Elvis & Madona, Playing on June 8 (8pm) and June 11 (7pm) at CineFest Petrobras

By Rodrigo Brandao

After premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, the Brazilian feature Elvis & Madona will screen two more times at this year Cine Fest Petrobras, Brasil-NY starting on June 5.

Marcelo Laffitte’s feature debut is set in Rio de Janeiro’s neighborhood of Copacabana, where Elvis (played by Simone Spoladore), a talented lesbian photographer, befriends Madona, a ravishing drag performer who works as a hairstylist by day and performs in Rio’s drag clubs at night.

Elvis & Madona (left).

In this exclusive interview, Mr. Laffitte talks about the ideas behind his feature debut – and the current status of LGBT rights in Brazil’s urban centers.

Rodrigo Brandao: What made you write and film a story centered on two gay characters: a Lesbian and a transvestite?

Marcelo Laffitte: I was changing channels on my TV a while ago when suddenly, I ran into a show where a guy was arguing and fighting with a strange old lady. Gradually, I realized that the rival was the man’s father, and that he, the father, had abandoned his family many years ago, and had returned now as a transvestite. However, the reason for the fight was not the fact that the father had turned into a transvestite, but instead, that the father and the son’s wife were in love. It was really strange, almost bizarre, but it made me realize that love can arise in any situation. And this is the subject of Elvis & Madona.

Caetano Veloso once said that “up close, nobody is normal.” I believe in that. But after I finished Elvis & Madona, I realized that up close, everyone is normal. So, this is not a movie about gay characters or about pop icons, and even less about freak people. The girl Elvis and the tranny Madona are human beings like all of us. They have jobs, have families, pay bills and are in search of happiness.

Simone Spoladore (left) and director Marcelo Laffitte.

RB: How was the casting process for Elvis & Madona? Had you worked with actors Igor Cotrim and Simone Spoladore before?

ML: In the beginnig, I tried to work with a real tranny to play Madona. I thought it simply wasn’t possible that there was no tranny who was also a good actress in Brazil. Well, if she exists (and I believe she does), I was not able to find her. So, I did auditions with several actors and actresses, all very good, and after two weeks, I realized that I should choose the couple Elvis & Madona, and not a actor and a actress separately. Igor and Simone, two actors I had never worked before, had the best “chemistry” in their interaction, and did a wonderful job in the film.

RB: Are you nervous about the film’s North American premiere here at Tribeca? What are your expectations as far as audience reaction here in New York City?

ML: The Tribeca Film Festival is impressive. The whole team is very competent and organized, and they are extremely friendly. The quantity of films is very large (85 feature films from around the world) and most of them have great financial structure to produce advertising, t-shirts, parties, etc.. We are in a really powerful festival. This all makes me a little nervous, but I’m sure we’ll succeed in the Big Apple.

Elvis & Madonna has a strong connection with the audience wherever it is viewed (Sao Paulo, Rio Grande do Norte, Minas Gerais, Melbourne). The viewers usually understand that we’re talking about human feelings (love, dreams, difficulties in life, etc.) and that we’re talking about him or her. “Wow, this happened to me.” So the audience gets involved with story and, within minutes, they forget they are watching a lesbian and a transvestite who call themselves Elvis and Madona.

RB: The film begins with an act of violence, when Elvis finds Madona beaten up by her boyfriend. Was it important for you to make a film that dealt with homophobia and domestic violence? Do you think Brazil is progressing in these areas?

ML: Oops. This is just a scene in the movie. It’s an important scene, because it starts the whole plot of the movie, but the film is not about homophobia or domestic violence. It’s about losses in life. In Brazil there is still much work to be done in relation to homophobia and violence. The low level of education and distribution of wealth that we have experienced in the last 500 years has contributed to this terrible social situation. But things are changing and social groups are more organized; they’re fighting for their rights. We are still far from the best situation, but I think Brazilians are going in the right direction.