AGUA DE TU MADRE
LOGLINE
"50 years after Benita receives aid from the sea goddess Yemayá in convincing her estranged mother-in-law to help her son flee revolutionary Cuba, her pregnant granddaughter Zamira faces a similar hurdle that affects the life of her unborn child."
ABOUT THE FILM
This film is a love letter to the director's ancestry and Afro-Cuban heritage. Loosely based on her own family's journey of navigating life in America, this film depicts two families set in two distinct yet parallel worlds- revolutionary Cuba and modern day Los Angeles. It pays homage to women, strength, motherhood, protection, and the themes of sacrifice, colorism, and classcism.
Initial references of the director's visions for these worlds are to the left.
HAVANA, CUBA- 1950's
REFERENCE & RESEARCH BOARDS
FINAL STILLS & PROCESS WORK
The original location for this set belonged to a professional magician who kept the building's original wall colors intact. The doorframes and countertops were perfectly aged as well. We felt the vibrant colors of the location fit beautifully with the rich palette of Cuba. The goal for dressing this set was to fill it "a mother's love", making sure to create a lived in feeling with knick knacks and adornments saturating the space. (This was also done to directly juxtapose Claudia's home.) Referencing our research closely some we showcased Cuban essentials like decorative plates, Santeria based altars, and a time accurate radio. The passthrough between the kitchen and dining nook also proved to be a great opportunity for playing up the contrast of colors and maximizing the sense of depth.
For the exterior, we focused on creating a communal living building to provide the subtext of Maximo and Benita's financial class as well as showcase the courtyards and incorporation of outdoor spaces seen in Cuba. Similar to our references, we dressed this location with small seating arrangements for tea, bicycles, and clotheslines.
For Yemaya's altar in the opening scene (which can also be seen in Benita's kitchen) it was essential to research Santeria lore and mythology to pay proper respects to the Goddess. According to research, Yemaya is honored with white roses and strings of blue and white beads. Some other typical offerings for her would be shells, watermelon, pork rinds, candles, grapes, which are all placed on a small boat or raft and sent into the sea. In addition, the moat on the beach created for Benita's altar is adorned with seven candles which a number that symbolizes the Goddess.
CLAUDIA'S HOME
REFERENCES
For Claudia's house it was important to find a location that would dramatically visualize the difference in class and the financial gap between her and Zamira's family. Though Claudia is the clear antagonist in the film, in designing her personal home it was important to consider her as a multi-dimensional character. In the same way as Benita, Claudia at her core is a mother who wants the best for her son but is heavily clouded with prejudice.
The original location shown above was a very modern beach house in Malibu that had large white walls which became overwhelming and flat on camera. To remedy this, we used textured wallpapers, picture frames, sconces, makeshift curtains, and large armoires to fill the space and create depth. This was repeated again in the guest room which also felt empty and oversized. While dressing these spaces, it was also important to keep in mind Claudia's finances and aesthetics resulting in perhaps a more rich yet colder and hostile space compared to that of Benita's or Jose's.
FINAL STILLS & PROCESS
To express this sentiment, in the dining room we created a mural of family portraits behind Claudia's chair to display her attachment to the men in her life including Riley. By framing Claudia against endless images of her white cuban family it further stressed their gaze, entitlement, and judgement against Zamira. As a result, the intended effect was to make Claudia feel empowered in the frame and cause Zamira to feel watched and unwelcome. In fact, Claudia's chair sits higher and has a wood casing on it resembling a throne to further suggest she has the power in the scene. Whereas, Zamira is staged against floor length windows in both the dining room and guest room to suggest her desire to escape.
COLOR PROGRESSION
Visually, La Receta utilizes blue and yellow as opposing color narratives: blue representing the presence of Yemaya and yellow representing danger or trauma, which we see present whenever Claudia and Violeta are around. To mirror this in the production design, I felt it would be strong to bookend the film with the presence of Yemaya and the parallels between Benita and Zamira. Once we get into present day, I wanted the colors of Jose's home to reflect green and natural tones to play off the concept of secondary colors and him being part of the second generation. As we enter into Claudia's home, we venture back into primary tones of yellow to signify Zamira's endangerment and discomfort. Finally, in the final act we begin seeing elements of blue return as the sea goddess, Yemaya, calls out to answer Benita's prayers.
BEHIND THE SCENES
