Casa de los babys (2003)

Réalisateur:

John Sayles

Scénariste (WGA):

John Sayles (written by)

Date de sortie:

1 janvier 2004 (Israel)

Genre:

Drame

Accroche:

Six Women. One Dream.

Intrigue:

Six American women who planned on travelling to South America to adopt babies are forced, by law, to live there.

Plot Keywords:

Baby | South America | Adoption | Hotel Room | Bureaucracy

Avis des utilisateurs:

As complex and unresolved as the underlying issue(s)

Ensemble

Angelina Peláez	...	Doña Mercedes
Lizzie Curry Martinez	...	Sor Juana (as Lizzie Martínez)
Vanessa Martinez	...	Asunción (as Vanessa Martínez)
Amanda Álvarez	...	Blanca
Said Martinez	...	Eusebio (as Said Martínez)
Abel Salas	...	Bus Driver 1
Marco Mondragón	...	Bus Driver 2
José Reyes	...	Van Driver
Claudia Benitez	...	Woman on Bus (as Claudia Benítez)
Ignacio de Anda	...	Tito (as Ignacio De Anda)
José Reyes Jr.	...	Grande
Emmanuel González	...	Chico
El Flaco de Oro de Acapulco	...	El Tuerto (as El Flaco De Oro De Acapulco)
Dave Baez	...	Rufino (as David Ortíz)
Blanca Loaria	...	Socorro

MPAA:

Rated R for some language and brief drug use.

Durée:

95 min

Pays:

USA | Mexico

Langue:

Anglais | Espagnol

Couleur:

Couleur

Rapport de forme:

1,85 : 1

Son:

Dolby Digital

Classification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:K-11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | Germany:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich)

Lieux de tournage:

Mexico

Société:

IFC Films

Guillemet:

Señora Muñoz: First the government wanted to kill him. Now I do.

Connexions De Film:

Références The Stepford Wives (1975)

Bande son:

Un Son Para Ti

As complex and unresolved as the underlying issue(s)

The genius of this film is exactly the characteristic that many here have criticized it for: it contradicts itself all over the place and ends abruptly with no resolution. What possible resolution could you expect? Adoption is an inherently troubling phenomenon. It always involves awkward intersections of race and class, opportunity and the lack thereof, sex and sexism, law and morals. I found this film to be deeply troubling in all the ways it should be, due to the topic.

I think Sayles did a brilliant job bringing together a number of very believable characters and just showing them to us for 90-some odd minutes. All have their contradictions, and none clearly speaks some unambiguous authorial opinion. The son of the hotel owner mouths his leftist analysis with his buddies, but is really a drunken loser. Rita Moreno, through her frustration with her husband's politics, voices the frustration of so many women: politics is one thing, but who'll take care of the kids? And of course, the reverse is implied as well: kids are one thing, but who'll take care of the politics? You can go through each of the characters and seem some inherent pull in opposite directions.

I loved that none of the characters is entirely sympathetic, except perhaps the three homeless boys. They are all complicated and corrupted by a complicated and corrupt world that places a premium on babies and motherhood, but only under the "right" circumstances for the right women and the right kids.

I was very grateful that there was no real closure at the end, and that all Sayles had to say was that, despite all, both the least sympathetic and the most sympathetic of the potential moms were about to leave with babies.

Anyone who cares about kids and women should see this movie. And certainly anyone who is considering adoption (domestic or international -- either way, it's all the same issues) should see it. In sum, a very thought-provoking movie.

P.S. -- Did I mention the incredible soundtrack?