Trains of Innocence: Savage Road Story to the Land of Broken Dreams
Among the vast and redundant collection of tales dealing with illegal immigration, very few can claim to be unique. Given that there are some inherent qualities to these stories, it takes an assertive new voice to infuse the subject matter with honesty. Spanish director Diego Quemada-Díez’ La Jaula de Oro, which translates to “The Golden Cage”, is perhaps the most poetic, and neo-realist film about the struggles of people searching for a better future thousands of miles away from home, and at any cost.
Trying to disguise her feminine qualities, Sara (Karen Martínez) cuts her hair binds her breasts, as she gets ready to depart from her native Guatemala with her boyfriend Juan (Brandon López) and their friend Samuel (Carlos Chajon). The trio of kids, all of them no older than 16, head out determined to make it to the United States.
Among the vast and redundant collection of tales dealing with illegal immigration, very few can claim to be unique. Given that there are some inherent qualities to these stories, it takes an assertive new voice to infuse the subject matter with honesty. Spanish director Diego Quemada-Díez’ La Jaula de Oro, which translates to “The Golden Cage”, is perhaps the most poetic, and neo-realist film about the struggles of people searching for a better future thousands of miles away from home, and at any cost.
Trying to disguise her feminine qualities, Sara (Karen Martínez) cuts her hair binds her breasts, as she gets ready to depart from her native Guatemala with her boyfriend Juan (Brandon López) and their friend Samuel (Carlos Chajon). The trio of kids, all of them no older than 16, head out determined to make it to the United States.
- 12/3/2013
- by Carlos Aguilar
- IONCINEMA.com
La Jaula de Oro
Directed by Diego Quemada-Díez
Philadelphia Film Festival
Mexico, 2013
A harrowing immigration-road movie bolstered by three beautifully natural adolescent performances frames Diego Quemada-Díez as a director to watch.
Teenagers Juan (Brandon López), Sara (Karen Martínez), and Samuel (Carlos Chajon) set out from Guatemala to cross the border into Los Angeles. Along the way they pick up Chauk (Rodolfo Domínguez), a taciturn Indian who changes the dynamics of the group as both he and Juan vie for Sara’s attention.
The four leads of Quemada-Díez’s first feature-film are startling strong, made all the more so by the fact that each young actor is making his and her screen debut. While Brandon López starts out as a one-note display of burgeoning masculinity, his Juan soon gains deeper complexities in a nuanced, painful performance from the young actor. Domínguez’s is a deceptively difficult role. Chauk’s Spanish is limited,...
Directed by Diego Quemada-Díez
Philadelphia Film Festival
Mexico, 2013
A harrowing immigration-road movie bolstered by three beautifully natural adolescent performances frames Diego Quemada-Díez as a director to watch.
Teenagers Juan (Brandon López), Sara (Karen Martínez), and Samuel (Carlos Chajon) set out from Guatemala to cross the border into Los Angeles. Along the way they pick up Chauk (Rodolfo Domínguez), a taciturn Indian who changes the dynamics of the group as both he and Juan vie for Sara’s attention.
The four leads of Quemada-Díez’s first feature-film are startling strong, made all the more so by the fact that each young actor is making his and her screen debut. While Brandon López starts out as a one-note display of burgeoning masculinity, his Juan soon gains deeper complexities in a nuanced, painful performance from the young actor. Domínguez’s is a deceptively difficult role. Chauk’s Spanish is limited,...
- 10/26/2013
- by Neal Dhand
- SoundOnSight
Title: La jaula de oro (The Golden Cage) Director: Diego Quemada-Diez Starring: Brandon Lopez, Rodolfo Domínguez, Karen Martínez, Carlos Chajón. This movie is not a documentary, but the fiction was inspired by the real state of things. A contemporary and tragic odyssey of immigrants escaping from their native land. As audiences empathise with these characters and detach from bourgeoise every day lives they realise how lucky they are, despite the difficulties caused by the current crisis. Juan, Sara and Samuel are three adolescents from Guatemala, who try to reach the United States in pursuit of a better life. Along the way they meet Chauk, a native from Chipas who doesn’t [ Read More ]
The post La jaula de oro (The Golden Cage) appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post La jaula de oro (The Golden Cage) appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 10/5/2013
- by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi
- ShockYa
Three Guatemalan teenagers' attempts to cross the murderous Mexico-us border region makes for gripping viewing
Even when Ken Loach doesn't have a film in competition in Cannes, his influence is still keenly felt. Spanish director Diego Quemada-Diez was a camera assistant on Loach's Carla's Song, Land and Freedom and Bread and Roses, and there is something very Loachian in this tough, absorbing, suspenseful drama showing in the Un Certain Regard section about three Guatemalan kids trying illegally to cross the Mexican border into the Us.
He has avowedly stuck to Loach's realist directing style: shooting in narrative sequence and using a semi-improvisatory approach on location. It is interesting that while British directors such as Andrea Arnold and Clio Barnard have hyper-evolved the Loach idiom into beautifully realised and photographed dramas of naturalism, Quemada-Diez is arguably closer to the gritty, grainy original.
The title comes from a Mexican ballad, Jaula de Oro,...
Even when Ken Loach doesn't have a film in competition in Cannes, his influence is still keenly felt. Spanish director Diego Quemada-Diez was a camera assistant on Loach's Carla's Song, Land and Freedom and Bread and Roses, and there is something very Loachian in this tough, absorbing, suspenseful drama showing in the Un Certain Regard section about three Guatemalan kids trying illegally to cross the Mexican border into the Us.
He has avowedly stuck to Loach's realist directing style: shooting in narrative sequence and using a semi-improvisatory approach on location. It is interesting that while British directors such as Andrea Arnold and Clio Barnard have hyper-evolved the Loach idiom into beautifully realised and photographed dramas of naturalism, Quemada-Diez is arguably closer to the gritty, grainy original.
The title comes from a Mexican ballad, Jaula de Oro,...
- 5/23/2013
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
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.