Festival de Cannes (In Competition)
Admittedly, "Lion's Den's" women-in-prison story is not an instant attraction, but it doesn't take more than a few minutes into it to realize this film is several cuts above the genre standard.
Versatile Argentine helmer Pablo Trapero shakes off the leisurely lethargy of his recent "Born and Bred" in a riveting, high-pitched drama blessed by the extraordinarily edgy performance of actress-producer Martina Gusman as a middle-class college coed who finds herself pregnant and in prison for murder. Remake rights could be attractive, though this Spanish-language film co-produced by Argentina, Brazil (with the involvement of Walter Salles) and South Korea works perfectly with its own authorial blend of police procedural, documentary realism and engrossing drama.
Julia (Gusman) wakes up one morning beside two blood-covered bodies. Her boyfriend has been stabbed to death, and his male lover, Ramiro (Rodrigo Santoro), is barely alive. Julia, pretty beaten up herself, can't remember what happened, and she and Ramiro are arrested on suspicion of murder.
This lightning-swift opener is an able hook that ushers viewers into the main body of the story, which takes place in the filthy but colorful chaos of a special prison for female inmates with babies and small children. On the outside, it could pass for a friendly place, if every mother didn't know that her child will be taken away when he or she turns 4. Trapero's fascination with the knitty-gritty horrors of this open-cell Third World jail -- whose immense dimensions are not revealed until the last scenes -- link it to a long tradition of Latin American cinema, not least his police story "El Bonaerense".
As important as the prison is as a backdrop, with its cursing, lustful, hair-pulling inmates and their hordes of tiny tots, Julia remains a solid axis for the story. Gusman, who has been involved on the production side of all of Trapero's films since "El Bonaerense", has a modern intensity that blows away the rest of the cast. She is never banal as she evolves from a helpless victim who hates her unborn child to a survivor who finds happiness in little Tomas once he is born. When her estranged mother (Elli Medeiros) suddenly turns up and tries to take him away from her, Julia brings out her claws and makes the toughness she has learned in prison pay off.
venue: Festival de Cannes (In Competition)
Cast: Martina Gusman, Elli Medeiros, Rodrigo Santoro.
Director: Pablo Trapero. Screenwriters: Alejandro Fadel, Martin Mauregui, Santiago Mitre, Pablo Trapero. Executive producer: Martina Gusman. Producers: Pablo Trapero, Youngjoo Suh, Walter Salles. Production: Matanza Cine (Buenos Aires), Fine Cut, Cineclick Asia (South Korea), Patagonik (Argentina), Videofilmes (Brazil). Director of photography: Guillermo Nieto. Production designer: Coca Oderigo. Costume designer: Marisa Urruti. Music: Rupert Gregson-Williams. Sound: Federico Esquerro. Editor: Ezequiel Borovinsky. Sales Agent: Ad Vitam, Paris. No NPAA rating, 113 minutes.
Admittedly, "Lion's Den's" women-in-prison story is not an instant attraction, but it doesn't take more than a few minutes into it to realize this film is several cuts above the genre standard.
Versatile Argentine helmer Pablo Trapero shakes off the leisurely lethargy of his recent "Born and Bred" in a riveting, high-pitched drama blessed by the extraordinarily edgy performance of actress-producer Martina Gusman as a middle-class college coed who finds herself pregnant and in prison for murder. Remake rights could be attractive, though this Spanish-language film co-produced by Argentina, Brazil (with the involvement of Walter Salles) and South Korea works perfectly with its own authorial blend of police procedural, documentary realism and engrossing drama.
Julia (Gusman) wakes up one morning beside two blood-covered bodies. Her boyfriend has been stabbed to death, and his male lover, Ramiro (Rodrigo Santoro), is barely alive. Julia, pretty beaten up herself, can't remember what happened, and she and Ramiro are arrested on suspicion of murder.
This lightning-swift opener is an able hook that ushers viewers into the main body of the story, which takes place in the filthy but colorful chaos of a special prison for female inmates with babies and small children. On the outside, it could pass for a friendly place, if every mother didn't know that her child will be taken away when he or she turns 4. Trapero's fascination with the knitty-gritty horrors of this open-cell Third World jail -- whose immense dimensions are not revealed until the last scenes -- link it to a long tradition of Latin American cinema, not least his police story "El Bonaerense".
