Gaviria (2020)

Gaviria
Directed by	Carmeno An'rto
Produced by	Travis Brondi
Starring	Anthony Avi-Davis Amanda Sedwan Thomas Wanssa Timothy Laquay Marcus Yuan
Running time	209 minutes
Country	Zamastan
Language	Caticeze-English
Budget	Z$78 million
Box office	Z$1.91 billion

Gaviria is a 2020 Zamastanian biographical film directed by Carmeno An'rto, produced by Travis Brondi, and starring Anthony Avi-Davis. The film surrounds the life and presidency of Marvin Gaviria, the 25th President of Zamastan. Topics of the film include the World War and the Tariel War. The film recieved critical acclaim for its directing, screenplay, performances, score, and production, and it became a box office smash hit. The film grossed Z$1.9 billion against a Z$78 million budget, making it the sixth-highest grossing film of all time and one of the best returns for any movie production in history.

Plot

ACT I: MARVIN JAYDEN

On December 7, 1909, in the city of Little Tribe River, Pahl, Zamastan, Walter Forrester Gaviria rushes into a hospital lobby panting from the run from his carriage to the door. He is guided to a room where his wife, Pricilla Amanda Gaviria, is in labor. Walter takes Pricilla's hand, pressing his head to hers as she sweats and stresses. An encouragement for a final push is met with a scream as her first child emerges into the world. Weakly smiling down at her newborn boy, Walter asks Pricilla what she wants to name him. She whispers in soft breaths the name "Marvin. Marvin Jayden." Pricilla, already sick and physically weak, closes her eyes and gives one last breath.

In 1921, Marvin is exploring the woods of the Gaviria Estate with his younger brother, Elijah, when they come across a squirrel caught in a hunter's trap. Elijah tries to help free the squirrel, but the trap snaps back as he opens it, piercing through his arm. Marvin rushes to his brother's aid, freeing him from the trap and picking him up, rushing him back to the house slung over his shoulder. Inside, the estate's butler takes medical care of Elijah while their father, Walter, takes Marvin to his study. While Marvin explains what has occurred, his father explains to him that helping others runs in the family of the Gaviria's, and that he is proud of both of his sons.

In 1936, Marvin marries his wife, Padma Tio. At the wedding reception, Elijah, who has an amputated arm due to the injury 15 years earlier, expresses his frustration due to his recent unemployment. He jokingly states that Marvin should enter politics and take on President Tyler Kordia. Marvin responds in a similar joking matter, saying "maybe in the next election." A montage of the next decade of Marvin's life follows, showing the birth of his twin sons Randall and Henry, his rise through the prestigious banking firm of Prospei and Fullerton, a car accident that left him with a scar under his eye, the birth of his youngest son Thomas, with each moment inter-cut with newsreel footage of Tyler Kordia's reelections in 1938, 40, 42, and 44. The montage ends with Gaviria's decision to run for President in 1946, his rallies, and finally, his victory.

ACT II - THE WORLD BURNS

While sitting in his office in the Zian Presidential Mansion, now-President Gaviria is surrounded by his military advisers. On April 12th, 1949, over 500,000 troops of the Drambenburgian forces stormed across the Avergnonian border. On the phone with Gaviria and his advisors, Avergnonian President, Abelard Montellogne, pleads with Gaviria to declare war on Drambenburg and to help save Avergnon from total destruction. Reluctantly, but at the advice of his generals and recognizing the humanitarian crisis unfolding, Gaviria agrees. On June 10th, after days of deliberation in Congress, Zamastan declares war on Drambenburg. Gaviria launches a full-scale assault into the northern region of Drambenburg in two flanks. One prong of the invasion smashes southeast to surround the invading Drambenburgian army and create a double front which his advisors say will exhaust the enemy forces. The second flank heads directly south to try and cut off the route from Drambenburg's capital of Lerbin and the front lines.

At the Battle of Spreitenneuve, Zamastanian forces route Drambenburgians headed towards the Avergnonian lines into a strategic retreat. However, the fighting in the interior of Drambenburg stalls and results in miles of trenches being dug, descending both fronts of the war into stalled and grizzly, un-moving warfare. For years, Gaviria struggles with the responsibility of being a wartime president in one of the worst conflicts ever seen on Iearth.

