Rafael Urban director of Ovos de dinossauro na sala de estar (Dinosaur Eggs in the Living Room)

How did you approach the script?

The text developed after the completion of 17 encounters I had with Ragnhild over the course of two years. I was also handed plenty of personal material that inspired my first treatment: 35 hours of home videos, 2,000 slides, dozens of photos and newspaper clippings. Ragnhild gave her own input as well during the rehearsals. She wanted to avoid appearing sad in the film, because ‘it would be unfair to a man who made her happy’.

Ragnhild communicates her story is in a very stylized manner, yet she evokes our emotions.

True. The film starts off with this eccentric figure placed against peculiar domestic interiors, but after a while we go beyond the first impression and feel a connection with her. After all, her story is universal and it is beautiful to see people going through different reactions when watching the film.

It is a true love story like in the old times, isn’t it?

Absolutely. It’s really touching to hear her talking about Guido. They first met in Europe, when they received a phone call from the embassy announcing the death of Kennedy. They were so terrified that they somehow landed in each other’s arms! After he passed away, she told me that the toughest thing for her has been going to the cinema, as she misses having her hand held by her husband.

It seems like her drive to document everything about their life is powered by the memory of Guido. She has even learned how to use Photoshop…

Her motivation stems from the things she lived with this man and she wants to preserve his memory so that her 10-year old grandson can learn more about his grandfather too. Not only is she an avid Photoshop user, but she also scanned over 3,000 letters exchanged between her mother and grandmother. Living by herself, her main occupation is to preserve these collections. What can I say; at the age of 79 she seems more active than ever.

The film underlines her extravagant personality. Is she aware of her larger-than-life persona?

Absolutely! She’s been living in Brazil since the 70s, so she is perfectly aware that she is part of a society where things are very different. In Brazil when people talk about emotions, they put it out there and express themselves in a very dramatic way. Coming from Germany, Ragnhild isn’t open in that way, although she does use very strong expressions – the ones a Latino would use.

What was her reaction when she watched the film?

Her first words were ‘I should have practiced better!’ She noticed that she mispronounced some words in Portuguese and she was embarrassed she didn’t rehearsed more… But she was also impressed by the audience reactions. In Rotterdam, I was very pleased with the film’s reception; people seemed to be in line with the film. In Brazil the response was even stronger as she is speaking in Portuguese, and having only learned the language in her 40s, an accent can be traced.

Do you still keep in touch with her?

Yes. Every now and then she calls to congratulate me for something she read in the paper about the film. She is very happy about its success and has accompanied me in some Q&A’s with great enthusiasm. There is no doubt for me that she is really a star. If Antonioni had met her in the 60s, she might have been a cinema goddess.

by Eftihia Stefanidi