A hand and a ladder. The horror. The hand appears slowly, high up and to the left of the screen, which previously only showed us the stairs from several meters away. It doesn’t even take a second to grab the handrail. A month of Sundays. Soon the woman, Carmen Machi, solemnly descends the steps to the entrance of the house, where several people are waiting eagerly for her, where we are waiting for her. They are three simple gestures, the hand, the handrail, Carmen Machi, but they must evoke complex emotions in the viewer. Terror especially because we know what kind of character he is, what miracles and what monstrosities he can accomplish with this hand. But also expectation and a certain empathy when you see someone who is dazzling, unpredictable, iconic.
– Stop here for a moment, Alberto.
The command comes from a voice familiar to anyone who has a television at home. Javier Ambrossi (Madrid, 39 years old) stands in the editing room, his huge eyes illuminated by the largest of the three screens in the dark room. To his left, Alberto Gutiérrez, his usual editor, stops the sequence. Machi’s face freezes. Ambrossi looks at Javier Calvo (Madrid, 34 years old), his professional and sentimental better half, who is sitting on a sofa to the right. “It’s a difficult scene,” he says. It’s the beginning of the sixth chapter of his new series. This is where the end of the story begins. Here, in this cutting room of these Madrid offices, this afternoon at the end of July, the end of three years of continuous work and eight months of filming is being faked, involving the creators of two of the most popular Spanish series The Paquita Salas, celebrated and acclaimed in recent years and Veneno have created their new project. Almost 1,000 piece days. Today is another one, but one that explains how it works. What makes a sequence a work by Ambrossi and Calvo?
Carmen Machi with Valentino shirt, Isabel Marant × Mytheresa skirt, Prada shoes and PDPaola jewelry. Lola Dueñas wears a Sportmax dress, Prada shoes and Bulgari jewelry. Ana Rujas wears Prada with Bimba and Lola shoes. Miguel Reveriego
“The children like that each episode is like the start of a new series. “A different universe, a different style, different music,” explains the editor. Calvo adds: “For example, in this series, the first chapter is more of a thriller, the second is more of an incident [la película de Denis Villeneuve de 2010]the third, The Spirit of the Beehive [Víctor Erice, 1973]….” Look at Machi’s frozen gesture. “This is more August: Osage County,” he says, of the Tracy Letts play that won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize.
Ambrossi remains concerned about the scene. He points out the edges of each shot: they all feature young girls, poorly dressed and petrified. Carmen Machi’s daughters in the series. “It is very important for us that this is framed very well so that they are present in every shot and you can always see someone without distracting from the action,” describes the filmmaker. This fulfills one of the many tasks of this scene: “Since the chapter starts from scratch, you have to create all the characters from scratch.” You have to make the viewer fall in love with them very quickly and then take off. And all of this without being boring, because it’s chapter six. It’s already the climax.
Lola Dueñas with Khaite × Mytheresa dress, Max Mara belt, Unisa shoes, Saint Laurent earrings and Bulgari ring. Albert Pla wears an Acne Studios blazer, a Uniqlo t-shirt, Edward Cuming trousers and Dior boots. Carmen Machi wears a Dolce & Gabbana dress and blazer, Aquazzura shoes, Bulgari earrings and a Julieta Álvarez ring. Javier Calvo, with a shirt by Edward Cuming and trousers and shoes by Armani. Javier Ambrossi wears a Fendi vest and trousers and Gucci shoes. Ana Rujas wears Saint Laurent with Pedro del Hierro sandals. Macarena García wears Dior with Prada shoes and Bulgari earrings. Amaia Romero wears a Zara top, an Edward Cuming skirt and Roger Vivier shoes. Miguel Reveriego
“And you have to choose the perfect shot,” Calvo adds. He and Ambrossi insist on watching all the hours of footage they shot before closing a scene, which is crazy for any audiovisual project but a requirement for them. “There are two sequences in this chapter: one when preparing the food and the other when eating,” says the editor. “It’s five minutes on the screen. I filmed 14 hours of these scenes.”
“Everyone!” adds Ambrossi. “I realize that I am an obsessive person. I think the story was already there. What we’re doing is putting pieces together to see if we can rebuild what we imagined.”
The series in question is called The Messiah. The premiere will take place first at the San Sebastián Festival and finally on October 11th on Movistar+. It is larger than its creators’ previous ones. It’s riskier. It is the only step they can take at this moment.
