Literature and cinema have long dramatized the desperate urge to escape from prison. Classics such as The Count of Monte Cristo and Escape from Alcatraz show a hero who seeks confinement as a way to end suffering. The story here mirrors that impulse in N, a broken man brought to life by a force determined to ease his pain by taking away his freedom. The film follows this uneasy premise with a chameleon-like intensity that refuses easy labeling.
The unclassifiable label is not a slur, Cortés explains. It is a small, proud secret that pushes the project beyond routine references. A film that can be a comedy, a thriller, a drama, or an Escape; it can draw both laughter and unease in equal measure.
A luxury producer
Scorsese’s role as executive producer may surprise some viewers. The famed director of Taxi Driver has long admired Cortés’s work and felt drawn to the project after a meeting during a prestigious awards ceremony. When the Escape script arrived, he said he had never read anything like it and chose to back the project to help it exist, even knowing funding would be challenging.
Scorsese is the reason and reference for me to devote myself to cinema since my youth
Rodrigo Cortés has spoken about Scorsese as a lifelong guiding force, a reason and reference for pursuing cinema since his youth. His influence shaped the approach to the film’s sequences and storytelling.
Casas found out about the project only three days before filming and had not yet met Scorsese. Yet Scorsese had already seen his work and was impressed, describing the material as something extraordinary and deciding to contribute to making it possible.
The cast includes José Sacristan, Blanca Portillo, Anna Castillo, Willy Toledo, and Juanjo Puigcorbe. They form a powerful ensemble that tests Mario Casas, challenging the limits of his performance as he contends with characters who might condemn or sympathize with the protagonist.
Casas remarks that working with such seasoned performers helped him grow. He notes that witnessing bold actors sharpen their craft raises everyone’s level and that a single bold take can push the scene beyond what was imagined. A bold one take sequence where the camera sweeps past him became a standout moment after careful rehearsal and preparation.
novel
The film is not a literal transcription of Enrique Rubio’s novel. Cortés explains that the adaptation arose from a close friendship with the author; the director wanted to avoid a cold, essayistic approach and instead created a cinematic universe that preserves the novel’s core feelings while delivering new energy and texture. The DNA of the original remains intact even as changes appear in service of the screen.
Within that universe, during the prison escape, the hero meets a string of characters who illuminate different stages of his journey. The director sees echoes of an Odyssean voyage, where encounters with figures such as a judge, a prison psychologist, a sister, a psychiatrist, and a prison director offer lessons and tests. These characters arrive with purpose and intensity, and they can be both compelling and controversial because N resists manipulation.
You learn more when you see great actors with their nerves and desire.
The director says that working with great actors sharpened the entire cast, and that such energy helps the lead perform at a higher level. Casas agrees, noting that top performers push him to grow and that the exchange of nerves and desire makes the performances stronger. A bold, single-take sequence where his character remains unseen until the camera sweeps over him required intense rehearsal and finally paid off.
A Kafkaesque story
Are these moments Kafkaesque? They feel that way for Cortés, who recalls a past work and the idea of bringing a metamorphosis-inspired tone to the film. Filming in isolation, he imagined a man who wants to step out of his own box rather than be trapped by it, and in that sense the film carries a Kafkaesque tone while staying focused on human emotion.
Escape also evokes a sense of travel to distant places, with moments that feel bright and moments that are difficult to bear. The filmmaker believes the experience of this journey is worthwhile, a belief that underlines the film’s message about endurance and growth.