Spanish actor Javier Bardem spoke very clearly this Sunday in Cannes about the murders of women in Spain at the hands of their partners, the genocide in Gaza, the horrible situation in the Sahara or the “toxic male behavior of Mr. Trump, Mr. Putin and Mr. Netanyahu”, which “is causing thousands of deaths”.
Bardem presented at the French festival the film ‘El ser querido’, by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, which competes for the Palme d’Or at Cannes and in which he plays a film director who tries to rebuild the non-existent relationship with his daughter (Victoria Luengo) and who shows in a spectacular scene a brutal macho behavior.
Asked about the origins of this type of behavior, he pointed to the education received over the years. “I come from a very macho country,” acknowledged Bardem, who pointed out that in Spain there are many women who are murdered by their boyfriends or husbands.
“It’s unbelievable, we can’t normalize it, say ‘yes, it’s horrible’ are we fucking crazy? Are we killing women because there are men who think they own them, that they own them?” she stated forcefully.
“This problem also affects Mr. Trump, Mr. Putin and Mr. Netanyahu…. those guys with the big balls who say ‘my dick is bigger than yours and I’m going to bomb you.’ It’s toxic male behavior that is causing thousands of deaths.”
It is necessary to talk about this problem, something that is being done “because we are more aware of it, fortunately,” said the Spanish actor, who pointed out that this situation is reflected in the film, in which his character is “told no by three people, and all three are women.
Bardem was applauded by the press for this and other answers because he answered loud and clear to all the political questions he was asked.
“I’m learning every day to try to be more empathetic to my fellow man. When you get older you understand that there is no one truth, there are several truths, but that there are certain things that are simply facts.”
Among them he cited the genocide that has been and continues to be committed in Gaza. “You can fight it or you can try to justify it.” If you do, he added, “you are in favor of genocide.”
He also referred to the “horrible situation of the people of the Sahara” and the merger of Paramount and Warner, and the information monopoly it will bring about. “who’s going to handle all that, what we hear and see?”.
“As a parent I am concerned, young people, as a result of all this, are less and less interested in understanding, in comparing, in going beyond, in contrasting…and that is dangerous and can produce very radicalized thinking.”
In this regard, he stressed that in Spain “we are suffering this phenomenon and also in the rest of European countries and in the United States”. “Right now there is no democracy in the media” and “what you say, how you say it and where you say it” is punished.
Bardem showed empathy on many levels but considers that he still has to work on this aspect of his personality. “I’m still a sick person, I still go to my therapy punctually, which helps me understand what things I have to work on,” he acknowledged.
Regarding ‘El ser querido’, Bardem was enthusiastic about Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s work – “there is little talk about how good a director he is”, he said- and about the co-star, Victoria Luengo – “she is an outstanding actress, who is not afraid of where she is going and an incredible partner”-.
The film crew presented the film at a gala screening last night and received more than eight minutes of applause at the end of the screening.
“It was an unforgettable experience. Climbing that staircase, with that music…they do it very well here, all that performance helps a lot to get you excited,” acknowledged the director.
And the actor wanted to highlight the fact that this year there are three films in the Cannes competition. A fact that “speaks volumes about our industry and makes us proud, it is a logical response to the technical and creative quality”.
One of them, ‘La bola negra’, by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, features his wife, Penélope Cruz. “I don’t talk to her because we are rivals,” he joked, reported Agencia EFE.
Here you can watch the video of what actor Javier Bardem said.
Find out more at‘QueOnnda.com’.
