Casa de los babys (2003)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

John Sayles

Writer (WGA):

John Sayles (written by)

Release Date:

1 January 2004 (Israel)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Six Women. One Dream.

Plot:

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

Cast

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.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA | Mexico

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

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)

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Company:

IFC Films

Quotes:

Leslie: ...You gotta admit, she's a sociopath.
Gayle: Is that anything like a psychopath?
Leslie: With a lower body count, yeah.

Movie Connections:

References The Stepford Wives (1975)

Soundtrack:

The Juggler

Consider this casa a true cautionary tale

Six American women have traveled to a South American country in order to adopt a baby. They are housed at a hotel for several months as the process takes some time. One of the them is a health nut who lost three babies of her own. Two wealthy ones are determined to adopt for their husbands' sakes and three single women long for the chance to become parents. Intermingled with their stories are tales of the mostly hapless natives of the country. There is a pregnant teen who is a shame to her mother, a young housekeeper who had to give her own baby up for adoption in order to support her family, and a young man with a dream to go to the United States and become wealthy. In other words, the story is tantalizing. Who, if any, will benefit from the situation? The story here is first rate. Human nature is shown at its best and at its absolute worst (Marcia Gay Harden's character is certainly one of the most despicable persons ever put on screen). Countries must make difficult choices for economic reasons and children are thus reduced, to some extent, to being commodities. The last scene of the movie is a stunner, summarizing the film in a heart-wrenching conclusion. Although the pace is slow, those who stick with this film will be both rewarded by it's scope and distraught over it's contents. Movie viewers who love films with merit and bite will find this one a top choice.