Casa de los babys (2003)

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:

Adoption | South America | Baby | Bathing Suit | Beach Boy

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:

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

Movie Connections:

References The Stepford Wives (1975)

Soundtrack:

Quién Sera

Complex and entertaining film

I found "Casa De Los Babys" complex and entertaining, and I believe the "loose ends" serve a purpose as the viewer is to form his own conclusion about the characters, their motives and conflicts, and the possible outcomes. The six women who want to adopt are so wrapped up in their own frustrations and needs that they are blind to the destitute and desperate lives of the hotel workers and the Latin American community around them. The hotel manager and her con artist lawyer-brother, who run the adoption agency, play heartless "bait and switch" games with the childless women, and the women fail to see the operators are taking advantage of them. As a result, the women hand exorbitant amounts of money over to the operators when they more wisely could use the money to help the native people around them.

There is opportunity for a relationship between the single woman of the group, who has given up hope for a husband and family, and the handsome, young, and educated Latin man who dreams of going to the U.S. The possibilities never enter their minds, with the woman focusing on single-parent adoption and the young man pinning false hopes on a lottery ticket.

"Casa De Los Babys" is a film I would recommend to socially conscious people and prospective parents alike.