As important as the prison is as a backdrop, with its cursing, lustful, hair-pulling inmates and their hordes of tiny tots, Julia remains a solid axis for the story. Gusman, who has been involved on the production side of all of Trapero's films since "El Bonaerense", has a modern intensity that blows away the rest of the cast. She is never banal as she evolves from a helpless victim who hates her unborn child to a survivor who finds happiness in little Tomas once he is born. When her estranged mother (Elli Medeiros) suddenly turns up and tries to take him away from her, Julia brings out her claws and makes the toughness she has learned in prison pay off.
venue: Festival de Cannes (In Competition)
Cast: Martina Gusman, Elli Medeiros, Rodrigo Santoro.
Director: Pablo Trapero. Screenwriters: Alejandro Fadel, Martin Mauregui, Santiago Mitre, Pablo Trapero. Executive producer: Martina Gusman. Producers: Pablo Trapero, Youngjoo Suh, Walter Salles. Production: Matanza Cine (Buenos Aires), Fine Cut, Cineclick Asia (South Korea), Patagonik (Argentina), Videofilmes (Brazil). Director of photography: Guillermo Nieto. Production designer: Coca Oderigo. Costume designer: Marisa Urruti. Music: Rupert Gregson-Williams. Sound: Federico Esquerro. Editor: Ezequiel Borovinsky. Sales Agent: Ad Vitam, Paris. No NPAA rating, 113 minutes.
- 5/15/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cannes film review, In Competition
Admittedly, its women-in-prison story is not an instant attraction, but it doesn't take more than a few minutes into "Lion's Den" to realize this film is several cuts above the genre standard. Versatile Argentine helmer Pablo Trapero shakes off the leisurely lethargy of his recent "Born and Bred" in a riveting, high-pitched drama blessed by the extraordinarily edgy performance of actress/producer Martina Gusman as a middle-class college girl who finds herself pregnant and in prison for murder. Remake rights could be attractive, though this Spanish-lingo film coproduced by Argentina, Brazil (with the involvement of Walter Salles) and South Korea works perfectly with its own authorial blend of police procedural, documentary realism and engrossing drama.
Julia (Gusman) wakes up one morning beside two blood-covered bodies. Her boyfriend has been stabbed to death and his male lover Ramiro (Rodrigo Santoro) is barely alive. Julia, pretty beaten up herself, can't remember what happened, and both she and Ramiro are arrested on suspicion of murder. This lightning-swift opener is an able hook that ushers viewers into the main body of the story, which takes place in the filthy but colorful chaos of a special prison for female inmates with babies and small children. On the outside, it could pass for a friendly place, if every mother didn't know that her child will be taken away when he or she turns four. Trapero's fascination with the knitty-gritty horrors of this open-cell Third World jail, whose immense dimensions are not revealed until the last scenes, link it to a long tradition of Latin American cinema, not least his own police story "El Bonaerense".
As important as the prison is as a backdrop, with its cursing, lustful, hair-pulling inmates and their hordes of tiny tots, Julia remains a solid axis for the story. Gusman, who has been involved on the production side of all Trapero's films since "El Bonaerense" and who also played in "Born and Bred", has a modern intensity that blows away the rest of the cast. She is never banal as she evolves from a helpless victim who hates her unborn child, to a survivor who finds happiness in little Tomas once he is born. When her own estranged mother (Elli Medeiros) suddenly turns up and tries to take him away from her, Julia brings out her claws and makes the toughness she has learned in prison pay off.
Unexpected touches include a sprightly opening children's song and an engaging parade of baby strollers through the prison as the proud moms escort their offspring to kindergarten class. Guillermo Nieto's hand-held camerawork mimics Julia's nervous energy and keeps the audience locked up along with her, working in symbiosis with Federico Esquerro's forcefully realistic sound design.
Cast: Martina Gusman, Elli Medeiros, Rodrigo Santoro. Director: Pablo Trapero Screenwriters: Alejandro Fadel, Martin Mauregui, Santiago Mitre, Pablo Trapero Executive producer: Martina Gusman
Producers: Pablo Trapero, Youngjoo Suh, Walter Salles. Director of photography: Guillermo Nieto Production designer: Coca Oderigo Costume designer: Marisa Urruti Music: Rupert Gregson-Willaims. Sound: Federico Esquerro. Editor: Ezequiel Borovinsky
Matanza Cine (Buenos Aires), Fine Cut, Cineclick Asia (South Korea), Patagonik (Argentina), Videofilmes (Brazil).
Sales Agent: Ad Vitam, Paris.
No MPAA reating. 113 minutes.
