LION'S DEN
Directed by Pablo Trapero
Argentina, 113 Minutes, Spanish with English Subtitles
Drama/Foreign
SAT APR 25, 7:15pm
The opening of this superb and gripping film immediately sets the tone for what is to come. Julia (Martina Gusman) is asleep, her face captured in extreme close-up. Her tousled hair, chipped nail polish and heavy eye makeup signal the extremities of the night before. As the camera pulls away, the evidence of a violent murder begins to unravel and witness testimony sends Julia to jail. As she is being incarcerated, we find out that she is pregnant. A story that began as a thriller now takes a complete turn, becoming an in-depth exploration of a woman's struggle to raise a child within prison walls. Julia resigns herself to both the jail and her pregnancy, but when her son is born, she discovers a well of maternal love and the inklings of hope. Gusman’s remarkable performance emulates every strain, cry and pleasure experienced by a woman who must change from a truculent child into a mature adult.
Filmography: Born and Bred (06), Rolling Family (04), El Bonaerense (02), Crane World (99)
Awards: Havana Film Festival's Best Art Direction & Special Jury Prize, Lima Latin American Fim Festival's Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography & Elcine First Price, Palm Springs International Film Festival's FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress
