Pop-Culturalist.com

Writer-director Aitch Alberto is blazing trails with her debut feature film, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.

Resentful at the world, fifteen-year-old Aristotle Mendoza (Max Pelayo) wants to blend in and be left alone, but the summer he meets free spirit Dante Quintana (Reese Gonzales) at the local swimming pool, everything changes. Dante is everything Ari isn’t, and his wanderlust for life and artistic spirit shake something loose in Ari; finally, he has a friend. A near-magical being, Dante disrupts Aristotle’s world, introducing him to music, poetry, and lessons about the sky. Dante gives Aristotle permission to live in an ever-expansive universe, making it harder and harder for him to maintain the façade of isolation that has protected him for so long. Their summer of adventure comes to an abrupt halt when the boys are torn apart. Armed with a new perspective, Aristotle uses Dante’s absence to understand who he wants to be in the world. Ari must decide if he is going to live in the world of infinite possibilities that Dante represents. At first, fear holds Aristotle hostage and he retreats into his lonely existence. But Ari soon realizes he can’t unsee the world through Dante’s eyes. If only he would let go of the secrets he didn’t even know he was keeping and embrace the wonders of the universe.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Aitch about Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, her nine-year journey with the film, how she knew this was her story to tell, and more.

PC: You discovered this beloved book back in 2014. How soon after reading the novel did you realize you wanted to adapt it for the big screen? How has it impacted your life both creatively and professionally?
Aitch: It was instant; it was while I was actually reading the book. I saw the film and I thought it was so obvious because Benjamin’s writing is so beautiful, lyrical, and cinematic. Anyone who has read the book could see the movie. I was like, “There’s no way the rights are available for this because it’s so obviously itching to be a movie,” but they were, and here we are. It was really as I was reading it, which made it so fun to read. I saw the movie in my head so clearly.

The book has been parallel with my personal life and the evolution of myself and walking into my own truth, which I think is similar to some of the characters in the film and in the book. It was very subconscious in hindsight. This book has accompanied me on my own personal journey, which in turn has been a direct one-to-one with my professional career. This is the book that made me solely focus on writing and directing because I had been directing, writing, and doing a bit of acting. I was still trying to find my way into the industry, but once I read this, it felt like, “These are the stories I want to tell, and I want to focus on telling stories like this.” That unlocked something in me on so many levels.

PC: As you’re working on a project that’s existed in another medium, what’s one thing that you wanted to make sure was translated from page to screen? What’s something new you brought to it?
Aitch: The essence of what it was. I was very hopeful that I could maintain that, which was very important to me. There’s a certain way that Ben [Alire Sáenz] writes that makes it a unique experience to read the book. I wanted the film to have that. I keep hearing from people that watching the movie felt like reading the book. That’s been the biggest compliment because that was the goal.

What’s something new that I brought to it? That was also really hard for me. At a certain point, I had to be like, “I’m working in a new medium. I’m at the helm of this. I’m going to give myself permission to bring my own life experiences and find the nuances that I could infuse into it.” One specific example is Tia Ophelia is in the book and she’s present, but I felt like she was such a perfect opportunity to do a lot of the heavy lifting within the narrative. She’s a character that I brought to the forefront that’s not necessarily as big of a focal point in the book.

PC: You’ve been very open about the adversities that you’ve faced as you brought this story to life. Many doubted that you were the right person to be at the helm of this film. How were you able to channel that negativity and your own journey of self-discovery into this beautiful film?
Aitch: Thank you so much for that. Some things you just know, and other people need to catch up to it. During the process, I always knew it was my story to tell. I allowed people to go on their own journey of, “Let’s try this director. Let’s take it here.” I was like, “Sure, let’s do that,” but something inside of me knew that none of those versions were ever going to work because I was the one who was supposed to be sitting there. My own evolution, which I’m really grateful for, made me really ready to tell this story.

Creatively and professionally within the industry, I started out writing for television. I was learning a lot. All of those things were really valuable to make it undeniable when it was time for me to step into the director’s chair.

PC: Both of your leads are newcomers to this industry and deliver such terrific performances. What was the process like finding each of them? How were you as a director able to create the space for them to explore their unique journeys of self-discovery?
Aitch: You say a lot in that statement because it was about finding boys who were these characters; they didn’t have to act. Acting is the exploration of how you can push your talent. But for me, they had to innately be these characters. Of course, Max and Reese are different people, but the essence of who they are is in these characters.

My job was to nurture this safe trust circle between the three of us where they were able to explore their vulnerabilities on set and in front of the camera. We had intense conversations with both of them. It was them going and doing their own writing process. I gave them the freedom to explore their characters however they saw fit. Then, we would come back and have conversations about what they discovered and what they thought.

A lot of work was done before we got to the set because we were shooting so many pages a day that we didn’t have time to play and rehearse, but they were so deeply rooted in these characters that it made my job a lot easier.

PC: This is also your feature directorial debut. What’s been the most surprising part about this experience? What have you learned about your craft as a storyteller?
Aitch: That’s such a hard question to answer because I feel like I’m always learning so many different things—different aspects of myself and how the industry works. It’s all of those little things that you never think about, but once you’re in it, they matter. I hope I never stop learning. But what I did learn from this is that you never have enough time, which is a cliché thing to say, but on the next one, I want to create time to explore with the actors on camera a bit more and try things that may be wrong.

PC: There are so many powerful moments within this film. As it makes its way into theaters today, is there a particular scene that you’re excited for audiences to see? What do you hope they take away?
Aitch: One of the most powerful scenes is also one of the most powerful scenes in the books. It resonated so much with me that I often chose it as my favorite. It’s the scene on the porch with Ari and his parents. We had the most time to shoot that scene. There’s also something really special thing that happened on set when everyone realized what we were working on and how much this story is not only important, but urgent, and it matters.

There wasn’t a dry eye on set that day. My mom and grandmother were there, which also made it extra special. It was that synergy that happened on that day, and I really feel it translated on screen.

PC: I know that you’re enjoying the moment right now, but I know that there’s another book that explores the relationship between these two characters. Have there been any early conversations about potentially doing a sequel?
Aitch: The conversation has happened between Ben and me. The reality is that we need to make sure that this movie does well to make it feel undeniable. These characters are worthy of continuing to live and having people want to see them.

To keep up with Aitch, follow her on Instagram. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is in select theaters now!