The new Netflix limited series Belascoarán, PI — set in Mexico City in the late '70s — was a natural fit for Gonzalo Amat, ASC, a noted director of photography who for this project exchanged the camera for the director's chair, helming the final episode of the three-part show.
"I grew up in Mexico City in the '80s. So I really knew this light, this atmosphere, and I enjoyed trying to recreate it," Amat says of his experience on the detective drama. Based on a popular series of books by Paco Ignacio Taibo II, the show stars Luis Gerardo Méndez as a private eye dealing with criminals, corrupt police and romance.
Amat describes the style as "a very classical sort of noir, but with Coen Brothers–style elements, a little bit of their sense of humor."
Shooting in Spanish didn't affect the show's visual language, he notes, as that is still inspired by the story. "If you can tell a story from a visual standpoint, the audience responds to the emotion you're creating," he says. "It's not as in-your-face as the dialogue, but you can create atmospheres, moments." Brighter, warmer colors make viewers feel safe and at ease, for instance, while darker, cooler hues heighten tension.
Amat is well versed in the Coen Brothers' style, having shot an episode of FX's Fargo. He was nominated for an Emmy as DP of The Man in the High Castle; his other DP credits include Under the Banner of Heaven, Outer Banks and Person of Interest. He recently directed an episode of the new CBS series Fire Country and has also helmed SEAL Team.
His sense of color and composition comes not only from his cinematic training — he has MFA degrees from the London Film School and AFI Conservatory — but his artistic background, studying fine art photography in Mexico City and painting in London. "I wouldn't say it's completely intentional, but I do think that if you have a classical education, it just comes out," he observes.
There's a welcome symbiosis between cinematography and directing, Amat has discovered. "They help each other," he says. "As a director of photography, you see how directors do things, and as a director, you learn to work with the story a little closer, with the writers. When I go back to shooting after I've been directing, I get more into the story and the characters. It's great. I really like the combination."
A version of this article originally appeared in emmy magazine issue #11, 2022, under the title, "Tales of the City."
