“The Virgin of Quarry Lake,” the latest feature from “The Returned” helmer Laura Casabé, sets Argentina’s 2001 economic collapse against a mix of adolescent angst, unbridled desire and supernatural forces. Written by top Argentinean filmmaker Benjamín Naishtat (“Rojo,” “Puan”) and drawn from Booker Prize-shortlisted author Mariana Enríquez’s short stories, the film is set to premiere at Sundance in the World Cinema Dramatic strand. It’s a global affair, co-produced by Spain, Argentina and Mexico involving Mostra Cine, Ajimolido Films, Caponeto and Mr. Miyagi Films.
Producers David Matamoros and Ángeles Hernández of Mr. Miyagi first encountered the project during the San Sebastián Film Festival’s Co-Production Forum. Already fans of Enríquez’s work, they were also aware of Casabé, following her prize-winning bow at the Sitges Film Festival with her debut “The Returned.” Talks with the Argentine and Mexican teams soon led to their involvement.
“Once we signed in early 2022, it took over eight months to pull together the Spanish funds, thanks to ICAA and the ICEC Minority Fund,” says Matamoros. Mexico joined later via Eficine funding. “It wasn’t easy,” Hernández adds. “Co-producing means extra communication and understanding of every country’s challenges, and a huge effort on the production side to keep things balanced. Throw in Argentina’s inflation, and it gets even trickier.”
Filmax took international rights to complete the setup.
“The Virgin of Quarry Lake” follows Natalia, a teenager overwhelmed by her longing for Diego, her childhood friend. When the more experienced Silvia appears, Natalia – guided by her grandmother Rita – turns to witchcraft to split them up. This personal turmoil unfolds during Argentina’s devastating 2001 economic crisis, a backdrop Casabé says she wanted to keep as a subtle but ever-present undercurrent.
“We never wanted the 2001 crisis to be front and center,” Casabé told Variety. “It’s more like a constant background demon. People were losing everything and Natalia clings to Diego because he’s the only stable thing she knows. That fear – of losing it all, of poverty being contagious – shapes her worldview.”
Too often in film teenage tumult is viewed comically or with a detachment from the adulthood that follows. Casabé delves with respect into the raw, visceral side of adolescence: “I don’t want to judge that period or laugh at it. Adolescence is turmoil, jealousy and a love so intense it borders on possession. Natalia’s emotions clash with a harsh reality. Teenagers are always pretending to be sane, and I wanted to capture that sense of chaos. We all carry a bit of that teenage self around.”
Folklore and the supernatural was key to Casabe’s Sitges winning debut “The Returned” and a sense of curse lives in “The Virgin of Quarry Lake.” “For me, the extraordinary seeps through the cracks of reality. It’s not your classic supernatural story; it’s about magic and strange forces weaving into the fabric of the everyday. When we developed Natalia’s powers, I drew on the raw violence of 2001 – those moments of collective anger that explode and can change you.”
Casting Natalia proved a challenge. Ultimately, the role went to impressive newcomer Dolores Oliverio. “Dolores was literally the last person we saw after three months of casting,” recalls Casabé. “She’s a dancer, not an actress, but her physicality spoke volumes – like someone who had grown up too quickly. She wasn’t ready for a lead, so we rehearsed for two months. Her precision and presence were perfect for Natalia.”
Joining Oliverio are Fernanda Echevarría, Luisa Merelas, Isabel Bracamonte, Candela Flores, and Agustín Sosa, alongside the more experienced Luisa Merelas (“The Beasts”) and Dady Brieva (“Más que un hombre.”)
Being a teenager is often fraught with false confidence, deep self doubt and minute by minute judgement fuelled by and competed within friendship groups. “You can be terrible to your friends, we are nasty with our friends, and then we love them, and we’re there for them. That’s part of female friendship,” says Casabé. “We wanted authenticity, so the cast spent a lot of time together before shooting. By day one, they were real friends. You can’t fake that chemistry.”
A lifelong admirer of literary fiction, Casabé relished Enríquez’s atmospheric prose. “Her depiction of adolescence felt deeply personal. I also pulled from authors like Ernesto Sabato, with his dark, obsessive characters, and there’s a hint of Holden Caulfield in Natalia – this swirling existential angst and nihilism.”
Being grounded in the turmoil of 2001 the film can’t help but raise parallel questions about Argentina’s present. Casabé doesn’t skirt the issue: “We’re living under ideological persecution. Cultural institutions are under attack; they paint filmmakers as freeloaders. But we’re just working professionals trying to keep an industry alive. Despite the hardships, we won’t stop. Co-productions with Mexico and Spain saved this film – and that international collaboration will keep us going.”
Casabé remains hopeful for Argentina’s cinematic future. “We’re organized. We’ll keep making movies. Cinema is about memory, identity and resistance, and it’s more vital now than ever.”
As the film preps for its Sundance debut, Casabé admits she’s “still in shock” over the selection. “We sent a rough cut, and I was sure we wouldn’t get in. When we did, it felt surreal. So many films I loved as a teen premiered at Sundance, and now ours is there too. It’s incredible.”
