The new feature film Tomas Sanchez, Chocolate for three, a comedy-drama based on real eventsaddresses the painful issues of eating disorders, travel, and transformation. The main character, Julia, has to decide between the opportunity of a leading role in a musical, her passion, and the duty of taking charge of a family hotel that is about to be sold. Julia, played by Florence Torrentsuffers from anorexia nervosa and travels to the north of the country, where Romina Gaetani’s character has an inn in Purmamarca. She connects with Julia because she had a sister who died of that disease. And he is the one who, in some way, warns his family. Chocolate for three premieres this Thursday and was filmed in Jujuy, with the performances – in addition to those of Torrente and Gaetani – of Andrea Pietra and Gastón Soffritti, along with the presence of Arturo Puig, Elena Roger, Beatriz Spelzini, Antonio Birabent, Romina Fernández and Marta Mediavilla.
“I thought the story was important, to tell about this disease and the process of a person going through an emotion”Torrente says about the reason that led her to agree to be the protagonist of Chocolate for three. The actress believes that “they are things that are not talked about much and it is good to put them on the big screen because that makes it lose darkness and we can understand that these things happen and that they must be addressed and the sooner we address them, the better.”
Gaetani, for his part, shares his colleague’s opinion. “It is an issue that challenges us. It doesn’t just happen to women, it also happens to men a lot. I have had a case in my adolescence with my best friend, with whom I had to prepare since she was from her close circle to be able to make a good accompaniment”. Gaetani also says that she herself had an eating disorder in her adolescence. “It is a disease that leads to death, and it is very good to give it visibility in all its forms and always through transformative art, with a great cast,” says Gaetani.
-What connection did you have with your characters?
Florence Torrent:-In my case, I don’t know if I had a direct connection with my character. I don’t feel that many characteristics of my character align with the real Florence, but I was going through a process with a very close person, due to this illness. And for me that was also very important when choosing to do this story because I understood that there was something that I had to learn from this, since it was very difficult to accompany that person. And there is something that this film has when it comes to telling this story: many times being inside the situation, having a family member, a friend, a brother, a cousin who suffers from this disease, it is difficult to recognize it and see it. And I felt a lot of guilt at that moment for not having realized that a person I loved very much was going through this illness. So, doing it was a challenge where I could transcend what I felt and be able to share what I had experienced with this person that I love very much. And I tried to make my character as believable as possible.
Romina Gaetani:– Same with me. At 16 years old, in high school, I had to accompany my friend, talk to professionals to find out how to accompany her. And also having had this eating disorder at 16, 17, made me very immersed in the subject.
-Do you think that cinema can raise awareness about the risks involved in a disorder of this type?
F.T.:-I think that cinema is great for this (also for millions of things). Say, Telling stories where we feel reflected makes us transmute and transcend our own ailments and emotions. Cinema is transformative, not only for those who make it, but for those who watch it. How many films mark us for life? How many movies are a before and after in our lives? So, it’s great that these things can be told because it will help a lot of people, because it will make a problem visible and because it is good that there is cinema.
-Difficult thing at the moment…
R.G.:-Yes, that’s why I think it is very important that we are gathered here today accompanying the premiere because of how the industry is today.and for everything we are talking about how important culture is, how to make this topic visible in cinema, in theater, from music, from a book, from dance. Art is always transformative in all its forms.
-In relation to what they have been saying, this is a film that many teenagers can see. What do you hope the film leaves you with?
R.G.:-The film is crossed by love. Flor’s character not only decides to heal by falling in love and finding love in all its forms, not only with a partner, but also from the family. That’s why it seems to me that it is a film that all types of audiences can see because it talks about a family conflict that begins to be resolved “from”. It is a conflict of interest that occurs in all families. And what love does. Love in all its forms works miracles and much more if there is an illness in the middle.
F.T.:-There is also a very important axis in the movie which is acceptance, like the acceptance of things that happen, whether you like them or not, whether you choose them or not. And that acceptance, obviously accompanied by love, means that things can transcend and evolve. Hopefully I can leave you with that, the importance of accepting given circumstances, despite how painful and difficult they are.
-In society there is the imperative that you must always be pretty, skinny, that is what is imposed on TV, overexposure. How did you experience this pressure in your profession?
F.T.:-Personally, I care very little now, but when I was younger I had a very bad time. In fact, I had a quite violent situation since they took away my job for being fat, directly, that explicitly. And it was very strong because the press is also very cruel when it wants to. And I was very young, I was 17, 18 years old. But I always had my family accompanying me and supporting me. And that made me move forward, so family support in all aspects of life is very important, not only in an illness, but in mental health, because mental health is very important. But if you don’t have your family accompanying you, how do you deal with all those people who know nothing about your life and are giving their opinion as if they did, and you are going through something internally in a difficult process? But it goes beyond being called “fat” or not being told, whether you are or are not. It goes through people’s processes.
What challenges did Florence and Romina face in portraying the sensitive subject of eating disorders in “Chocolate for Three”?
As the website editor for world-today-news.com, I am thrilled to present this exclusive interview with Florence Torrent and Romina Gaetani, the talented actresses behind the upcoming film “Chocolate for Three.” The film addresses important and sensitive topics including eating disorders, travel, and transformation. Our interview aims to delve deeper into their experiences while shooting the movie, the connection they had with their characters, and their thoughts on how cinema can raise awareness about such issues.
Section 1: Understanding the Characters
In this section, we asked Florence and Romina about their connection with their respective characters and how they prepared for their roles.
Question 1: What connection did you have with your characters, Julia and Romina, in “Chocolate for Three”?
Florence Torrent: In my case, I don’t know if I had a direct connection with my character. I don’t feel that many characteristics of my character align with the real Florence, but I was going through a process with a very close person, due to this illness. And for me that was also very important when choosing to do this story because I understood that there was something that I had to learn from this, since it was very difficult to accompany that person. And there is something that this film has when it comes to telling this story: many times being inside the situation, having a family member, a friend, a brother, a cousin who suffers from this disease, it is difficult to recognize it and see it. And I felt a lot of guilt at that moment for not having realized that a person I loved very much was going through this illness. So, doing it was a challenge where I could transcend what I felt and be able to share what I had experienced with this person that I love very much.
Romina Gaetani: Same with me. At 16 years old, in high school, I had to accompany my friend, talk to professionals to find out how to accompany her. And also having had this eating disorder at 16, 17, made me very immersed in the subject.
Section 2: Transformative Power of Cinema
In this section, we asked Florence and Romina about their thoughts on the transformative power of cinema and how it can help raise awareness about eating disorders.
