Martin plays Roby, an actor hired to portray Camilo in a biographical film being made within the story. He also serves as an executive producer.
Although the project has widely been described as a Spanish-language film, the Venice Biennale officially lists its languages as Spanish and Portuguese. It marks Martin’s first full film role in Spanish in more than two decades.
Why is the film more political than its premise suggests?
García Bernal developed the idea over eight years. According to La Jornada, it began with his anxieties about fatherhood and expanded into a broader examination of masculinity, vulnerability, separation, corruption, class and power.
The film also looks at the way elites shape public images and use personal stories for political gain. García Bernal told ANSA that democracy has been “hacked” through what is presented as freedom of expression, connecting Camilo’s rise to questions about electoral messaging and manipulation.
Making the central character Cuban gave the production another political route. The director said it allowed the story to address shortages of electricity and medicine in Cuba, rather than treating Camilo’s background as a decorative detail.
García Bernal also said financing proved so difficult that he ultimately had to play the lead himself. This was not necessarily the grand artistic plan, but cinema financing has a reliable way of helping directors discover previously unannounced acting ambitions.
How did Ricky Martin join the cast?
García Bernal said Martin was the first person he imagined as Roby, though he initially considered the idea too unlikely to pursue. The role required only one day of filming, and the production assumed it would eventually find someone.
Shortly before shooting began, García Bernal obtained Martin’s phone number and called him. He told Deadline that Martin agreed before hearing the full proposal.
“Ricky was one of those wonderful accidents,” García Bernal said. “He was the first person I imagined for the role, but it seemed like such a crazy, almost impossible idea that I kept his name to myself for most of the development process.”
Martin offered an even shorter account of the decision. Speaking to La Jornada in Venice, he said of the director, “When he calls you, you’re there.” He described the festival appearance as “a very important page” in his career.
How was Hombre al agua received in Venice?
The premiere produced the traditional festival mixture of applause, enthusiasm and critics disagreeing in public. La Jornada reported a packed question-and-answer session after the screening, followed by sustained applause.
Reviews were divided. TheWrap critic Steve Pond called the genre-blending film “a kick,” while Screen Daily’s Tim Grierson found it “disjointed and underpowered.” Both responses reflect the film’s attempt to combine comedy, family drama and political commentary, a combination that can look energetic from one seat and overcrowded from another.
After Venice, Hombre al agua heads to the Toronto International Film Festival for its North American premiere. Screenings in Toronto’s Special Presentations program begin September 10.
Where does the film fit in García Bernal’s career?
Hombre al agua is García Bernal’s third feature as a director, following Déficit and Chicuarotes. He co-wrote the new film in addition to directing and starring in it.
Diego Luna attended the Venice premiere as an executive producer. His presence carried some festival history: 25 years earlier, Luna and García Bernal brought Alfonso Cuarón’s Y tu mamá también to Venice, the film that helped establish both actors internationally.
Martin, meanwhile, has continued moving between music, television and acting. He played Antonio D’Amico, the longtime partner of fashion designer Gianni Versace, in the award-winning 2018 series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
More recently, he appeared with Kristen Wiig and Josh Lucas in Apple’s Palm Royale. Contrary to an earlier report dating the show to 2014, the series premiered on March 20, 2024. The calendar, unlike a celebrity haircut, should not be open to interpretation.
