The Treatment

Directed by: Alvaro Carmona

Cast: David Ramírez, Carla Torres, Álvaro Carmona

Country: Spain

Time: 9:00

Synopsis: A clinic offers bald men a full-proof way to restore hair...as long as you're okay with one controversial but related side effect.

Where did the idea for The Treatment come from?

I really don't know. I was looking for a high concept, and the idea of this miracle pill came up. So I thought: “Now what's the problem? What is the price you pay?” It has to be someone who means something to you, but not that much really. And the idea that it was a cousin made me laugh. It made everything click, because it enhances the absurdity of the dilemma but at the same time makes it more real and close.

What is the secret to a good comedy?

The script, I guess. I did standup comedy and my stage persona was very neutral and deadpan so the heavy lifting of the performance was done by the jokes. That made me an ok comedian but I am a better joke writer. So now when I write scripts like this, which is 80 to 90 percent comedy, I think I have a good instinct for knowing which jokes will land and which ones won't.

How did you handle casting? Do you look for actors with a specifically comedic touch?

No. In fact it is the other way around. I always look for actors that play it as real as possible. I think is funnier when the characters in a comedy don't know they're in a comedy.

What's more important to you? (A) World Peace (B) Global Warming (C) Scientists finally developing a hair restoration product that actually works?

I think "B" first, because then we could have "A", and a lot of time (and cousins) for C.