“Saints” follows Lali (Victoria Luengo), who joins a group stealing religious objects as she faces the responsibility of caring for her estranged mother, Gloria. Director Mikel Gurrea says the Barcelona-set film began with a locked church near his home.
Luengo and Gurrea workshopped the early script and exchanged ideas, including on trips to the desert, where Lali first appears in the film; their collaboration influenced later drafts. Gurrea said Rosario comes to resemble an alternative mother to Lali, and her group’s entry into Gloria’s home brings the theft and family storylines together.
Gurrea’s research included Erik the Belgian, a thief who targeted churches across Spain during the 20th century. Gurrea said the robberies’ coordinated, silent methods seemed ritualistic, while buyers’ feelings toward the stolen objects resembled worship. He wanted to explore the ambiguity between iconoclasm and idolatry.
