Debut: Jose V. Chavez Talks To Us About Making ‘The Tongue’ –A Short Film With A Compelling Mix Of Horror & Fantasy

The Tongue is a 2022 short film written and directed by Jose V. Chavez that will intrigue horror fans with its original premise and eerie take on heartbreak and grief. A Hot Set had the privilege of asking the film’s director about the making of his newest project. The film follows a young man named Bonifacio struggling to get over the loss of his fiancé after she mysteriously breaks up with him two months before their wedding date. When cleaning out her things, he finds a severed tongue in a jar among her possessions and elects to keep it, even placing it on the hacienda, forming a fascination and borderline fixation with it. Bonifacio then confides to a friend what he found and states that some aspects of his ex’s life were a mystery to him. After a confrontation with his ex’s dad, Bonifacio decides to seek her out for answers but instead finds himself on a suspenseful journey into the occult.

On top of the clever premise, the film does an excellent job of providing suspense through its atmosphere and tone. The director shared with us that mood and atmosphere are essential elements in creating a movie, and the works of David Lynch and Alejandro Jodrowsky inspire his filmmaking style. The color palette and close-up shots of the short film are impressive, especially in the “The Fight” and “The Grass Man” scenes, the use of low lights with a warm color palette gives an eye-catching juxtaposition when presented on screen. Abner Lozano, who plays Bonifacio, does an excellent job portraying grief with a masculine facade without having to say or do much on screen.

Jose V. Chavez always knew filmmaking was his calling in life. He naturally gravitated to the medium, recounting how he would film skits with his younger brother and cousin as a teenager. The filmmaker also co-founded “The LatinXorcists” to bring Hispanic film creatives together to strengthen representation within the industry. He credits working with a fantastic cast and crew of predominately Hispanic and female team members for the great experience during production.

How did the idea for The Tongue come about?

It originated as a Blue Velvet (a 1986 David Lynch film) type of story, where a man and his dog go on a walk and dig up a glass jar with a severed tongue. I tried so many different versions of this story, but nothing ever quite clicked. Then, one day, in the middle of the pandemic, the story just flowed from me. It became a much more personal story.

What was your favorite scene to shoot?

My favorite scene to shoot was all of The Grass Man stuff. All that was done in a house near Venice Beach in one day, and it was very stylized intentional, and strange. The beautiful orange walls and amazing furniture were already part of the house. It was such a blast to direct. I felt so excited about everything.

What was the most challenging part about making the film?

I think when making any film, you’re not quite sure if it’s all going to fall apart at one point. Especially with The Tongue— it snowballed from these small zoom meetings (sic) I had with my cinematographer, eventual producer, and actors. Meeting with all of these people was serendipitous, and for them to enjoy the story I was trying to tell was very humbling and exciting. Specifically, about making the film itself, I think it was challenging to figure out what shots I wanted and which I didn’t. I ended up not getting everything I wanted, but I’m a huge believer in things happening for a reason.

What were your goals for the film?

I wanted to get into as many festivals as possible, and while the run time didn’t do us any favors, I’m so grateful to the festivals that did take a chance on our film. I think anyone who encounters the film has a unique relationship with it. At the end of the day, the story drove the making of this film. For me, this felt like my first shot at directing a real film, so I wanted to swing for the fences. I thought a lot about Un chien andalou, Luis Bunuel’s first film. Very much a surrealist film, and I had lofty goals of reaching those heights. I wanted to start my career the way he did. So yeah, I think we did okay visually, but as an artist, I don’t know if you’re ever satisfied with the final product.

What do you think are the biggest challenges that a film director faces? Is that especially true for POC directors?

I think the biggest challenge for any director is using your words, communicating your vision to a team of people, and then having it translate accurately to the screen. I think it’s hard for Hispanic directors because we don’t necessarily have that representation on or behind the screen. I say this because, as directors, we naturally borrow from films that guide the ones we make. But in doing so, we forget that we need to bring our Hispanic voices to the screen, whether that means the main character or elements of what we grew up around. Regardless of how you feel politically, I think we should be generous to our past by honoring the stories we tell.

You’re very involved in promoting Hispanic writers and even co-founded “The LatinXorcists.” Can you explain what that is and how it came about?

I founded “The LatinXorcists” in February of 2022, so we’ve been around for over one year. I created it because I wanted to have a pipeline for Hispanics in Hollywood. If we can create a coalition and a movement for our people, we can get more prestigious jobs in the industry.

What’s next for you project-wise after The Tongue?

I have a couple of ideas in mind for my next short film. I just finished writing the feature-length version of The Tongue, which takes place one year after the short film’s events. If we could find funding for that, I’d be really excited. It’s even weirder than the short film.

The Tongue was included in the 2022 Official Selection list at the 43rd CineFestival in San Antonio and Mindfield Film Festival in Albuquerque. The short horror film stars Abner Lozano and Mariana Da Silva and can be purchased or rented on Amazon Video. The film is rated 16+ due to some of the graphic images.