Jaime Lorente Debuts as Director With El Mal Hijo at San Sebastian Festival

Actor Jaime Lorente steps behind the camera for his directorial debut with El mal hijo, which opened the New Directors section at the 74th San Sebastian International Film Festival on September 18, europaress.tv reported.

Directorial Debut at San Sebastian

Lorente brought his feature film to the festival’s New Directors lineup, describing the selection as a major honor. Pues fue un regalazo, un regalazo porque, bueno, siendo sincero, cuando empecé a rodar la película, la película era el lugar idóneo y deseado para que fuese, Lorente stated via europaress.tv, adding that he enjoyed the experience immensely. Speaking to Europa Press reporter Francisco Serrano as covered by europapress.es, Lorente admitted to feeling nervous ahead of the premiere but emphasized his straightforward goal for the project: Soy cero pretencioso. No quiero que pase algo específico en la película. Quiero que la gente la disfrute, quiero que la gente conecte, quiero que la vea el público. He also noted that he had watched the final cut hundreds of times, though he took a three-month break from viewing it right before the festival screening.

Film Examines Addiction Effects on Child and Grandmother

The film adapts the first half of a novel by Salvador Molina, introducing a significant temporal shift for the narrative arc. According to details shared with europapress.tv, Lorente structured the screenplay to examine the long-term consequences of a father’s absence and his struggle with the disease of addiction on a growing child and grandmother. Rather than detailing the direct trajectory of the affliction itself, the director focused on the continuous erosions it causes within a domestic environment. The story follows Rubén, an 11-year-old boy played by Hugo Arbués, whose father vanishes mysteriously. The child is subsequently sent to live with an unfamiliar grandmother, brought to life by actress Susi Sánchez. Lorente praised the collaboration with Sánchez in his interview with europapress.es, stating that she established a high human standard and created an immediate, effortless connection on set. The production also explored how social conditions determine possibilities, noting that the father in the story remains tied in a cabin because he cannot afford an expensive detoxification center, while the young protagonist ultimately learns a more sensitive way of inhabiting the world through his grandmother.

Lorente Reflects on Fatherhood and Social Realities

Reflecting on fatherhood and the heavy emotional weight depicted in the film, Lorente explained to europapress.es that raising a child brings a profound realization of parental challenges. Cuando uno tiene un hijo, entiende todo lo que han hecho sus padres. Hay algo natural de decir ‘guau, qué difícil es’, he remarked. The director also drew parallels between his own emotional sensitivity and the internal struggles of his young protagonist, while noting that the production addressed broader social realities such as economic precarity, the high cost of detoxification centers, and the lonely burdens carried by family caregivers. Addressing the broader themes of the project, Lorente pointed to the presence of minoritized sectors on social media that attempt to promote a return to past values regarding masculinity and create conflict, arguing that anything driving society backward generates unnecessary noise and misunderstanding. Regarding the father-son wounds depicted on screen, Lorente avoids simple solutions and instead advocates for accompaniment and giving space, noting that trying to solve everything for a child can ultimately rebound negatively.