X
- 2008
- Not Rated
- Strand Releasing
- 1 h 53 m
- 2008
- Not Rated
- Strand Releasing
- 1 h 53 m
Directed By: Pablo Trapero
Written By: Alejandro Fadel, Martín Mauregui, Santiago Mitre, Pablo Trapero
- 2008
- Not Rated
- Strand Releasing
- 1 h 53 m
- 2008
- Not Rated
- Strand Releasing
- 1 h 53 m
Lion's Den
64
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Where to Watch
Directed By: Pablo Trapero
Written By: Alejandro Fadel, Martín Mauregui, Santiago Mitre, Pablo Trapero
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 12 Critic Reviews
64
58% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
33% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 12 Critic Reviews
64
58% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
33% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
8% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Part meticulous character study, part hyperrealist drama, Trapero’s film is as interested in documenting how such an institution functions on a day-to-day basis as he is in presenting the joys and pains of female cohabitation in such a confined space.
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.
Although it is not a comedy, Lion’s Den is suffused with sense of life lived in the present. Even the grimmest moments are not exploited to instill fear and loathing.
Unfortunately the movie is also a bit too long, and for long stretches it's about as entertaining as, well, a long stretch. Still, if this were one of those movie-review TV shows, I'd have to give Lion's Den a (tiny) thumb's up, for its aura of authenticity and for the ferocity of Gusman's commitment.
Gusman is sullenly magnificent; you can’t fault the movie’s realism either, shot in an actual prison and soberly reflecting some acute social problems. But the movie’s muggy pace makes you feel that you’ve served every day of Julia’s sentence with her.
Frustratingly, the film tells us little about the crime itself and the denouement is a little unconvincing. The taste of sweat and fear is, however, real enough.
Although the film is essentially contemplative, there’s little here worth contemplating.
User Reviews
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Matanza Cine,
Patagonik Film Group,
Cineclick Asia,
Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA),
Programa Ibermedia,
VideoFilmes
Release Date May 15, 2008
Duration 1 h 53 m
Rating Not Rated
Tagline Motherhood Behind Bars
Awards
Argentinean Film Critics Association Awards
• 11 Nominations
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Argentina
• 1 Win & 9 Nominations
Lima Latin American Film Festival
• 5 Wins & 5 Nominations
