House of Dolls

Posted by Maria Costasnovo in Film

Guilherme Spada at Stage C.

Guilherme Spada is back with his second short film. Once more, he captures all the power of a psychological thriller and transmits it to us through House of Dolls.

“The story is about three day-dreaming sisters that find out about love and sex. Because of the difficulty they have to express themselves, they end up doing bad crazy things,” says Spada.

Marisa Melito, Dani Vondrak and Jess Cornelius play the three protagonists of the movie. Marisa Melito, who stars, was offered the role the night before filming began.

“Jess Cornelius found me in the hallway and said her friend really needed another actress for his film. I had no idea who anyone was the next day at filming besides Jess and Dani (who I’ve met before) and I’ve also never done any film work before,” she says. “I’m a dance major, but I’ve done a lot of theatre in high school so it was weird having a camera and lots of people in your face watching you. Despite being a little bit out of my comfort zone, I had a lot of fun making this film and getting to know everyone, and I’m so happy that I got to be a part of it.”

Film students know how important is to work as a team, since every project from the film department needs a group of people working together.

For film student Claudia Vargas, being part of Spada’s team was very satisfying.

“I loved being a part of the production of House of Dolls. Guilherme had a great team; he has very clear what he wants and I really think he is defining a style of his own. I really see him doing big things in the future and I am very proud.”

As for Spada, he has a clear idea of how to create the type of ambiance he wants.

“Making people feel comfortable is everything, especially on films like this where the actresses make weird and uncomfortable things. So I’m always laughing on set, wondering if they are OK about doing something, even if I came up with something that wasn’t on the script. My AD, Cindy Serigatto, helped me with a lot of that. But that’s also good for the people involved, so they can push themselves and test their limits. And that’s why we are in art school, so we can experiment and not be afraid to fail.”

There’s no doubt that this film keeps the Spada style that viewers enjoyed in Wanda, his first project.

“I really like to write about heavy and polemic subjects, especially when it comes to the psychological part of the story. I don’t really let the audience know my characters because I want them to analyze the situation my characters are in and how their personalities explain the actions of the situations they come across. Wanda, for example, was a girl who was being threatened and attacked all the time, and the only thing she does the entire film is a self destructive act in the end.”

As for House of Dolls, its Oct. 17 Screen showing stirred up some controversy.

“In House of Dolls, the three sisters don’t know how to express themselves and try to control the situation in the way they know. Maybe people won’t be satisfied with just that, but I’m so more into creating questions than giving answers,” Spada says.

Marisa Melito was surprised by the strong opinions the film sparked.

“I knew that not everyone would love it because it’s art, to each their own,” she says. “I didn’t think the movie was really that shocking—it just implied that something shocking was happening, [it] didn’t actually show anything ‘horrifyingly shocking.'”

For Cornelius, the response to the film reflects well on its director.

“I have a great respect for Gui and his passion for film,” she says. “He does what he wants, and it usually comes back with a lot of feedback from the student body—I think that’s exactly what he wants.”

“And that’s why we are in art school, so we can experiment and not being afraid to fail.”