Giner's 'This Solitude' Premieres at San Sebastián — SkimNews
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- "This Solitude" premiered at San Sebastián Film Festival's New Directors section on Sept. 23, starring Oriol Pla and Marina Salas
- Javier Giner, creator of Disney+ series "I, Addict," co-wrote the film with Luisa Matienzo; it is produced by Balance Media Entertainment, Fuga de Cuerpos, La Embajada TV, and Basajaun Filmak
- Filmax is handling international sales, with a Spanish theatrical release set for Oct. 30
- Giner says the film isn't explicitly about the loneliness epidemic but about crafting "an emotional state," following Leo (a struggling actor and grocery clerk caring for his disabled father) and Lorea (a troubled writer seeking companionship from a former prison inmate) after their five-year relationship ends
- Giner frames Bilbao as "a state of mind," saying: "Cities don't change when we suffer; the way we look at them does" — the city remains indifferent while the characters' interior worlds collapse
- Oriol Pla, who earned the International Emmy for Best Actor for "I, Addict," reunites with Giner, whom Pla calls "my brother, my partner"; Giner calls Pla "a Stradivarius"
Why it matters: Giner's continued collaboration with International Emmy winner Oriol Pla — his lead in both films — shows the director is building a long-term creative partnership after the international success of "I, Addict." His Oct. 30 Spanish theatrical release will be the first commercial test of that ongoing relationship and his shift to what he calls "emotional" rather than explicit autobiography.
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