: Ugh, these terms they invented! “Feminazis”, as if feminism were against men. It has nothing to do with it. Feminism is fighting for equal conditions. I believe that these atrocities are ruled by a great lack of intellectual reparation and absolute ignorance. When they tell me: “Well, feminists…” I retort: “Stop, do you know what feminism is?” Because if you prefer that men have more rights than women, you can’t even begin to talk. You have to have a lot of patience, but sometimes I also wonder why a woman’s place should be that of patience and being told how to behave, it is necessary to put an end to that. What I like about “Belén” is that it is not a film that downplays what a feminist demonstration is like, it talks about injustice and proposes the search for a collective solution towards a more just society. It is a story about people to whom things happen, they are human beings with their mischief, their pifies and their heroism too.
News: With Dolores Fonzi they had already made “In therapy” and now she, in addition to being a partner, is the director. Rita Cortese also recently directed you in theater. Does the equation change when you direct an actress?
Cardinali: What a luxury of fiction “In Therapy” was! Let’s hope that this very difficult moment passes with so little work at the audiovisual level so that we can do something like this again. How much does the equation change when you are directed by an actress? Lot! I was lucky to work with very good directors, but in these last two jobs, “No tiene un tearn” and “Belén”, two actresses like Rita and Dolores directed me, who are also two friends, and in life there is nothing better than friendship. Dolores is a great film director, she is proving it with her two very different and great films.
News: We saw the entire “Belén” team fully enjoying the San Sebastián Festival. They returned with the Silver Shell for Best Supporting Actress for Camila Plaate and while there they received the news that the film had been chosen to represent Argentina at the Goya and the Oscars. Tell me how you feel
Cardinali: San Sebastián was a huge party, we lived it with absolute happiness, we saw the film in a room with 1,800 excited people who stayed to applaud us at the exit, it was very moving. And the award to Camila, our Belén, was the finishing touch for all of us, an absolute pride, the same one we felt when we found out that this was the Argentine film chosen to represent us at the Oscars and the Goya. It is noticeable in the audience that fills the cinemas thanks to word of mouth, there is a lot of love for “Belén”. It raises awareness, it talks about an absolutely current and universal topic, it is a great film to tell who we are and I am really very happy to be part of it.
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