Admittedly, its women-in-prison story is not an instant attraction, but it doesn't take more than a few minutes into "Lion's Den" to realize this film is several cuts above the genre standard. Versatile Argentine helmer Pablo Trapero shakes off the leisurely lethargy of his recent "Born and Bred" in a riveting, high-pitched drama blessed by the extraordinarily edgy performance of actress/producer Martina Gusman as a middle-class college girl who finds herself pregnant and in prison for murder. Remake rights could be attractive, though this Spanish-lingo film coproduced by Argentina, Brazil (with the involvement of Walter Salles) and South Korea works perfectly with its own authorial blend of police procedural, documentary realism and engrossing drama.
Julia (Gusman) wakes up one morning beside two blood-covered bodies. Her boyfriend has been stabbed to death and his male lover Ramiro (Rodrigo Santoro) is barely alive. Julia, pretty beaten up herself, can't remember what happened, and both she and Ramiro are arrested on suspicion of murder. This lightning-swift opener is an able hook that ushers viewers into the main body of the story, which takes place in the filthy but colorful chaos of a special prison for female inmates with babies and small children. On the outside, it could pass for a friendly place, if every mother didn't know that her child will be taken away when he or she turns four. Trapero's fascination with the knitty-gritty horrors of this open-cell Third World jail, whose immense dimensions are not revealed until the last scenes, link it to a long tradition of Latin American cinema, not least his own police story "El Bonaerense".
As important as the prison is as a backdrop, with its cursing, lustful, hair-pulling inmates and their hordes of tiny tots, Julia remains a solid axis for the story. Gusman, who has been involved on the production side of all Trapero's films since "El Bonaerense" and who also played in "Born and Bred", has a modern intensity that blows away the rest of the cast. She is never banal as she evolves from a helpless victim who hates her unborn child, to a survivor who finds happiness in little Tomas once he is born. When her own estranged mother (Elli Medeiros) suddenly turns up and tries to take him away from her, Julia brings out her claws and makes the toughness she has learned in prison pay off.
Unexpected touches include a sprightly opening children's song and an engaging parade of baby strollers through the prison as the proud moms escort their offspring to kindergarten class. Guillermo Nieto's hand-held camerawork mimics Julia's nervous energy and keeps the audience locked up along with her, working in symbiosis with Federico Esquerro's forcefully realistic sound design.
Cast: Martina Gusman, Elli Medeiros, Rodrigo Santoro. Director: Pablo Trapero Screenwriters: Alejandro Fadel, Martin Mauregui, Santiago Mitre, Pablo Trapero Executive producer: Martina Gusman
Producers: Pablo Trapero, Youngjoo Suh, Walter Salles. Director of photography: Guillermo Nieto Production designer: Coca Oderigo Costume designer: Marisa Urruti Music: Rupert Gregson-Willaims. Sound: Federico Esquerro. Editor: Ezequiel Borovinsky
Matanza Cine (Buenos Aires), Fine Cut, Cineclick Asia (South Korea), Patagonik (Argentina), Videofilmes (Brazil).
Sales Agent: Ad Vitam, Paris.
No MPAA reating. 113 minutes.
- 5/15/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARK CITY -- The small, well-acted chamber drama is a genre that has virtually disappeared from American screens, which is too bad when you see one as accomplished as "Live-in Maid". Powered by two first-rate performances, Jorge Gaggero's debut feature is full of psychological nuance and keen social observation. It's an impressive feat and one that should find an audience in art houses worldwide.
Set in Buenos Aires, film focuses on the intertwined lives of the haughty bourgeois Beba (Norma Aleandro) and Dora (Norma Argentina), her maid of thirty years. Living in close quarters for so long, they have become like husband and wife or best friends, though neither of them would acknowledge it. As the Argentine economy has tumbled, Beba's fortunes have fallen to the point where she can't pay her bills, drinks heavily and owes Dora seven months salary. The first desperate scene of the film in which Beba is trying to pawn a near worthless piece of China perfectly sets the stage.
Gaggero creates a leisurely pace, not rushing the storytelling but allowing details to be revealed by the characters as the film goes along. Beba meets with a man (Marcos Mundstock) to borrow money and only later do we learn it's her brother. A crucial piece of information about her grown daughter, who has moved away to Madrid and clearly wants nothing to do with her mother, doesn't come into focus until late in the film. The truth of these lives lies in the little details..
Aleandro, a star in Argentina for thirty years and perhaps best known internationally for her leading role in "The Official Story" fifteen years ago, magically makes us care about the decline of an unsympathetic person. Aleandro allows us to see the character's sadness and unexpressed feelings as they flicker across her face. She may be a monster but she's also human.
