“I think that in Spain there’s a sort of 'debut film syndrome'. Ever since Alejandro Amenábar enjoyed enormous success with his debut film Thesis, we Spanish directors are affected by this syndrome. We think about it too much; when the opportunity to make our first film comes along, we pin all our hopes on it. That’s why, until I relaxed, I didn’t get anywhere with mine. 'If the first one is a failure', I told myself, 'I’ll have to make a good job of the second.'”