INVISIBLES

Invisibles, by Juan Lumé, is a drama short film. This story was written by the director himself, together with Italo Spotorno, the main actor, and Ignacio Verdugo, the co-producer with Lumé. The story starts when Andres, a 38-year-old property broker, receives an offer to sell a house, which he does not hesitate to accept. After the difficulties suffered during the past years, he has worked hard to restore his situation. The day begins with a visit to a house on the outskirts of the city, which provides Andres with a strange mixture of restlessness and peace. When he opens the door, for some reason, the image causes him a jolt of unease: a slight, irrational shiver that passes as quickly as it appeared. The house looks sinister and is almost empty. It is hard to imagine what kind of person lived there before. Nevertheless, gradually, Andres finds traces of his own life. Flowers in the bathroom or specific music would seem absolutely normal to most people, but for him, they are just the opposite: they are clues. Between gloomy walls and nightfall, hallucinations become confusing memories. It seems as if the person he contacted to sell the land is someone he already knows. Someone he wants to forget. But that person is now at home. The night ends, and under the sun, a deep feeling of desolation takes over, reminding him of what he could not face. Dealing with a strong exploration of the past and of the unconscious, the director uses very specific camera movements to take us into the main character’s inner journey. All the shots convey this sense of research. Nicolas Sepulveda’s refined and extremely elegant cinematography sustains this exploration. The editing is smooth at the beginning and develops to become agitated and syncopated as the short film progresses. Another great point of Invisibles is the performance of the main character, played by Italo Spotorno. The actor is remarkably intense and well directed by Juan Lumé. The audience is touched by a strong sense of suspense and fatigue in the actor’s inner search: looking back into the past is hard work for everyone who dares to do so. The sound design is minimal and efficient in conveying the feelings of the main character. The director’s brilliant choice of location is extremely effective in communicating the character’s state of mind. Obviously, he is not a novice: Juan Lumé has been a director and producer with over 10 years of professional experience, as well as a founding partner of Go.Films and a producer dedicated to both fiction and theatre. Highlights of his career as a director include: INVISIBLE (2021 / short film - fiction) Winner, 1st Monthly Film Festival: Best Director and Best Indie Short Film. Special Mention: Short Film, Production, Actor, and Thriller Short Film. Winner, 4th Dimension Independent Film Festival: Best Director for Juan Lumé, Best Actor for Italo Spotorno, and Best Producer for Ignacio Verdugo. Winner, Chicago Indie Film Award: Best Director. Winner, Berlin Indie Film Festival: Best Director. Independent Shorts Award: Bronze Award for Best Production Designer for Ignacio Verdugo; Bronze Award for Best Thriller Short; Honorable Mention for Best Director for Juan Lumé, Actor for Italo Spotorno, and Indie Short. Semi-Finalist, Berlin Shorts Award. Official Selection, Prague International Indie Film Festival. Official Selection, 2021 ARFF Berlin International Awards. Official Selection, CKF International Film Festival. Official Selection, Montreal Independent Film Festival. Official Selection, IndieX Film Fest. SUMERGIDO (Submerged) — 2020 / short film - fiction Semi-Finalist, Venice Shorts 2020. Official Selection, Venice Shorts 2020. Semi-Finalist, Sweden Film Awards, September 2020. Official Selection, Sweden Film Awards 2020. Official Selection, Montreal Independent Film Festival 2020. Special Mention, London X4 Seasonal Short Film Festival, Autumn 2020.