Mama – Production Notes - I Watch Mike

a great ally in that she wants to make a great movie,and at the same time, she’s my sister and she wants toprotect me.”The short grabbed the attention of Guillermodel Toro, the prolific writer/director/producer whohas produced close to 20 movies, many by first-timedirectors. He watches hundreds of short films each yearand tries to give words of encouragement to burgeoningfilmmakers as they transition to bigger projects. Oncein a while, he finds something truly special. That wasindeed the case when del Toro’s then assistant showedhim the Muschiettis’ work.Del Toro describes his attraction to translatingMamá into a feature film: “In the first 10 seconds ofthe short film, it was clear that Andy Muschietti reallyunderstood drama, and I was very impressed. Andy isthe real deal.”What particularly struck del Toro was theMuschiettis’ decision to have two little girls become thecrux of such an intensely scary story. The Mexican-bornfilmmaker has long believed that children are essentialin spooky tales because “the origin of the horror storyis in the fairy tale—Grimm’s fairy tales, folktales fromEastern Europe, Russia and Appalachia, are all full ofviolence and horror.”And what would a children’s horror story be withouta crazed mother figure? Del Toro adds: “I think that apossessive mother is a great idea as a monster becauseeverybody has known one, whetherit’s your own mother or a friend’smother or in fiction.”Through their embracing ofthese fables and passed-down ghoststories, audiences have long enjoyedthis style of suspenseful storytelling.The Muschiettis wanted to create asupernatural thriller that terrifiesmoviegoers on a primal, familiallevel and tell the story not only of amonster, but also of a deeply humanemotion bent monstrously out of proportion. Now theyhad just the man in their corner to help them do so.The Muschiettis were honored by their mentor’sassistance. Says Barbara: “Guillermo is a fantasticteacher who loves sharing his knowledge; we’velearned so much technically, creatively and in termsof the business.” Del Toro enjoys this role and toldthe Muschiettis that it never gets better than your firstfilm and that they should always stick with their gutinstincts. She adds: “The insight he’s given us hasbeen invaluable, and we feel incredibly lucky to havehim in our lives.”Drawing upon his years of experience producinga range of projects, from the blockbuster The Vowand genre-smashing Scott Pilgrim vs. the World tomore serious fare including Hollywoodland and Talkto Me, fellow producer J. Miles Dale joined BarbaraMuschietti to produce the genre-defying film. As wasdel Toro, Dale was drawn to develop Mamá as a featurebecause he felt the short was “arresting and leaves youwanting more. It explores universal themes of what hasan impact on a child, what it means to be a parent andhow love and support come in different ways.”Once Dale began conversations with the film’sdirector about his ideas for the long-form piece, theproducer was sold. Dale commends: “The greatestthing about Andy is that he can convey his vision ina very inventive way. He’s got a great sense of humor,Lilly hides behind sister Victoria.– 13 –