Cuarencena – or Quarandinner – is the Dominican Republican’s contender for Best International Feature at the upcoming 96th Academy Awards. It’s a black comedy about a dinner with friends framed by COVID-19, curfews, quarantine, being stuck together, and really good wine. David Maler wrote and directed the feature. While he’s on location for his next project, we spoke with Maler about the film.

Ayla Ruby: Can you talk about the story of the film?
David Maler: In the tense early days of a pandemic, a five-star chef and his wife host a dinner party at their chic apartment despite a extremely strict nationwide curfew. 7 friends, under lockdown, cannot leave the apartment for 12 hours. The story is told in 5 courses, but as the feast takes place and the wines continues to flow, long-buried secrets and resentments start to bubble up, threatening the fabric of this supposedly tight-knit group. What was meant to be a nice evening evolves into something raw, undercooked and uncivilized — a uncontrolled decent to the abysm where each characters true face is revealed. Cuarencena is both a time capsule and Darwinian fable: an irreverent yet big-hearted film about our chaotic era, as well as a universal story about friendship, love and the folly of being human.

Ayla Ruby What drew you to this story?
David Maler:  It all started with a phone call. I was talking to a good friend of mine, Arturo Dickson, in the middle of the pandemic when we were not allowed to socialize, and we talked about what we would be willing to do to be able to have a glass of wine together. That stemmed into the idea for a movie. I got to work soon after. Since we were in the middle of the pandemic, the inspiration to this story was at my finger tips and I needed to look no further. I wrote the first draft in less than six days.

Ayla Ruby: Can you talk about your background?
David Maler: I was born in the Dominican Republic to an Argentine father and Dominican mother. I grew up in a very secluded fishermen’s village called Boca de Chavon, where my father has his studio. Both my parents are artists and very creative people, inspiring me to express myself from a very young age. I grew up without cable or internet. We only had a VHS machine and every time my parents travelled they’d bring something back. I was an only child so very quickly movies became my best friends and I dare say my love for film stems back from that childhood.

Ayla Ruby: You wrote this as well. When did you decide to shoot it? Because there was a short turnaround between the pandemic and getting to set for this.
David Maler: This was a very unique scenario. My co-producers from Lantica Media at Pine Woods Studios int eh Dominican Republic told me they had a free slot to shoot the movie. We had been wanting to work together for the longest time so I jumped at the opportunity. The only problem was… we had to shoot the movie in three months time… And I had only the idea… And no script! That’s when the writing frenzy started and I was able to carve out a first draft around 5/6 days. The fact that everything was iimediate helped the film very much. The movie was though up in the Pandemic, it was written in the Pandemic and it was shot in the Pandemic. We lived and breathed it everyday and I think that was able to be captured on screen.

Ayla Ruby: Can you talk about filming the movie? How long did it take?
David Maler: We filmed the movie in five very intense weeks. We were only able to do that because we had an amazing top notch crew and absoutely fantastic cast that worked non stop. Because we were filming in a studio we were able to shoot the movie chronologically. I decedided to rehearse the movie like a play and run it beginning to end many times. That way everyone new what and where they were supposed to be. This helped us move fast and also create freedom for the actors, because once you know your parameters, you are free to play around.

Ayla Ruby: What was your approach to finding your cast?
David Maler: I worked with my casting director Miguel Fernandez who is fantastic. I had some character that already had a face to them but most of the actors that ended up being casted where brought to the table. Ther importance of a fantastic Casting Director!

Ayla Ruby: Was anything really challenging during filming? Was anything unexpected?
David Maler: Filming in the pandemic brought in and of itself a gigantic challenge. Just the level of strict standards we had to adhere to was overwhelming. We had to create our bubble. Everything was hanging by a thread. If anyone got covid, insurance would shoot down the production. I was actually in a meeting in a room one on one with someone from the crew who hours later tested positive for Covid. I had to be isolated for ten days in the most intense part of preproduction. We laugh now, but we thought it was going to be the end of the world! Imagine filming at a time like that, when filming already feels like an apocalypse sometimes!

Ayla Ruby: Was anything gratifying to complete?
David Maler: The soundtrack, composed mostly by the John Benitez Quartet and supervised by Pablo Chea is musical caviar!

Ayla Ruby: What were the inspirations for the characters?
David Maler: I wasn’t necessarily inspired by anyone in particular but in my friend group as a whole. I find it fascinating when very different individuals from all walks of life end up being very close. Seeing all these different realities coexist and flow is truly fascinating to me. I knew that’s what I wanted to showcase in this movie.

Ayla Ruby: We have to talk about the wine pairings! Did you decide those?
David Maler: I worked in the food and beverage for many years while I lived and studied Film in Argentina. I was always fascinated by wine pairings. I feel like they tell a story. I knew I wanted to work with chapters, since the script was written like a play… What better way than to dived the meal in steps and have a wine to go along with it? I chose the wines because I feel like their essence represents what we are expecting from that chapter. A lot of thought (and wine) was put into it!

Ayla Ruby: How did you find out Cuarancena was the country’s Oscar contender? What was that like for you?
David Maler: I really could not be prouder to represent my country as an Oscar contender. I actually got the call while I was driving and had to pullover!

Ayla Ruby: Are the visual parallels to The Last Supper intentional?
David Maler: Absolutely! In fact, my father won the Sao Paolo Biennale in Brazil for a piece which is called The Last Supper which has always been seared into my mind. Also, I always like to work with some hints of religious imagery or undercurrent. I think its good contrast to the modern contemporary style of the movie.

Ayla Ruby: Does this film fit into a genre? Is there anything you think it is really like?
David Maler: In Spanish, we would say “tragi-comedia”, basically a “Tragic Comedy”. I feel it is important we laugh at ourselves and at the deeply flawed human condition. There are some inspirations like “The Chef, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover” by Peter Greenaway, or “El Angel Exterminador” from Buñuel, at the same time, coincidentally many movies about food came out at the same time. For example, The Menu which came out before us but was shot after Quarendine, also has similar elements and is a wonderful film. And last but not least, “La Grande Bouffe” from Marco Ferreri.

Ayla Ruby: Is there a message behind the film? Or any thoughts you want to leave the audience with?
David Maler: We really shouldn’t take ourselves to seriously, its only life.