leave a mark
“While You Are” opens with a moment from the making of Consequences (2021), Claudia Pinto’s second collaboration with Carme Elias. In that scene, Elias cannot continue the take because the dialogue escapes him. It’s a small, telling glimpse of how performers pull from deep reserves to stay present when the routine breaks down, a theme echoed throughout many films and stage productions.
We learn that a pregnancy may begin in moments like these, during ordinary life that intersects with art. The documentary follows Barcelona’s celebrated actor as she faces Alzheimer’s disease, the condition casually named as it alters the daily rhythm of a life lived in front of cameras and audiences. The dynamic with whoever is now in her life shifts as well: already familiar, already close, the two acknowledge how memory reshapes trust. Alzheimer’s seems lighter in one moment and devastating in the next, a reminder that naming a disease can also open a different world, one of acceptance.
When the decision to produce this type of film and to chart the emotional chronology of a project that could span years was considered, the director explains that Carmen was testing the character at a deep level during the shoot for The Consequences. The lines could emerge in an almost absurd way, and the actor might miss the mark without warning. The reality is that an actor can momentarily falter and still carry the performance forward, a nuance Pinto and Elias observe closely.
Faced with an inexplicable moment, Elias urged Pinto to replace him, a stance that would have been easy to take in the business climate. Instead, he refused, choosing to trust the collaboration and to avoid disappointing those who rely on him. The film wrapped, and only later did the medical picture become clear.
To leave a trace
“We had no plan to document anything at first. I rode a train to Valencia to explain the diagnosis, and that’s when Claudia proposed leaving a trace of this experience, a family record,” Elias recalls. Pinto adds that the project became about leaving something tangible behind—because the disease is unpredictable, and time is uncertain. The fear of what the future might steal sits at the edge of every scene.
In a moment that is both intense and intimate, Elias speaks about the immediacy required of actors even as the here and now slips away. Pinto frames the film as a record of presence, a living moment where the actors perform with an eye on the reality unfolding. “This is a film in the present, a live experience,” Pinto notes. Elias explains that every actor brings their own method to staying anchored in the present, while at the same time, memory surfaces and must be avoided in order to stay true to the moment.
Elias describes acting as a cleansing process, a chance to offer part of oneself to the characters portrayed. In the film, a doctor suggests that the documentary serves a purpose beyond narrative: purification holds space for attention to one’s inner life. The camera, as Elias puts it, helps life come alive on screen.
What began as a private exploration between two performers grew into something that felt almost communal. “If we had known the film would be released, I’m not sure we would have agreed to this,” Pinto admits, underscoring the heavy responsibility that comes with revealing private struggle. The decision to share this journey became a collective act of truth-telling, a choice that shaped the film’s direction.
The process was shaped by a profound trust between actor and director. Carmen is known for safeguarding her private life, carefully choosing what to reveal. Yet this project turned into a narrative about what one clings to when memory falters and what art can do to sustain identity. The dialogue delves into the ethics of representation—how much to reveal, what to withhold, and how to honor both the public and the private self. The filmmakers acknowledge the emotional weight: it is not easy, and it often feels impossible to bear. When night falls, a sheet can become a shield, a way to cry without the world watching, and yet the film insists on bearing witness to a shared vulnerability.
To say or not to say
Elias received a prestigious Gaudí Honor Award in 2021, and the choice to publicly discuss his diagnosis was not taken lightly. “I considered whether to speak about it, but it felt wrong to dilute a personal story that belongs to many others,” he explains. At the Brain Film Festival in 2022 he described the fear and the relief that can come with openness. The moment was about resisting the sense that time may overtake a life, an awareness that led to a broader public conversation, not a private confession alone.
Claudio Pinto describes the challenge of turning an invisible disease into visible art. The process relied on improvisation and intuition rather than a scripted salvation. The project began as a personal exploration and evolved into a documentary that remains open to future turns or additions if the creators choose. The result is a highly intimate, experiential film that also stands as a testament to friendship and collaboration. Elias concludes that the work embodies fidelity to the moment—an artistic vow to stay present even as memory ebbs and flows.