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Federation Spain has boarded psychological horror “Who Knows?” (“Qui Sap?”), to be directed by Carlo Padial.
Based in Madrid and part of Federation Studios, the company’s led by Juan Solá, and has joined forces as a producer on the film – now in final development and financing – with Catalunya Federation Studios, Corte y Confección de Películas and Outpost 31 Pictures.
“Who Knows?” is based on a short story by 19th-century author Guy de Maupassant, about a man who claims his beloved furniture took on a life of its own. The acclaimed French writer is also behind “Boule de Suif” and “Bel Ami,” adapted in 2012 and starring Robert Pattinson.
Written by Padial and Desirée de Fez, it will also combine elements of social satire and dark comedy, while Pol López (“See You in Another Life”) will play the main character.
“I’ve always wanted to adapt it. This film is a loose adaptation of this wonderful story, relocating the narrative to modern-day Barcelona,” admitted Padial.
“The idea of furniture coming to life, present in the original story, seems absolutely brilliant to me. Such originality and potential have rarely been explored. It has everything I look for in a film,” including significant “psychological weight,” he said, which renders it surprisingly timely.
“It addresses many of the contemporary issues that concern us: psychological uncertainty, disconnection from our surroundings, alienation in an increasingly impersonal world.”
Padial sees the film as a tale of “contemporary anxiety.”
“Financial anxiety, anxiety about the present. Another thing I really like about the story, and which we’ve tried to preserve and enhance in this adaptation, is that the plot develops with many twists. Every now and then, it introduces something new.”
His new take will focus on a recently separated illustrator. First, he tries to rebuild his life by furnishing his apartment with IKEA furniture but – as many others – is unable to assemble it. He ends up buying second-hand pieces from an unsettling seller. When it starts moving on its own at night, he realizes that his reality is about to fall apart as well.
“This film allows me to use genre codes to explore the contemporary feeling of disorientation that seems to affect all of us today, exploring that connection between the intimate and the fantastic,” added the Barcelona-born director.
Maria Rocher, who executive produces, noted: “Carlo Padial has found a story that allows him to combine absurd humor with unsettling social satire, blending everyday lives of millennials living in Barcelona with surrealism and online conspiracies.”
“Who Knows?” will make its debut at Cannes as part of Frontières Platform lineup. Hold on to your chairs.
