Rodrigo
Garcia takes obvious pleasure in revealing the relationships
of his vividly defined women characters in his directorial debut,
Things You Can Tell Just By Looking At Her. Any
assumptions the viewer might make about the women from their
appearance are quickly dispelled. These are replaced with thoughtful,
intelligent and understated realities, as the film gradually
intertwines the stories of six women who encounter the possibilities
and pitfalls of love in contemporary Los Angeles.
Despite
the film's minuscule $2 million budget, Garcia's script attracted
such talents as Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, Calista Flockhart,
Amy Brenneman, Holly Hunter and Kathy Baker. "The actresses
took to the script, no one felt they carried the story, and
each one only worked six days," says Garcia. "Glenn Close came
on first and attracted the other actors. She's as much a creator
of the film as any one of us."
Close
plays Dr Elaine Keener, whose character's story is
introduced
first. Her appointment with tarot-card reader Christine (Calista
Flockhart) reveals truths she'd rather not face. In the same
way, each of the other narratives involves a truth revealed
and confronted.
The
script was initially developed at the Sundance Institute Writer's
Lab, where it caught the attention of producer and director
Jon Avnet. In January 1999, Garcia's script won the prestigious
Sundance/NHK International Film-makers award, which included
prize money as well a guaranteed
TV sale to Japan upon the film's completion.
Having
attended the American Film Institute, Garcia has served as a cinematographer
on independent films (Maria Navaro's Lola, Allison Anders' Mi
Vida Loca) and a camera operator on studio productions. He credits
his close proximity to actors for inspiring his turn to screenwriting,
rather than his stellar literary heritage his father Gabriel
Garcia Marquez is the Nobel prize laureate. The writing process
took him two and a half years, and he
lauds
the Sundance institute for "pampering and nursing him."
Producer
Jon Avnet was immediately enthralled with the project, citing
Garcia's unique voice. "We ensured that he made his movie in an
uncompromising way," says Avnet, "and we're hoping it will find
a broader audience, based on quality." Kathy
A McDonald
