Cautiva (2004)

Really Surprised!

A Masterpiece!

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Cautiva (2005)Set in a period about ten years before its release, but dealing with issues of the Argentine dictatorship and disappearances from the late 1970s, this is a remarkably realistic and important look at one girl's astonishing involvement with the worst of it.And if it sometimes is terribly linear in its storytelling, following this girl's realizations one after another (and her emotional burden as it grows and grows), the movie is still so convincing and sad and filled with national (Argentine) guilt it is totally riveting. Anyone interested in the horrors of Latin American dictatorships (left and right wing) and in the victims and survivors, this is a must-see.Anyone else just interested in the plight of a single sixteen year old girl in a whirlwind of suspicions and lies and a few seemingly tender sympathizers, and see her cope and rise above and maybe, in fact, find a small amount of truth for herself, this is also really rewarding. You might find parallels in similar South American films such as "Machuca" but there is also a weird resemblance to many touching holocaust films that center on the plight of children whose identities get changed and whose histories are disrupted. Not to mention the tragedy of parents killed by cruel governments.The filming here is really good but never something you'd notice (except one brief dream scene). What you will notice is the gravity and depth of the lead girl's performance. Barbara Lombardo was only 14 for filming (unlike a lot of movies where older girls play younger parts) and she alone makes the movie poignant and serious.Oddly, this is officially a 2005 movie with its original Spanish title, and yet it gets listed here as "Captive" with a 2004 date. There is a lot left unsaid here, but in a way that's sufficient. It makes you want more.

In the early scenes it is 1993 and Christina Quadri is at her fifteenth birthday party. Christina attends a Catholic school and enjoys all of the privileges of an upper middle class existence until one day she is called from class to meet a federal judge who informs her that, as a result of DNA testing, it has been determined that her real name is Sofia Lombardi and those who raised her from birth are not her real parents. There are several elements in this film that raise it above the typical entry in the "young person searching for their real parents" genre. For one thing, Christina/Sofia's plight is not the result of such things as mistaken identities at birth, adoption, or insemination by way of a sperm bank, but rather a willful act of what amounts to a government-approved kidnapping. For another thing, Sofia's parents did not die in some accident or suffer some early natural death, but rather were killed as dissidents during the dictatorial rule in the 1976-83 era.The bulk of the film deals with Sofia's coming to terms with her real identity and her search for the grim details of her parents' fate. She is spurred on in her investigative endeavors by her friend Angélica who is in a similar situation. That aspect of the film plays out as a detective story. I wish we could have gotten to know Sofia's real family better than we do so as to better understand her ultimate decision to accept them.Bárbara Lombardo, as Christina/Sofia, is well cast. She has the ability to communicate emotion through facial expression, but is also able to rise to the occasion when venting her frustration and anger in a verbal attack on her would-be parents. The entire cast is good, but I was particularly impressed with Mercedes Funes, who plays Angélica. Funes expertly captures the sadness and defiance of a young woman who has been forced to deal with unpleasant realities and demands to know the truth.There is little doubt about director Gaston Biraben's political intent to expose the malignity and corruption of a repressive regime and it is a testament to his art as a filmmaker, and the power of film-making in general, that he accomplishes his goal by focusing on the personal rather than the historical. As an non-Argentinian this movie encouraged me to do some research and I came away from it with historical knowledge I would otherwise not have had--you cannot say that about many films.

Thirty years ago, Argentinian dissidents were basically kidnapped, taken to concentration camps or clandestine prisons, and systematically eliminated. Oddly enough though, the children of the dissidents were taken and adopted by others, the adoptive parents sworn to secrecy. Years later, technology caught up with those affected in the form of blood tests, and the truth began to rear its head. This is a film about personal identity, what defines parenthood, and the decisions adults make which affect young lives.Barbara Lombardo stars as the confused teenager Christina/Sofia who can not bring herself to accept the circumstances thrust upon her. At first she only yearns to return to her "parents" until she discovers that even they were complicit in the circumstances surrounding her infancy. Her new family members attempt to make her feel comfortable and wanted, but Cristina/Sofia can not help but to research her past with the help of another friend who lives with a similar situation. Together they discover the uncomfortable truth behind all the confusion.First time director Gaston Biraben takes time telling his story, which may seem incomprehensible to outsiders unfamiliar with the background behind the events. He uses visual imagery to mark the conflicts and comparisons he uses to tell the story. Lombardo peering into a bedroom closet mirror may seem obvious, but he redeems himself with the nude shower scene with Christina/Sofia and her friend meeting face to face, suggesting that we're all naked when we discover the lack of identity in our background. It's a story told several times in other films, but it's one, like Holocaust themes/stories, that doesn't lose its ability to command our attention. *** of 4 stars.

A political film in the higher sense of the term, it made me put into question many beliefs I had on my country. Isn't this one of the highest functions of Art!? What I liked most is that, although it obviously "has an agenda", I don't think they fall for "defending a political thesis at all costs". Such a common mistake of Argentine cinema on the "desaparecidos"... It's not without defects, thou. A bit "black and white", stereotyped characters. Let me elaborate: the "left wingers" seem to have no defects AT ALL, they're "full of love and high principles". And the "rednecks" are unlawful liers, violent, hypocritical and even ..."ugly"! They could also take bribes to "have all vices"... I mean, yes, characters could be more nuanced, but, given the low average of reality in most other films of the genre, I think this one deserves accolades. Some humour in any way would have helped, I guess. Just a personal opinion. Is there any worse thing than what happens here? I can't think of more than one (murder, in all its forms). I think even rape is "less bad"! Before turning this into a "moral philosophy", let me point at the scenes I liked most: 1) When Sofía and her expressive Spanish friend have this important talk about life, surrounded by soccer. Now as before, quenching everything that matters. The "paralelism" is challenger indeed! 2) Having Ives's "The unanswered question" as a musical score when... (I can't say more!) 3) Final scene (aerial take, Handel?) 4) The shower scene, between the two now women, "naked" in more than one sense 5) The brawl between the Quadris and Sofia. An one moment, Pablo starts treating Sofia as a stranger, almost an enemy. Suddenly, her "dear daughter Cristina" is dead, even before he hits her. (maybe a bit predictable I guess) 6) (you may laugh) "The nightmare". It made me realize true horror is not what Hollywood sells us, it's opening a door into the unknown (in her grandma's or aunt's house) and finding a glimpse of a life frozen in time (her dead mother's). The film luckily avoids many pitfalls. Has only one very unbelievable moment, when a nun's teen escapes from Tribunales, from the same savvy cops who reduce the also hard boiled Pablo Quadri. Tribunales' zone is very WELL FILMED, feels absolutely real to somebody like me who's hanged around there very often. Retiro, the trains, both schools... It's a very Argentine film! By the way, found it great how she "downgraded" economically from her rather posh house in the suburbs to her grandma's "dark old house" & derelict Citroen! The contrast between the nun's school, which is not luxurious but looks like when compared to the truly depressing state school! I was surprised about the performances! Have to say I didn't expect much from this film, for a) I don't like Argentine cinema b) the subject is normally a sign of a tsunami of clichés c) didn't have much faith in Lombardero. When I saw "Hugo Arana" I feared the worst :) I had to gulp my prejudices, they both acted surprisingly subduedly, without overemphasis. I had my "lesson", they taught it to me. I would have liked to know what was being played during the film, I loved the usage of classical music throughout the film (not in just a couple of broken scenes). My kudos to the director, of whom I knew nothing, and who (thanks IMDb!) has been a "sound editor" in mainstream American cinema! Well, I hope he continues to surprise us!