Set against the backdrop of Mexico’s Bermuda Triangle—the Zone of Silence—Lorena Villarreal’s sci-fi thriller Silencio is centered around a psychologist named Ana (Melina Matthews) who must locate a special stone discovered by her grandfather (John Noble) that has special abilities that can not only save her son’s life, but impact the world as we know it.
Silencio arrives in theaters this Friday, and earlier this week, Daily Dead spoke to Villarreal about how this strange phenomenon in Mexico inspired her to make this film, working with her incredible cast, the joy of having her film headed to the big screen for a theatrical run, and more.
Great to speak with you today, Lorena. I would love to start at the beginning of this, and talk about what inspired your story for Silencio. I didn't know much about the Zone of Silence myself, and I just thought that it made for a really interesting backdrop to everything else that was going on in the film.
Lorena Villarreal: Yes, well, actually the place is in the North of Mexico, but I had never heard of it before, so it really intrigued me once I learned about it. Then I started to do a little bit more research, and talk to the people that live there, and some experts on the area, too. So, it was just really interesting how in this place the plants and the animals have mutations, how a lot of meteorites fall into that place, and then it's a restricted fly area, because the equipment from the airplanes commonly failed there. It was just so interesting and I thought it would be a terrific concept for a film. So, that's basically where the idea started.
Can you talk a little bit about leaning into the sci-fi elements of this movie, but also never at the expense of the drama and the storytelling, either? I thought there was a really nice balance.
Lorena Villarreal: Yes, it was important to create that balance, so I think that the sci-fi elements that are in there, the time travel elements, and the more fantastic elements of the powers of the stone, are intertwined with this idea of what would you do if you had a chance to save someone that is dear to you, but there would be tremendous and significant consequences from that? There would have to be some kind of balance to that. So, it was intentional to put in those sci-fi and supernatural elements in the story, but I wanted to take care as not to overpower the emotion that comes from what these characters must endure.
Can you talk a little about working with your cast and finding the heart to these characters, because I feel like they are the reason we're willing to go on this journey? I thought Melina and John were lovely together.
Lorena Villarreal: Yes, it’s the love that is between a family that drives this story. And in this case, it was a grandfather and his granddaughter, who are the only survivors of the family left, so all they have is each other. The bond that is created between them is so strong, and it has a lot of heart, what they feel for each other and their struggle to survive. It was very interesting in a way to see how the characters that John, Melina, and Shayne [Coleman] who plays younger Ana, play against each other and how they would interact between each other, because we didn't have a lot of time to do rehearsals and to prep for this. The time we had to make this movie was limited in every single way. So, I think the chemistry that was had between them and that they could find those places and understand that bond completely was what came through. And it makes the connection transferrable to the audience, so they can feel it as well.
Something that I think is truly great about this project, is that we're in a day and age where so many films go straight to digital platforms, which there's nothing wrong with, because now there are so many ways to find amazing films on that side of distribution these days. I do think it's really cool that this is a movie that's going to be in theaters so people will get the chance to experience it on a big screen. From your perspective, how much does it mean to you to be able to have this film come out and see it in the theater?
Lorena Villarreal: It's an incredibly satisfying feeling, because the film works better with that big screen feeling, especially the visual and sound elements that are in there. It's better on a big screen, and I think it just adds a little bit more to how this movie feels. It is a positive thing to have all these different venues and platforms available to show content, but at the same time, as a filmmaker, you are always striving to make a movie that is first shown on the big screen, and then it transitions to the other platforms afterwards. I’m so proud and grateful we get to have that experience with this film.
Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.
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