Gael García Bernal premieres his third film as director in Venice to the sound of Ricky Martin

Gael García Bernal arrived at the Venice Film Festival dancing to Ricky Martin hits as he presented “Hombre al agua,” his third feature as a director. The Mexican filmmaker appeared on the red carpet in a black suit, white shirt and tie, surrounded by the film’s cast, including Jorge Salinas, Esmeralda Pimentel, Manuel García Rulfo and Débora Nascimento. Diego Luna also attended.

Ricky Martin’s songs “María” and “Livin’ la Vida Loca” set the tone before the cast arrived. Martin has a brief role in the film, playing an actor hired to portray García Bernal’s character in a biographical film within the story.

In “Hombre al agua,” García Bernal plays Camilo, a Cuban lifeguard whose fate changes when he saves a wealthy Mexican businessman. Camilo becomes the businessman’s right-hand man in his corporate empire and marries his daughter, but his new life brings more questions than certainty.

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It is a very ambitious film and very different from those other two. As a director, you mature and learn what to do, what not to do and what not to repeat.

The film, produced by La Corriente del Golfo, the company García Bernal founded with Diego Luna, screened in the Venice Spotlight section outside the competition. García Bernal told EFE that he felt honored to present a third film publicly at a festival after “Déficit,” released in Cannes Critics’ Week in 2007, and “Chicuarotes,” which appeared in Cannes’ official selection outside competition in 2019.

“It is a very ambitious film and very different from those other two. As a director, you mature and learn what to do, what not to do and what not to repeat,” García Bernal said. He added that the film addresses “a deeper and more personal dimension, a deeper and more personal concern” than his earlier work.

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A deeper and more personal dimension, a deeper and more personal concern.