Nacho Vigalondo has earned a reputation for steady consistency in his directing. After the huge success of his Kamikaze musical short 7:35 in the Morning, which earned an Oscar nomination in 2004, he built a long career exploring mundane concerns through fantastic or science fiction ideas. This inclination to serialize the impossible ties together Chronocrimes, Extraterrestrial, Colossal, and Daniela Forever, which made its European premiere in Sitges in the Official Competition after screening at Toronto.
“So you’re saying I’m repeating myself?” Vigalondo asks. He acknowledges some repetition, but frames it as a compliment to his steadfast approach. “In truth, when making a film one should not be mindful of which part of the conversation is being worked on in a collaborative project. The analytical tools should not govern the creative process. Films should begin with a sense of freedom and then fly wherever they need to go.”
Love and science fiction
From a distance Daniela Forever reads as a romance wrapped in a science fiction frame. The premise remains intriguing, and there are memorable examples in contemporary television such as the Black Mirror episodes Be Right Back and San Junipero. Vigalondo wanted to acknowledge these touchstones while marking his own distance from their tone. When he watches films that blend romance and science fiction, they tend to be cute and comforting for the characters; he leans toward a darker edge. He believes the romantic science fiction angle is often just packaging, a layer that can obscure deeper truth.
In this dystopia focused on the nuances of love rather than pure fantasy, Henry Golding plays a DJ and producer invited to participate in a clinical trial meant to ease the pain of losing a girlfriend. He uses the trial to sustain a relationship with a partner who has died in dreams. Daniela is portrayed by Beatrice Grannò. The second season of White Lotus has gained global popularity after its initial success in Italy. Grannò notes that the project attracted him because it treated serious themes like grief without ostentation, and the emotional impact lands most strongly when the storytelling avoids showy melodrama.
The Italian actor was familiar with Vigalondo’s habit of changing styles and subverting expectations. He had watched Colossal before considering this new project, and he admired the way the film shifts color and tone. At first glance it seems like a drama about a woman with alcohol issues who eventually becomes a comedy, yet the truth remains underneath. He predicts a similar pattern for this upcoming project: moments that appear to be a restrained independent drama can suddenly flip into comedy and then strike at the heart.
Yurena’s drama is coming
Eight years after the film Giant, Vigalondo reached a point where he began to sense a possible exit from traditional cinema. He did not issue a formal statement, but he felt a drift toward late night formats and television projects that offered fewer creative controls. Rather than resist that shift, he accepted it. Daniela Forever had already been written by the time Colossal landed, a fairy tale that hinted at a new phase ahead.
The next project will be another series with a deep level of involvement. Netflix is set to launch Superestar, a tour de force following the early life of the unforgettable Yurena, formerly known as Tamara, with production by Javis. He says this project feels almost as personal as any of his films. Reports indicate that some visual effects and sound work are still in progress and will be ready for audiences in 2025. And the wait continues.