Supported by the American intelligentsia
Macarena García with “Total Look” by Prada.Miguel Reveriego
At the end of 2020, Ambrossi and Calvo found themselves in an unusual situation. For them and therefore also for national television. His latest series, Veneno, released on Atresplayer Premium between March and October 2020, reached streaming platforms around the world and was among the best of the year in the American press in December. It was the first time that a Spanish series was featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, IndieWire or Vulture and other bastions of American intellectuality. And not just any work: one about a very specific Spanish figure – the indomitable trans star La Veneno – and a time and place in Spanish history – the wild private television of the nineties – even more specifically. International critics were impressed by the way Ambrossi and Calvo mythologized the life of a trans person. To the national eye, another asset was the way he had conceived such a Spanish story in an international tone without forcing it, simply because his aesthetic sensibility ignored boundaries. There were Almodóvar, past Fellini, Xavier Dolan and even some video clips from Natalie Imbruglia. Some of Hollywood’s leading production companies contacted her. Madonna wanted to work with them.
They listened. But they also thought. On the one hand, they received wages for their work there; their reward for the impressive series of critical and public successes that had just been crowned with Veneno. And what’s more, a tempting alternative to carry on. Until then (until today) everything Ambrossi and Calvo signed was a success. “The Call,” the musical they wrote, directed and premiered at the Lara Theater in Madrid in 2013, was a huge triumph for audiences and critics. The film adaptation received five Goya nominations in 2017. After Paquita Salas first aired in 2016, each season (the second in 2018 and the third in 2019) has had a greater impact than the previous one. Veneno, this great authoritarian bet, the unfolding of his ambitions, had just turned out to be even more well-rounded. Continuing this series became a challenge: to continue being creative, you had to be ready to finish it so that the next work was the first strike. Going to Hollywood was an elegant solution; It is a success in itself.
Javier Ambrossi (left) wears a GCDS shirt, trousers, jacket, coat and tie and Gucci shoes. Javier Calvo wears GCDS. The couple has received wide recognition for their work not only in Spain but also in the United States. Media such as “The New York Times”, “The New Yorker” and “Vulture” praised her series “Paquita Salas” and “Veneno”. ‘.Miguel Reveriego
But what Hollywood offers only obeys Hollywood’s interests. It takes talent from outside, but for projects that others have created and developed. “It’s a step you have to take very carefully,” warns Calvo. “What may seem so great from the outside is simply that you could be making more money doing what you’re already doing. You have to say, “Am I going to be able to do whatever I want?” Will it be transactional or something creative? Will it be something really important in my life? Because to make a pilot for a series, you have to be told on set where to put the camera, and that’s it…” What kind of filmmakers did they want to be? Calvo glances at Ambrossi, who is sitting next to him: “You’ve said it many times, right? That we are not directors or screenwriters. “We are creators.”
Ambrossi nods. “We learned how to direct and write something roughly. You can no longer expect me to direct a pilot for a series in the United States, because my job is now just to tell you what the production will be like. I have to get involved in the story. Sometimes we meet about projects we are working on in the US and I notice that they don’t understand me. I’m trying to explain my point of view. It’s not like, “Scene four, no more.” I tell them, “Maybe there’s a concept in this scene that we’re developing… Wait until I think about it.” We’re very rough, we have a lot of input learned with our hands, we work in the mud.” There was also an idea in the air. Calvo had had it when they wrote Veneno, and by the time they got to the sixth chapter they had already given it a certain shape. It was difficult, almost unbelievable. It had almost unattainable cinematic and spiritual implications and the result would only work if they achieved them. In short, it was what they had to do. Hollywood would have to wait. The next step could only be the Messiah.
