A Family in Crisis: The Elian Gonzales Story (TV 2000)

Based on the true headline-generating story of the five-year-old Cuban boy who is the sole survivor of a refugee boat that sunk in a storm on its way to the U.S. Found clinging to a rubber ... See full summary »

Director:

Christopher Leitch

Writer:

Dennis Turner

Stars:

Esai Morales, Alec Roberts, Miguel Sandoval

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Esai Morales	...	Juan Miguel Gonzalez
Alec Roberts	...	Elian Gonzalez
Miguel Sandoval
Laura Harring	...	Marisleysis Gonzalez (as Laura Elena Harring)
Seidy Lopez
Jon Huertas	...	Rafael
Ismael 'East' Carlo	...	(as Ismael Carlo)
James Quattrochi	...	Donato Dalrymple
Betty Carvalho
Terri Hoyos
Roxana Brusso	...	Arianne
Jullian Dulce Vida	...	Nivaldo Ferran (as Julio Dolce Vita)
Jim Metzler
Tony Amendola
Renee Victor

Storyline

Based on the true headline-generating story of the five-year-old Cuban boy who is the sole survivor of a refugee boat that sunk in a storm on its way to the U.S. Found clinging to a rubber tube by fishermen off the coast of Miami after being adrift for two days, Elian is rushed to a U.S. hospital and is soon identified as the only son of Juan Gonzalez, a loyal Cuban who was unaware of his ex-wife's risky defection plan. Placed in temporary custody of his great-uncle Lazaro in Miami, who vows never to return Elian to Cuba, this young boy soon becomes the center of an international media and political frenzy. Supported by attorneys and activists, Lazaro fights to seek permanent custody of Elian. But Elian's devoted father, backed by the Cuban nation, demands the return of his beloved son.

---

Plot Keywords:

based on true story | character name in title

---

Taglines:

Behind the headlines. Beyond the politics. The story of a family torn apart.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elian Gonzalez

Company Credits

Production Co:

Capital Arts Entertainment, Saban International N.V.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

Elián González's last name doesn't have an "S" in it, but that's how it's spelled in the title.

User Reviews

I didn't care when the story was ACTUALLY happening

So why should I care now? I was really getting sick about hearing about Elian Gonzalez every night on the news. ("In today's news, Elian took a leak on a bush in his backyard. Oh, and there was a horrible train and bus crash that killed hundreds, a cure for cancer has been found and World War 3 just started, but first, more on Elian.") It was getting to the point where I was going to go down to Florida and throw the kid back into the ocean and tell him to swim to Cuba. If I seem a little mean, I'm sorry, but six months of hearing every little detail about that kid really did not make me feel the least bit sorry for him. I don't even have to see the movie, I already know the whole story from having it bombarded in my face every day. 1/10