“La memoria del agua” is profound journey to love and life, actress says

“La memoria del agua” (The Memory of Water), the latest film by Chilean director Matias Bize, “is a dark and profound but also marvelous journey” addressing the experience of life and love, said Spanish actress Elena Anaya, who stars in it.

Acknowledged for her work with Pedro Almodovar, Anaya praised Bize and, in remarks to EFE, discussed the details of filming the project, which will begin showing this week in Chile.

Anaya has acted in films such as “Lucia y el sexo,” “Van Helsing” (along with Hugh Jackman) and “Dead Fish” (with Gary Oldman), but her image is closely tied to Almodovar after her participation in two of his most highly acclaimed works: “Talk to Her” and “The Skin I Live In.”

Anaya is now displaying her dramatic talent with Chilean actor Benjamin Vicuña in “La memoria del agua,” the latest work by the director of “The Life of Fish” (2010), which won the Goya and Buñuel awards.

The Spanish actress plays Amanda, a young woman who, after her son’s death, experiences an emotional crisis that distances her from her partner, Javier (Vicuña).

After contacting her to propose the project, Bize traveled to Madrid to discuss the details of the story and the characters with her.

“We spent several days speaking about our experiences in life regarding the issues that we would later deal with in the film,” Anaya said. “We spoke about the script, the characters, what Matias wanted to say ... Later, Benjamin joined the project and made an impression on us with his generosity in sharing his experiences.”

Vicuña’s 6yearold daughter Blanca died in 2012 from a brain hemorrhage.

The actress also emphasized the respect that prevailed among the director, actors and crew.

Anaya said that “each viewer will feel something different” upon watching the film, “but ... they will find a careful, meticulous, subtle work and perhaps will manage to make the trip along with the characters, the dark and profound but also marvelous journey.”