“The world is in danger”
Amaia Romero makes her debut as an actress in “La mesías”. The winner of Operación Triunfo 9 wears a dress from Acne Studios and a ring from Zara. The earrings are PDPaola.Miguel Reveriego
Mount Montserrat, half an hour’s drive from the municipality of Martorell (northwest of Barcelona), has its fans. There are those who believe that the Virgin appears there. There is also a group of enlightened people who go there on the night of the 11th of every month in the hope of discovering UFOs. Some feel that they have already made contact with them and would like to repeat the meeting in the third phase. There are those who go to mass and there are those who climb this mountain. In The Messiah, Enric, a cameraman, travels there to film a documentary. But memories of another Montserrat come back to him. His mother. As a young woman, she was a carefree woman who enjoyed taking drugs and being addicted to men; who, over time, had discovered the most repressive Catholicism modeled on Opus Dei and whose many daughters, raised secretly from the state, founded a Catholic band with the flavor of a cult that has since gone viral. “The world is in danger, but we can still save it by singing,” they declare on television in front of Enric’s incredulous look. His first instinct is not to go to mass or climb the mountain. It’s about finding his sister.
The spectacular cast of the Los Javis series has some big surprises in store. One of them is the interpretation of the Catalan singer-songwriter Albert Pla, who gives his character the same amount of surrealism as his concerts. Here the author of “The most beastly side of life” presents a complete “look” by Dior.Miguel Reveriego
What follows are several time jumps through the lives of Enric, Montserrat and Irene, the sister in question. Important performances by familiar faces also follow: Macarena García as Irene; those of Ana Rujas, Lola Dueñas and Carmen Machi as Montserrat at different ages; that of the singer Amaia Romero, who makes her debut as an actress in the role of a member of the Catholic music group Stella Maris; those of Cecilia Roth, Gracia Olayo, Rossy de Palma… Albert Pla is Montse’s fanatical husband here. Stella Mari’s songs are original works by Hidrogenesse.
Also the following are seven chapters consisting of several levels. A story of faith, trauma and family, with the potential to consecrate Ambrossi and Calvo beyond their commercial gaze and introduce them to the realm of full-fledged authors. Hitmakers, yes, but also filmmakers who are in complete control of their abilities. “The next thing we wanted to do after Veneno was a film,” admits Calvo. “But after making a series, it was very easy to bring all of our concerns, everything we wanted to try, everything we wanted to do, into it.”
“I’ve never read such good scripts, and I’ve read a few,” says Carmen Machi of Los Javis. The actress is wearing a Gucci coat, Zara pants, Prada shoes and Julieta Álvarez earrings.Miguel Reveriego
While Veneno showed the extent to which they had their own style, The Messiah shows the extent to which they are willing to abandon it when the story demands them to do so. What was explained in Veneno in a sentence, a monologue and perhaps a song is now resolved with a silent look. “Veneno was a series,” explains Calvo. “The characters suffered, let’s say, from the music. At The Messiah we have come to the conclusion that this topic deserves respect. “It’s shot a little loosely, you try to be as sober as possible.”
New faces and old acquaintances
From left to right: Amaia Romero with a Bimba y Lola top and Suot earrings, Ana Rujas with a Gucci top and Macarena García with a Miu Miu dress. Miguel Reveriego
“The whole of Spain wanted to take part in this project,” says Ana Rujas, who has already worked with Ambrossi and Calvo in Cardo (2021-2023), the series that she created, wrote and produced together with Claudia Costafreda. In order to get the role of Montserrat in her youth, she had to undergo a casting. “Like everyone of my generation,” he now adds. The cast of “The Messiah” reflects the working methods of its creators. There are many new faces (Biel Rossell Pelfort as the youthful Enric) now being revealed, as well as many current stars in The Call (Anna Castillo and Belén Cuesta, both Goya Awards winners), Paquita Salas (Brays Efe, Yolanda Ramos, Alex de Lucas). O Veneno (Lola Rodríguez, Carlos González, protagonist of Maricóndido or Omar Banana, of Te amando locamente). But there are also recurring faces in the Ambrossi-Calvo universe, small tokens of loyalty that carry them from one project to another. A troupe, almost like Almodóvar or Trueba in their time. In it is Lola Dueñas, who was already in Veneno. “These are the best directors I’ve ever worked with, I tell you that from the bottom of my heart,” declares the actress of “Broken Embraces,” “Volver” and “The Sea Inside.” “Do you know now when they talk about Carlos Alcaraz that they say he has the best of Federer, the best of Djokovic, the best of Nadal? Well, the same thing. They have the best of so many.” There is Amaia Romero, whom they met in 2017 as a teacher at Operación Triunfo. “Without Los Javis I wouldn’t have said yes,” she promises now.
