THE WAVE
La Ola (The Wave): Sebastián Lelio films the feminist uprising against a musical backdrop
IN THEATERS NOVEMBER 5 – La Vague by Sebastián Lelio, starring Daniela López, Lola Bravo, and Avril Aurora.
[A look back at the Cannes premiere.]
Seven years and three films after winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman), Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio is about to make his Red Carpet debut at the Festival de Cannes. La Ola (The Wave), his new feature film about a feminist student uprising, is presented in the Cannes Première selection.
In 2018, Chile took home the second Oscar in its history — for Best Foreign Language Film — thanks to Sebastián Lelio and his film Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman). It told the story of a transgender waitress who aspires to be a singer and is forced to confront her dead lover’s family.
As with Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman), La Ola (The Wave) was co-produced by his compatriot, Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín (Ema), and tackles a contemporary issue. Set on a college campus in Chile, music student Julia takes part in an uprising to speak out against the harassment and abuse suffered by students there for years. Meanwhile, she is haunted by an unresolved matter in her personal life: a confusing encounter with Max, her vocal coach’s assistant. Can she be sure that she gave her consent? Swept up in the collective euphoria of the uprising and to the rhythm of the music, Julia becomes the very heart of the movement. Her own testimony spreads in a ripple effect like a shock wave.
This role is the silver screen debut for Daniela López, who plays Julia, as well as for several other actresses in La Ola (The Wave) — Avril Aurora, Lola Bravo, and Paulina Cortés. In this musical feature film, Sebastián Lelio sets off on a quest to redefine a fractured society through the powerful and liberating medium of dance and song with the aim, once again, to challenge gender discrimination.
