Moviegoing Memories is a series of short interviews with filmmakers about going to the movies. Lila Avilés's The Chambermaid is MUBI GO's Film of the Week of July 26, 2019.
NOTEBOOK: How would you describe your movie in the least amount of words?
LILA AVILÉS: The story about Eve, a chambermaid who works in a high-class hotel in Mexico City.
NOTEBOOK: Where and what is your favorite movie theatre?
AVILÉS: Cineteca Nacional, in Mexico City.
NOTEBOOK: Why is it your favorite?
AVILÉS: Because it is the most powerful cinemateque in Mexico. Films come there from everywhere, and are shown at a really low cost, so cinema is for everyone!
NOTEBOOK: What is the most memorable movie screening of your life?
AVILÉS: La Ciénaga, by Lucrecia Martel. When I was young, the place to go and feel cool was the Cinetec Nacional. There I saw a lot of films that gave my friends and I the feeling of playing at being tough. But I remember when I saw La Ciénaga I was by myself and something really profound touched me. It was as if that movie was really talking to me, to my own family history.
NOTEBOOK: If you could choose one classic film to watch on the big screen, what would it be?
AVILÉS: Au hazard Balthazar, by Bresson, and Nostalghia, by Tarkovsky—these are films you need to feel.