In 1954, Gaviria receives word of the successful invasion and surrender of Drambenburg, Malvare, and Sanguine to the Allied Forces. He delivers his famous "The World Is Victorious" speech, once again showing the world that good prevails over evil, and that the world has come together for the betterment of all humanity.

ACT III - GAVIRIA

Marvin Gaviria wears dark tinted goggles as his face shines with a tremendous light, as he witnesses Zamastan's first nuclear detonation in 1957. As the light fades and the mushroom cloud looms in the horizon, scientists and advisers in the observation bunker with the President cheer and clap, but Marvin does not celebrate.

The Pahlan Insurgencies of the late 50's cost thousands of civilian lives in separatist bombings. Marvin recognizes that the country he serves is tearing itself apart. All the while, Marvin Gaviria remains a popular president. He works to eradicate homelessness. He sponsors education bills. He stimulates the economy to unforeseen heights. As the decade progresses, tensions with Gladysynthia once again rise over the oil rich Tariel Heights. In 1970, Gladysynthia invades Zamastan to seize the Heights. Gaviria responds, once again thrusting Zamastan into a war. Unlike the World War, however, this victory is swift and done within two weeks. He is reelected in 1972 with a historic voter turnout. However, on the night of his election, he confesses to Padma that he fears he has failed the country and that the worse is yet to come. Padma tells him, "You have not failed the country, Marvin. You are this country's greatest light. You believe in this country, its people. You are a good, good man. And the best is yet to come."

Seven days later, Marvin ascends to a podium on the steps of Congressional Hall in Tofino. He begins a speech, humbling himself to the massive crowd by admitting he has struggled with optimism in the decades of his presidency. But he tells the crowd that they, the people, are his example of what the world can be, and how he believes there is good in everyone. "Humanity, personality, in its very nature, is good. Goodness, the kindness of humanity, is what will lead our future." The crowd erupts in applause. Gaviria smiles directly into the camera. A gunshot rings out, the screen goes black, and the sound of the crowd screaming is heard, as well as Padma yelling Marvin's name frantically.

The epilogue states that Marvin Gaviria was assassinated by a sniper during his speech. The assassination went unsolved until the sniper was finally identified by the Z.I.S. in 2019. The post-credits show the real life Elijah Gaviria, now 92 years old, reflecting on his older brother. "He was the gentlest soul who had to make some of the hardest decisions any human ever had to make. He believed in humanity. He loved people and saw the good in everything, even in the middle of everything. He wanted to help people, no matter the cost. That's what made him a Gaviria."

Cast

Marvin Gaviria: Anthony Avi-Davis

Padma Tio Gaviria: Amanda Sedwan

Elijah Gaviria: Thomas Wanssa

Young Marvin Gaviria: Timothy Laquay

Elijah Gaviria/Young: Marcus Yuan

Production and Filming

Gaviria started its development phase in 2017. New plot materials and rewrites caused the movie to lose its place in the film release calendar, and its filming did not start until early 2019. Instead of using multiple actors for Marvin Gaviria, the director, Carmeno An'rto, insisted on Anthony Avi-Davis using de-aging and age enhancing camera technology to have consistency in acting throughout Gaviria's life as captured in the movie. The costly VFX de-aging, therefore, became the tech centerpiece, with 1,750 shots created for two and a half hours of footage. A posture coach was hired to instruct Avi-Davis on how to comport himself like a much older man.

An'rto envisioned the film as having an "old-fashioned" look which cinematographers accomplished by using "a series of lookup tables" for each scene. The extensive production design covered 117 filming locations, 319 scenes, 160 actors, in a story spanning 70 years.

In Act II, several war scenes had to be filmed to capture the reality of the World War, specifically in the Battle of Spreitenneuve. Production of the sequence depicting the battle cost Z$12 million and involved up to 1,500 extras, some of whom were members of the Zamastanian Reserve Defense Forces. Members of local reenactment groups were cast as extras to play Drambenburgian soldiers.

Release and Reception

The film was released on January 6th, 2020. With a production cost of Z$78 Million, it grossed Z$430 Million in the first week of its theatrical run. Gaviria received acclaim from critics and audiences; much of the praise went for An'rto's directing, the realistic battle scenes, the actors' performances (specifically Avi-Davis as Gaviria), the score, the cinematography, editing, and screenplay.