NOSARA, Guanacaste – If the end of the world were coming, where would you want to be for the final moment?
The answer, according to Costa Rican independent filmmaker, writer and director Miguel Gómez, is Playa Pelada, at sunset with your loved ones.
Gómez, 28, selected Playa Pelada and nearby Nosara and Garza beaches on northwestern Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula as the setting for his upcoming feature-length film, “El Fin” (“The End”), a bittersweet, thought-provoking work that attempts to show that humans do not need a natural disaster to feel it is the end of the world.
The story follows four central characters, all played by multitalented Tico actors, who each experience a figurative “end of the world.” The characters’ paths cross, but they are unaware of it. Carlos, played by Kurt Dyer, is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Nicolás, played by Pablo Masís, loses both his parents in a car accident. Andrea, played by Valeska Vinocour, is ostracized by her family for an unwanted pregnancy. And Vargas, played by Olger González, “purposely has a vague background,” Gómez hints.
All of the main actors and film crew worked with Gómez on his previous film, “El Cielo Rojo” (2008), and on some of his music videos. “El Fin” is co-produced by Andrea Truque and Dennis Gómez, the director’s brother.
Gómez also cast local Nicoya children Josué Vargas, Monserrat Orozco and Christine Dyer in the movie. Filming took place July 12 to 17, and the vibe on the set was friendly and playful, despite the heaviness of the issues addressed in the film. Rain was a daily uninvited guest, and getting an Armageddon-worthy sunset in the middle of the rainy season was a challenge, but Gómez and crew pulled it off with humor, patience and grace.
The film will be opening in local theaters in January 2011. Expect creative cinematography from Gustavo Brenes and a poetic story that you will want to immediately discuss afterward.
For more about Gómez and his work, visit miguelgomezfilms.wordpress.com.
