An almost Kafkaesque story of the daughter of two "disappeared" parents in Argentina discovering her true identity. Similar to "The Official Story" but with a key difference. The daughter is a teenager rather than a 5 year old and hence more vulnerable to
Cautiva (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 13
Fresh: 9
Rotten:4
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Theatrical Release:Nov 10, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: Cautiva (in Spanish, with English subtitles) is written, produced and directed by Gastón Biraben in a dazzling debut. The film tells the story of Cristina, a typical Argentine teenager. Her life is... Cautiva (in Spanish, with English subtitles) is written, produced and directed by Gastón Biraben in a dazzling debut. The film tells the story of Cristina, a typical Argentine teenager. Her life is suddenly uprooted when she is plucked out of class at the summons of a judge and the couple she knows as her parents are revealed to not be so. In the early 80s, her biological parents were "disappeared" for criticizing the military junta which had taken power in a coup. Surviving relatives of her biological parents, including Cristina's grandmother, have spent years trying to track down the child. Ordered to now live with her biological family since her adoption – or appropriation, as it is chillingly called – had no legal basis, Cristina begins an investigation of her own in order to find out the truth. Played with an extraordinary gravity by the luminous Bárbara Lombardo in her film debut, the young girl meets others like herself and discovers the real-life horrors of Argentina's relatively recent history and the nightmare that claimed tens of thousands of lives during the country's “dirty war.” A movie about the consequences of both political and psychological repression, Cautiva ultimately personifies the resilience of the human spirit. Cautiva, Gastón Biraben's internationally acclaimed Argentinean thriller, has been a hit on the international film festival circuit winning prizes at San Sebastian (Horizons Award for Best Latin American Film), Toulouse (FIPRESCI International Critics Prize) and Mar de la Plata (Best Film). Cautiva had its U.S. premiere at the prestigious New Directors/New Films series organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art. Most recently, Cautiva won two Silver Condor Awards (also known as the Argentine Oscars), the highest award given to cinema in that country. -- © Laemmle Zeller Films [More]
Starring: Barbara Lombardo, Mercedes Funes, Susana Campos, Osvaldo Santoro
Starring: Barbara Lombardo, Mercedes Funes, Susana Campos, Osvaldo Santoro
Director: Gaston Biraben
Director: Gaston Biraben
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Reviews for Cautiva
Part detective story, part coming of political age saga, and all teenage identity crisis.
At every step, Cautiva is a noble, thoughtful effort. Too bad it's so often a dull one.
If Biraben had devoted more energy to the human contours of his story, its metaphorical implications would have sorted themselves out.
Neither Biraben's script nor his direction leave room for doubt as to how he feels about the nightmarish past, but he's smart enough to know that even justified outrage sometimes has to be tempered with the complexities of human intentions and realities.
The Argentine thriller Cautiva features a solid performance by 23-year-old Barbara Lombardo that goes a long way in making up for the telenovela script.
The debut feature of Gastón Biraben, Cautiva is most potent in its first hour, as it bears witness to the disorientation and distrust experienced by a young girl whose life is suddenly turned upside down.
This intriguing debut by Argentinean writer-director Gaston Biraben sets up a lot of tough choices before finally taking the easy way out.
Another mediocre Argentinean film to ride into town on a wave of inexplicable critical approval.
Sporadically artful yet stupefyingly dull -- there are some segments that are so beautiful and monotonous that they very nearly hypnotise us...into a coma.
A finely wrought coming-of-age drama that crackles with political tension...
This powerful film in the New Directors/New Films Series about a girl's alienation is also an attempt to grapple with the horrors of Argentina's recent history.
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