Lola Dueñas has already worked with Calvo and Ambrossi in the series “Veneno”. “They are the best directors I have ever filmed with,” he says. The actress wears Carolina Herrera.Miguel Reveriego
There is Carmen Machi, who debuts with them. “I had never read such good scripts in my life. And I’ve read some,” he says. “It’s different than what they’ve done before and yet entirely of their own making.”
And there’s also Macarena García, Goya winner for Snow White (2012) and Ambrossi’s little sister.
The heart of every story
There are several reasons why the next thing might just be the Messiah. But above all, there is one.
Every story has its heart, no matter how small it is. The one in this series, no matter how big it is, is very distinctive. “There are two of us here. My sister and I,” explains Ambrossi. He and Macarena García grew up in Opus Dei schools, in an environment they describe as “conservative.” “We share many traumas and childhood stories that have united and divided us without realizing it.” Here he pauses, and it is a gesture that he did not emphasize much later in the interview. “I think the show speaks for itself… Yeah, I think the show speaks for itself. It’s complicated. I had a complicated family experience. I now have a great relationship with my parents. “I don’t see the need to explain further.”
Calvo: “That’s why you did the series, right?”
Madrid actress and model Ana Rujas is another face of “The Messiah”. Here she is wearing a Versace dress and Roger Vivier shoes. Miguel Reveriego
Ambrossi: “Sure. What matters is that I was able to build. To build a life. Whatever I experienced in my childhood and what I have in common with my sister. I think we knew how to be survivors. Love each other, build careers and healthy relationships. Whatever happened to us, it enabled us to be better. It’s unfair to say, “Well, to my father or my mother or my teacher, I don’t know what.” I’ve already had 10 years of therapy, I’ve eaten a lot of shit, I’ve suffered a lot without realizing it. I had a lot of dark layers. And I think the most important thing is that you can shape your future. “That’s what’s important about the series, how different people in a family who share a common trauma build differently.”
“This project changed me as an actress,” adds García. “It went from being an act to something that is seriously happening. They have a great sense of truth: you forget that there is a camera behind them. What happens on set is suddenly a slice of life. And that happened to me in a very impressive way.”
There are several reasons why The Messiah works despite the story’s vast scale, ambitious mix of tones, styles and rhythms. It works because of the actresses, because of the photography, because of the music, because of the direction. But above all, there is one. Because in his heart a latent relationship between a brother and a sister is portrayed. It’s a series full of memorable performances, and her performances seem important too.
Ambrossi: “For me, this series is a healing journey.”
“You couldn’t”
The Messiah was in the editing phase when “The Call,” the play that started it all for Calvo and Ambrossi, celebrated its 10th anniversary on May 6th. They wrote it in their apartment in Malasaña. After the second Paquita Salas, Ambrossi and Calvo worked in their own production company Suma Latina, where they also promoted other people’s projects: the headquarters on Fuencarral Street was paid exclusively with the income from the sale of La Llamada merchandising. Today his company is called Suma Content, is based in Chamberí and is one of the largest audiovisual fiction producers in Spain. In 2022 they generated 800 employment contracts, excluding actors, actresses and extras. Most are part of the LGTBIQ+ community. 30% are people over 55 years old. For the majority of the others, these are their first professional opportunities. These 10 years in the life of Ambrossi and Calvo represent one of the greatest success stories in the world of entertainment in Spain. And a monument to his ability to work.
Ambrossi: “We get up early, we get a lot done, we go to bed late. And there are two of us.”
Calvo: “You couldn’t.”
Ambrossi: “We have our private life under control because we are always together… professionally. Wow, we don’t have a private life.”
Calvo: “Now we’re on vacation.”
Ambrossi: “It’s been, well, I don’t know, five years since the last one. Now we’re going to pause for at least, I don’t know, two months. Or at least one. In my opinion there are three. Yes, I feel like resting.”
Proof of production
Photography Miguel Reveriego
Styling Ángela Esteban Librero
Produced by Cristina Serrano
Makeup and hairdressing by Iván Gómez (single artist) for Chanel and Goldwell; Paola García (individual artist) for Chanel; Noemí Nohales for Dior and L’Oréal Professionnel; Vincent Guijarro
Digital assistant David Garcia
Photo assistants PabloRodríguez and Sergio Borondo
Styling assistants Belén Claver and Sofía Jiménez
Makeup and hair assistants Sofía Camarena and Sandra Marco
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