Argentina is equally as good but had never acted before. Gaggero found her at an open call for women who had been maids. She seems to instinctively understand her character and the class difference between Dora and Beba.
The two actors work beautifully together. Dora is so used to indulging Beba that she knows just when to fill the expensive whiskey bottles with the cheap stuff for guests. Still, Dora is hurt when Beba gives her some makeup samples and later discovers her ulterior motives. Beba, like many of the idle wealthy, has only one thing on her mind--herself. Hard times do soften her some and the final scene reflects a touching if reluctant change in status.
Although most of the action takes place in Beba's small apartment, Gaggero has the ingenuity to make it visually striking (cleverly shot by Javier Julia). One shot in particular, where the two women go to the hairdresser together and sit side by side under hairdryers reading magazines, is visual storytelling at its best. With the use of a non-professional in one of the leads, "Live-in Maid" has the feel of Italian neo-realist cinema and the naturalness of the French new wave. Gaggero does not even use any music because he felt this was a film of little sounds and silences. When is the last time you heard silence in a movie?
LIVE-IN MAID
Aqua Films production
Credits:
Director: Jorge Gaggero
Writer: Gaggero
Producers: Veronica Cura, Anton Reixa, Diego Mas Trelles
Executive producer: Cura
Director of photography: Javier Julia
Production designer: Marcela Bazzano
Costume designer: Marisa Urruti
Editor: Guillermo Represas.
Cast:
Beba: Norma Aleandro
Dora: Norma Argentina
Victor: Marcos Mundstock
Miguel: Raul Panguinao
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 83 minutes...
Set in Buenos Aires, film focuses on the intertwined lives of the haughty bourgeois Beba (Norma Aleandro) and Dora (Norma Argentina), her maid of thirty years. Living in close quarters for so long, they have become like husband and wife or best friends, though neither of them would acknowledge it. As the Argentine economy has tumbled, Beba's fortunes have fallen to the point where she can't pay her bills, drinks heavily and owes Dora seven months salary. The first desperate scene of the film in which Beba is trying to pawn a near worthless piece of China perfectly sets the stage.
Gaggero creates a leisurely pace, not rushing the storytelling but allowing details to be revealed by the characters as the film goes along. Beba meets with a man (Marcos Mundstock) to borrow money and only later do we learn it's her brother. A crucial piece of information about her grown daughter, who has moved away to Madrid and clearly wants nothing to do with her mother, doesn't come into focus until late in the film. The truth of these lives lies in the little details..
Aleandro, a star in Argentina for thirty years and perhaps best known internationally for her leading role in "The Official Story" fifteen years ago, magically makes us care about the decline of an unsympathetic person. Aleandro allows us to see the character's sadness and unexpressed feelings as they flicker across her face. She may be a monster but she's also human.
Argentina is equally as good but had never acted before. Gaggero found her at an open call for women who had been maids. She seems to instinctively understand her character and the class difference between Dora and Beba.
The two actors work beautifully together. Dora is so used to indulging Beba that she knows just when to fill the expensive whiskey bottles with the cheap stuff for guests. Still, Dora is hurt when Beba gives her some makeup samples and later discovers her ulterior motives. Beba, like many of the idle wealthy, has only one thing on her mind--herself. Hard times do soften her some and the final scene reflects a touching if reluctant change in status.
Although most of the action takes place in Beba's small apartment, Gaggero has the ingenuity to make it visually striking (cleverly shot by Javier Julia). One shot in particular, where the two women go to the hairdresser together and sit side by side under hairdryers reading magazines, is visual storytelling at its best. With the use of a non-professional in one of the leads, "Live-in Maid" has the feel of Italian neo-realist cinema and the naturalness of the French new wave. Gaggero does not even use any music because he felt this was a film of little sounds and silences. When is the last time you heard silence in a movie?
LIVE-IN MAID
Aqua Films production
Credits:
Director: Jorge Gaggero
Writer: Gaggero
Producers: Veronica Cura, Anton Reixa, Diego Mas Trelles
Executive producer: Cura
Director of photography: Javier Julia
Production designer: Marcela Bazzano
Costume designer: Marisa Urruti
Editor: Guillermo Represas.
Cast:
Beba: Norma Aleandro
Dora: Norma Argentina
Victor: Marcos Mundstock
Miguel: Raul Panguinao
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 83 minutes...
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.