As a child, writer / director Alex Rivera reveled at the swash buckling Star Wars when he saw the film sitting in his parents’ Pinto car at a drive in theatre. As he grew older, however, Rivera found a deeper meaning in director George Lucas’ classic.
“It’s an immigrant tale," he expands. "Luke Skywalker is basically a farmer living in the desert with his aunt and uncle when his house is destroyed by an imperial army. He’s uprooted from his life, so he must flee in order to pursue his dreams.”
Memo's Plight
Set in the world of dusty shantytowns and remote control drones, Sleep Dealer - directed by Rivera - shows what happens to Memo Cruz (Luis Fernando Peña) when he's suddenly ripped from his tranquil home life.
Cruz dreams of leaving the tiny Mexican village of Santa Ana del Rio to work in America’s innovative high tech factories, but his dream becomes an abrupt reality when his house is destroyed in a remote control drone attack.
Heading to Tijuana – a massive border city – Memo meets Luz (Leonor Varela) – an idealistic journalist who can connect her body to the net via implanted nodes in her body, allowing the computer to record her memories and the sound of her voice.
Reflections of Life
“This film is very close to reality,” said Varela. “Certain things, seen in this movie, are happening now, whether they’re issues relating to immigration, illegal border crossings, or water. In fact, Sleep Dealer is one of the most realistic sci-fi movies that you will see in a long time. In this movie, the rich are richer and the poor are poorer. That's something you can really see if you just travel a little bit."
Memories of her father – Chilean scientist and philosopher Francisco Varela - helped the actress climb into character.
“I remember my dad’s lab. He used to measure those parts of the brain, which get stimulated, according to the thoughts or emotions that people were experiencing. So I had some sort of understanding of how the body would work, and how these nodes would connect to the nervous system.”
From the very first moment, Varela loved the script and became infatuated with its world.
“I am a sucker for imagination and those people who have the ability to create complete universes with their minds. They're completely fascinating to me.”
Sleep Dealer Info:
- Distributor: Maya Entertainment
- Stars: Luis Fernando Peña, Leonor Varela, Jacob Vargas and Tenoch Huerta
- Director: Alex Rivera
- Screenplay: Alex Rivera and David Riker
- Producer: Anthony Bregman
- Executive Producers: Guy Naggar and Peter Klimt
- Rating: PG13
- US Release Date: 4/17/09
