‘It’s My Most Personal Film,’ Says Director Rodrigo García Saiz of His San Sebastian New Directors Title, ‘Morro’

A dog is indeed a man’s best friend.

A New Directors contender at the San Sebastián Film Festival, “Morro” explores the unlikely bond between a man and the dog he inadvertently adopts. It is Rodrigo Garcia Saiz’s (“Lluvia”) sophomore feature and, by his own account, his most personal film to date. The titular Morro is a dog, reflecting Garcia Saiz’s own lifelong connection with the animal.

“I’ve always had a connection with dogs and I also wanted to reflect on the violence in Mexico since I left it,” says Garcia, who now resides in Madrid. “But not so much about showing the violence itself, but about what happens to the people who stay. And how an animal that doesn’t judge, that asks for nothing but love and gives love, could help.”

“Morro” revolves around Mateo, a vet in rural Mexico, who lives quietly with the unresolved guilt of losing his son. In a town where violence simmers beneath the surface, his fragile routine is disrupted when he treats Morro, the injured dog of a local drug lord. Caring for the animal sparks a wordless, judgment-free bond that slowly gives Mateo a renewed sense of purpose.

“So the premise is really: Who saves whom? I started researching, went into conflict zones, and discovered this story, which is loosely based on the experience of someone I met through a friend.”

 “At first, he was a little hesitant because he didn’t really want to tell us the whole story. But little by little, he opened up. I gradually gained his trust, and he started telling me things, and I began putting the story together with another screenwriter [Carlos Armella] and some other collaborators. It was really exciting to realize that what I had in my head actually happens in real life. So I made the story very much my own and it became a story that really came from my heart.”

He’s quick to point out that his film is not about drug trafficking and violence is never explicitly shown. “The violence is more in the moral and physical context.”

Finding the right dog to fit the part was a challenge as he didn’t want a trained one, but as luck would have it, he found the right dog, which bonded with his lead actor, Gustavo Sánchez Parra (“Amores Perros,” Michael Rowe’s Cannes-winning “Leap Year”), who even took him home.

“He looked a little like the dog from the story I researched. And when I saw him, I fell in love with him because he had such a beautiful expression. He could also believably be a drug dealer’s dog, but at the same time, he’s such a gentle, sweet animal.”

He also chose to film in 35mm with his DP Alfonso Herrera Salcedo (“Spectre”), a bold choice. “Shooting on 35mm was also a way of going back to basics. The set became almost like a church where everyone had to be quiet. There were no cell phones because the film stock is obviously very expensive, and you can’t just improvise, especially when you’re working with an animal and such a great actor. Everyone had to be completely focused and attentive. I’m really grateful that Kodak, PhotoKem and others supported me so much, because I feel the film has a very particular spirit – and that also comes from our decision to shoot it on 35mm.”

His next project is even more personal: “I’m working on a film that deals with my relationship with my father, who died on my tenth birthday.”

 “Morro” is produced by Calouma Films, alongside Central Films and The 42 Film. Paola Cortés (“Lluvia”) Alberto Müffelmann (“I’m No Longer Here”), Julia Cherrier (“The Intruder”) and Pablo Guerrero (“New Order”) serve as producers.

The 74^th San Sebastian Film Festival runs Sept. 18-26.