Argentine Director Pablo Fendrik Talks “Ardor,” Starring Gael García Bernal

“Ardor” is Pablo Fendrik’s third feature film and also his biggest one yet.

Coming to theaters on July 17th, “Ardor” stars Gael García Bernal and Alice Braga, who are reuniting on screen after their collaboration in, “Blindness.”

This project is expected to not only be larger in scale, but also in budget and ambition than its predecessors, “The Mugger” and “Blood Appears.” Fendrik says he felt the need to work with a larger canvas aimed at reaching a bigger audience and delivering a “more pleasant” viewing experience, which is also why he thought of Gael and Alice for the film.

“I like to think of ‘Ardor’ as a western in the jungle,” he says. “It tells of the struggle between man and nature, the conflictive atmosphere of the frontier where the apparent advance of progress confronts the natural state of things which took millions of years to configure. It is also a personal blood war. It is the tale of an unfolding revenge.”

Years before Ardor took shape, Fendrik and García Bernal talked of making a film together.

The two men first met during International Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival, where Fendrik’s “The Mugger” was shown in 2007 and “Blood Appears” in 2008, but their plans to collaborate lost traction.

Fendrik couldn’t have been happier with the casting of the 36-year-old actor in “Ardor.”

“Working with Gael is the dream of all directors,” he says. “On one hand, he’s very experienced, having done so many films with so many excellent directors, and at the same time he’s a person and an actor of enormous generosity. He’s an ideal collaborator, an absolute partner in every moment.”

“Ardor” is a visually sumptuous adventure about a mysterious man who emerges from the Argentinian rainforest to rescue a family from ruthless land-grabbers bent on stealing their farm. It will be out in theaters everywhere July 16th.

Check out the official trailer here