A still provided by Prime Video shows Maia Reficco (left) as Ry and Fernando Lindez as Julián in a scene from the film ‘The Last Sunrise,’ which arrives this Wednesday on Prime Video. EFE/ Lucia Faraig/ Prime Video
Los Angeles (USA), Aug 25 (EFE) – Argentine Maia Reficco and Spaniard Fernando Lindez star in ‘The Last Sunrise’, a summer romance that, in addition to addressing themes such as loss or illness, incorporates a reflection on excessive tourism in Mallorca.
“It’s not just a romance,” Lindez tells EFE in an interview. “I think the film touches on other topics and also teaches us to take care of the places where we are from, where we come from, the natural reserves in this world, and not to abuse them,” he adds.
The film, based on the novel of the same name by Anna Todd, arrives this Wednesday on Prime Video and follows the story of Ry (Reficco), a young American woman with a chronic illness who travels to Mallorca with her mother in the summer.
There she will meet Julián (Lindez), a local who will teach her about life in Spain and with whom she falls deeply in love, giving her life a new meaning.
“(The film) is surprisingly moving (…) I would love for people to take away that feeling of appreciating the present,” Reficco, born in Boston (USA) to Argentine parents, tells EFE.
For the actress, one of the central aspects in building Ry was understanding how her illness conditioned her way of projecting herself into the future, without letting her health situation completely define her aspirations.
“There is a lot of complexity within a health situation, in what that defines. How much one allows oneself to dream and how much one allows oneself to project into the future (…) Julián comes to personify that hope a little bit,” Reficco explains.
Family business interests complicate the romance when Ry’s mother, Isolde (played by Eva Longoria), seeks to build a tourist hotel on land owned by Julian’s family.
Mallorca, “another character”
For Lindez, Mallorca wasn’t simply the setting for the film, but “another character.” Furthermore, as a Spaniard, he appreciates that the film, directed by Carlson Young, addresses social issues that are indeed experienced in real life by the residents of the Spanish island.
“Mallorca has a problem with excessive tourism, and I think that’s something the film reflects, and that we need to take care of these kinds of places and such special locations,” he says.
Before filming, Reficco and Lindez had never been to the island, but after spending two months there, they say it became a very important place. “I left completely in love with the place,” says the actress from ‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’.
The project is also Lindez’s first in English, who has participated in series such as ‘Skam España’ or ‘Escándalo’: “It’s every actor’s dream, I think, to end up making a movie in Hollywood,” says the model.
The film also includes the participation of Spanish model and actor Andrés Velencoso, who plays Julián’s father, and who is revealed to be an important figure in Isolde’s past.
‘The Last Sunrise’ joins Longoria’s projects linked to Spain, where she has also worked on productions such as the documentary series ‘Searching for Spain’, in which she explores the country’s gastronomy and culture, and the Apple TV+ series ‘Land of Women’.
“(Longoria) was inspiring, I learned so much from her as a person, as an actress. She is also a director, so it was very enriching for me to observe her and learn from the way she works and the way she shares her knowledge,” Reficco points out.
The film will be available globally starting Wednesday, August 26th on Prime Video.
Mónica Rubalcava
