When reality surpasses fiction (and leaves you speechless)
Imagine this: it’s 2024, the world is on fire (literally and metaphorically), and in the midst of the chaos, an Argentinian woman arrives at the San Sebastián Festival with a film that breaks your soul and, surprisingly, also makes you occasionally smile awkwardly. That’s right, we’re talking about Dolores Fonzi, who was not satisfied with just starring in her new project, Belén, but also put on the director’s shirt. And no, it was not a diva’s whim, but an urgent need, as she herself describes it. It sounds dramatic, we know, but the story is worth it.
The film, which competes for the Golden Shell, is not an invention of a boring screenwriter. Nope. It is based on the real case of a young woman from Tucumán who in 2014 went to the hospital for a spontaneous abortion and was convicted of murder. Yes, you read that right. Life is sometimes more surreal than an episode of Black Mirror, but without the futuristic soundtrack. Fonzi immerses herself in this judicial drama playing none other than Soledad Deza, the lawyer who defended the real Belén and is a reference in the fight for women’s rights.
A script that writes life itself (and hurts as much as it does)
The most terrifying thing? “Almost everything in the movie is true,” Fonzi says with a calmness that is frightening. The plot was nourished by the book Somos Belén, by Ana Correa, and by Deza’s own texts. For the lawyer, seeing herself portrayed on the screen was like a distorted mirror of her own life. “From the legal profession we represent the interests of others, our private life is left out. Here, on the other hand, I saw my daily life reflected,” he confessed. Basically, it was a one-way trip with no return to the center of his own struggle.
But here comes the plot twist that no one saw coming: the film has moments of humor. In a story about brutal injustice? Exact. Fonzi justifies it with impeccable logic: “Life itself is full of extreme situations and many times they are crossed with humor.” And he is right. Don’t we laugh at our own misfortunes so as not to cry? It’s like when you spill your coffee on Monday at 8 AM: either you laugh or you enter a cycle of existential depression. The film captures that roller coaster of emotions that is real life, where the drama is not a note sustained for two hours.
Deza supports it: “Showing that rollercoaster of emotions is also politicizing the conflict.” And boy it is. In an era where feminisms face global attacks, this film comes as a bucket of cold water (or conscience, depending on how you see it). “The common enemy is the one who wants us to be silent and submissive. What saves us is the collective,” says Deza, with a clarity that cuts like a knife. Fonzi adds that the timing of the film was almost karmic: “When the film falls just in time, it takes on an unexpected power.” Chance? We think not.
Directing and acting: the multilevel marketing of cinema
Now, let’s talk about the real challenge: directing and acting at the same time. Because, let’s be honest, sometimes it’s hard to put on the washing machine and respond to a WhatsApp message without collapsing. Fonzi had already done it in his debut film, Blondi, but this time the challenge was different. “In Blondi everything was a game. Here the approach was different, more emotional and intense,” he acknowledges. His secret? Some golden advice from his friend Daniel Hendler: “You act, get busy directing.” Simple, direct and effective. Sometimes, the solution is not in a master’s degree in directing, but in a friend who tells you things as they are.
While Fonzi shines on the red carpet, Soledad Deza continues her work at the Women for Women Foundation, defending women criminalized by obstetric emergencies and victims of gender violence. His work is a reminder that, behind the screen, the fight is still alive. Bethlehem is not just a movie; It is a mirror of a reality that hurts, but that, told honestly and even with a little humor, becomes unstoppable.
So you know, if you want to see how cinema can be a weapon of massive transformation, this is your chance. Do you believe that art can change the world? Share this story and join the conversation about cinema that matters.And if you are interested in the case, find out more about the foundation. The fight, as Deza says, is collective or it is not.
