Former car mechanic and handyman, Argentinian free diving champion Ricardo Montans struggles with mental health in Honduras while he prepares himself to attempt a record dive in the 2024 Caribbean Cup that may finally bring economic relief to his family.
Not a mere adventure Adventure Documentary film but a dramatic immersion in a unique life-story, Man on Darkness is a testimony of the struggle of a man willing to live under great stress to achieve the ecstasy of truth. Ricardo Montans worked as a car mechanic and handyman before becoming a full-time free diver instructor in Roatán, Honduras, where he founded Roatan Freediving School and built a boat for the school with his bare hands. His connection with Honduras’ local community was then essential when winning the 10th Caribbean Cup in 2023, where he pleaded for a donation via Instagram to pay the entrance fee of the competition; now he’s the record holder from Argentina in CWT FIM and CWTB- but still struggles to make a living. Despite being national champion and record-holder, Montans economic fragility deepens the gap with other the divers and impedes him from training properly, coaching full-time in the school and supporting his daughter. Now, he must prepare to dive 120 meters in the 2024 Caribbean Cup to bring, through great physical and mental stress, more economic tranquility to his life and his daughter’s. With this documentary, Ricardo thrives to lay "lessons" to his own daughter to help her heal and rehabilitate from drug addiction; lessons he has learned from the darkest depths of the ocean, his heart.
Location:
Roatán, honduras
Audience:
Latin America + international independent film festivals
The film aims to reach all the Caribbean, Central America and Latin American audience, because this is a story that appeals to the small undeveloped local communities of these regions. Ricardo’s story is the story of every inhabitant of the Pan American countries, where life and work outdoors shape a man’s will to survive. Ricardo has one burning desire, and that is to dive as deep as he can. But this involves him in a visceral way: he must put his body to its physical limit to achieve his objectives. In the Caribbean countries, the same would happen years ago when fishermen use to dive as deep as they could, holding their breath, to catch fish which meant a day’s meal. For Ricardo, not only means rent but his daughter’s wellness.
An Adventure and Extreme Sports audience will be encouraged as also those willing to watch more Artistic, Independent Films, Author Films, since our approach will also be extremely poetic and aesthetic. All of the Free Diving communities around the world will feel attached to the film, along with ocean lovers, surfers, divers, fishermen and more. The Extreme Sports culture may be aimed at as a particular audience.
Who is Ricardo Montans?
Born in 1983 in Buenos Aires, for more than 15 years Ricardo worked on his father business repairing washing machines, air conditioners, cars and motorbikes. In 2007, he founded Freediving Argentina, the first national school. He ́s the Argentine Record in many disciplines, including his 96 meters dive in 2023. Now, he struggles to make a living in Roatán as a freediving instructor and boat mechanic.
Pre production
Dates of production are already confirmed: May of 2024, when the Caribbean Cup will take place at Roatán, Honduras. The crew is already assembled along with Roatan’s local production company (Bronson FIlms) that will mainly assist with underwater production. In December of 2024 we will also shoot some footage in Buenos Aires, where Ricardo was born, worked as a mechanic and founded the first Freediving School. The story will cover from Ricardo Montans’ childhood, as narrated by him via interviews both in Buenos Aires and Honduras, all the way up to his decision of moving to Roatán and his current struggle to maintain himself economically by beating records. In Buenos Aires, locations include his family’s house and the mechanic shop where he worked. In Honduras, we shall accompany Ricardo throughout two weeks in Roatán, which consist of both the physical and mental preparation of his 100 meters dive in the 2024 Caribbean Cup, all of this immersed in the relationship with his daughter and the local community.
Cinematography
Ricardo’s interaction with nature is shown with his relationship with the sea but also with the communion with his neighbours in land. Spectators are made to view the horizontal darkness that frames the moving images, “the limits of the image”, in the same way an artist chooses the frame that will display his art. Aside from the inmensity of the scenery and frame space, one will prevail to attain a style: scenes shot in fast sequences, as in a running comic strip, which become “short and sweet” and keep the attention of the viewer. This shall attempt to combine an American fast pace from action films with a poetic, slow-motion approach of long shots were sound and music often replace speech, to attain the feeling that danger, as passion, runs deep.