Gael García Bernal presents his most personal film, “Hombre al agua,” in Venice with Ricky Martin and Diego Luna

Gael García Bernal presented “Hombre al agua” in Venice amid applause, embraces and an atmosphere closer to a celebration among friends than a formal festival appearance. Much of the film's cast and production team joined him, including Ricky Martin and Diego Luna, his longtime friend from “Y tu mamá también” and an executive producer on the project.

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I started thinking about my fears, my questions, my desires and that feeling that the world can be very hostile when you have a baby.

The audience gave García Bernal an emotional ovation after the screening. The actor and director said the film was one of his most personal projects. He began writing it eight years ago, shortly after becoming a father, when he started thinking about his fears, questions and desires, as well as the feeling that the world can become hostile when a baby enters the picture.

The story addresses parenthood, the crisis of masculinity, separation, power, corruption and Latin American politics. García Bernal nevertheless insisted that the film is a comedy. He said the cast did not work through improvisation, but through exploration and discovery while remaining conscious of what it was doing.

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I want to insist on this.

Martin said he accepted García Bernal's invitation immediately and joined the production after reading the script. “I have enormous respect for him. I admire everything he does. His elegance and the way he works are things I have always valued and that have been a reference for me,” Martin said. At 54, the singer added that the experience had revived the excitement of his earliest acting work: “Today I feel like a child, because everything feels fresh, new.” He said he believed in the film and its director completely, and would do it again, especially for García Bernal.

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I have enormous respect for him. I admire everything he does. His elegance and the way he works are things I have always valued and that have been a reference for me.

The evening also connected the project to the pair's shared history. García Bernal and Luna first came to Venice 25 years ago with “Y tu mamá también.” This time Luna returned as executive producer. García Bernal recalled that the film made them feel they could dedicate themselves to cinema. He said film had given them family, friends and freedom, along with a strong responsibility to defend society's gains and keep discussing what remains unfinished. Before leaving, he dedicated the film to Yucatán, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico and Puerto Rico, and to his father, who died while he was thinking about the project.

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Today I feel like a child, because everything feels fresh, new.