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World-premiering in San Sebastián main competition, Javier Ruiz Caldera’s time-warping drama ‘5 More Minutes’ (‘5 Minutos Más’) suggests one way an on-the rocks relationship may come closer together again: by plunging
them into the makings of a global apocalypse.
Writer-star Berto Romero (“The Other Side”) and Belen Cuesta (“The Endless Trench”) play a couple who are trying to repair their frayed marriage, retreating to an idyllic vacation home in Spain’s exquisite Girona countryside. There they are handed the keys by Carlos, a property manager, played by the ever-popular Javier Cámara (“Talk to Her”) in a rare, less simpático role. Not long after he hands over the keys, time jumps back five minutes.
As time continues to jump back for them, again and again, they grow increasingly paranoid. Catalonia has always looked to France for inspiration. This is a film which melds the great French and Catalan tradition of questioning the civilized manners of the bourgeoisie, rcast in a thouroughly modern genre blender, part excriciating comedy, part min-bending sci-fi, and part a shockingly violent thriller, driven by the logic of nightmares.
A potential breakout, “5 More Minutes” is produced by Movistar Plus, El Terrat, part of The Mediapro Studio, and Ikiru Films. Filmax handles domestic distribution in Spain and internatonal sales.
Ruiz Caldera and Romero both spoke to Variety in the run-up to San Sebastian’s world premiere.
What was it about this project that compelled you to take it on, particularly after your previous film?
Ruiz Caldera: I always want my next film to differ from the previous one and present a new challenge. Berto Romero’s script offered that, combining the genres I love most: fantasy, thriller and irresistible humor. I immediately wanted to make it.
The choice of music framing the film is striking. What informed the decision to open and close with Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams,” and what did you hope that musical motif would evoke?
Ruiz Caldera: Finding the right song was difficult. We wanted something hypnotic and mysterious that signaled this wasn’t simply a comedy. Then “In Dreams” clicked. Many will remember it from David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet,” and I hope that association adds an intriguing layer.
The performances feel remarkably spontaneous despite the film’s highly choreographed structure. How much latitude did you allow the actors to improvise, particularly Belén Cuesta, whose role is especially dialogue-heavy?
Ruiz Caldera: We rehearsed extensively and improvised during preparation, but the actual takes were highly choreographed. The film consists of five-minute takes, so everything had to be timed precisely. Making it look spontaneous was the goal, and Javier Cámara, Belén Cuesta and Berto Romero made that possible.
The film navigates an unusually delicate tonal terrain between black comedy, suspense and the fantastic. How did you calibrate those elements without allowing one to undermine the others?
Ruiz Caldera: Humor helps release tension before catching the audience off guard again. Given the characters’ extreme situation, black humor also feels natural—a way of protecting themselves from anxiety and fear.
The setting in Girona plays a significant atmospheric role. What drew you to this particular location, and how did its familiarity and natural beauty inform the film’s darker impulses?
Ruiz Caldera: It was shot in a beautiful valley in Girona, Catalonia, at a friend’s house I’ve known since childhood. It’s a paradise – an ideal setting for a nightmare.
The decision to construct the film around precisely five-minute takes presents a formidable formal and technical challenge. What motivated this constraint, and how did you coordinate the cinematography, production design, costume, sound, visual effects and production teams to sustain identical conditions across every sequence?
Every sequence shot had to last exactly five minutes, no more or less. We wanted audiences to genuinely feel the weight of those five minutes without relying on editing. After months of testing, every sequence was filmed at exactly 6:35 p.m., with identical light. Close coordination between cinematography, art, costume, sound, visual effects and production made the technical feat possible.
How has the involvement of Movistar Plus, a producer with El Terrat and Ikiru, helped to empower “5 More Minutes” in production terms. And how should it help its distribution potential in Spain?
Romero: I have worked with Movistar Plus on several productions over the years and have built a strong relationship of trust with their creative and production teams. The same is true of El Terrat, with whom I have worked in film and television for more than two decades. Together with Ikiru Films, they have supported the project from the beginning and given us complete creative freedom.
For distribution in Spain, having Filmax on board gives us great confidence. Their experience, knowledge of the market, and ability to connect films with audiences are a major advantage. Together with the support of Movistar Plus, El Terrat and Ikiru Films, we have a strong foundation to give ‘5 More Minutes’ visibility and reach a broad audience.
“5 More Minutes” blends sci-fi, survival thriller and excruciating (in the best sense) comedy. What attracts you to genre mixes?
I have always been drawn to stories that blend genres. Life itself is a good example: it can move from comedy to horror, thriller or drama in a matter of seconds. To me, that feels natural.
I like to follow the story I want to tell and let the genres emerge organically. I come from stand-up comedy and television, where I have worked for 30 years, so my way of seeing the world is naturally influenced by humor. At the same time, I have always loved genre stories, especially horror, thrillers, science fiction and fantasy.
I think my writing is a mix of everything I enjoy, filtered through my own view of life. With ‘5 More Minutes,’ I never set out to make a comedy. But in the end, humor, much like life in ‘Jurassic Park,’ found a way.
A considerable number of top Spanish directors – Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Alberto Rodríguez – use genre. Is there something about Spain or Spanish cinema which explain this predilection in auteurs?
I don’t feel qualified to speak for other writers or define a characteristic of Spanish cinema. For me, it is simply a personal preference as a storyteller. I find it fascinating to use genre conventions, subvert them and take audiences somewhere they don’t expect. I think this fascination with genre is more international than uniquely Spanish, though that may just be my own bias. In my case, it is a purely instinctive and irrational impulse when I write.
