The Fish Child (2009) El niño pez (original title)

Director:

Lucía Puenzo

Writers:

Lucía Puenzo (screenplay)
Lucía Puenzo (novel)

Release Date:

9 April 2009 (Argentina)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

A desperate love story between two young girls of extremely different social backgrounds who, unable to find a place for their love in the world they live in, are pushed to commit a crime.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Lake | Paraguay | Argentina | Jealousy

Awards:

5 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Inés Efron	...	Lala
Mariela Vitale	...	La Guayi (as Mariela Vitale Emme)
Pep Munné	...	El juez Bronté
Diego Velázquez	...	El Vasco
Carlos Bardem	...	Comisario Pulido
Arnaldo André	...	Sócrates Espina
Ailín Salas	...	la Guayi niña
Sandra Guida	...	Felicitas
Julián Doregger	...	Nacho
Paloma Contreras	...	La Chapulina
Darío Valenzuela	...	Guida
Jerónimo Perassolo	...	El niño pez
Marco Vera	...	Animador en la bailanta
Sergio Lapegüe	...	Conductor del noticiero
Pedro Di Salvia
Vando Villamil	...	La voz del Juez (voice)
María Celeste Ortega
Loren Acuña
Jorge Booth
Coral Gabaglio
Verónica Piaggio
Irene Almus
Santiago Caamaño	...	Roberto
Adriana Mascialino
Fabián Rendo
Leticia Bacci
Juan Carrasco		(as Juan Pablo Carrasco)
Odón Morán López
Silvina Sabaté		(as Silvina Sabater)
Agustina Barach
Josefina Cuneo
María Florencia Morrone
Luis Sabatini
Mario Barroso
Liliana Cuomo
Iván Moschner
Virginia Sarmoria

Directed by
Lucía Puenzo

Writing credits
Lucía Puenzo		(screenplay)
Lucía Puenzo		(novel)

Produced by
Claire Dornoy	....	executive producer: France
Charles Gillibert	....	associate producer
Cristian Izzi	....	assistant producer
Marin Karmitz	....	associate producer
Nathanaël Karmitz	....	associate producer
José María Morales	....	producer
Miguel Morales	....	executive producer
Luis Puenzo	....	producer
Fernando Sirianni	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Andrés Goldstein
Daniel Tarrab
Laura Zisman

Cinematography by
Rolo Pulpeiro		(as Rodrigo Pulpeiro)

Film Editing by
Hugo Primero

Casting by
Pablo Carnaghi
Claudia Marquez

Art Direction by
Mercedes Alfonsín

Set Decoration by
Matías Martínez

Costume Design by
Julio Suárez

Makeup Department
Marisa Amenta	....	makeup artist
Néstor Pumar	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Paula Zyngierman	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Magdalena Cernadas	....	second assistant director
Fabiana Tiscornia	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Roberto Migone	....	sound re-recording mixer
Lisandro Rumeau	....	foley artist
Fernando Soldevila	....	sound

Special Effects by
Franco Burattini	....	weapon master
Gustavo Harry Farias	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Valeria Andino	....	visual effects coordinator
Pablo Dario Aschei	....	digital artist
Federico Beret	....	digital artist
Pablo Biondi	....	digital compositor
Gabriel Campañó	....	mastering supervisor
Ignacio Coscia	....	digital artist
Ramiro Gastón Tell	....	character technical director
Gonzalo Gutierrez 'G.G.'	....	visual effects director
Muracciole Matias	....	visual effects producer
Javier Pazzano	....	digital compositor
Emiliano Pernía	....	digital compositor
Sergio Pickelny	....	digital compositor
Ariel M.O. Picone	....	digital compositor
Juan Pablo Pires	....	visual effects producer
Juan Ignacio Salgado	....	rotoscope artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Ignacio Acevedo	....	video assist
Segundo Cerrato	....	underwater camera operator
Pablo Desanzo	....	second camera
Juan Fernández	....	grip
Daniel Hermo	....	gaffer
Jaime Muschietti	....	electrician
Guillermo Nieto	....	additional cinematography
Nicolás Puenzo	....	additional cinematography
Sebastián Puenzo	....	still photographer
Mariano Rodríguez	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Juani Bousquet	....	film restoration artist
Elida Inés Cederma	....	negative cutter
Andrés P. Estrada	....	assistant editor
Sanchez Nerina	....	on-line editing assistant
Nerina Sanchez	....	on-line editing assistant

Music Department
María Laura Bonavita	....	music: production

Other crew
Nicolas Agustin Bentancur	....	location assistant
Manuel Fernandez Escudero	....	location manager
Felicitas Raffo	....	legal adviser
Pablo Ramos	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Historias Cinematograficas Cinemania
• Ibermedia European Community Program (as Programa Ibermedia)
• Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA)
• Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales (ICAA)
• MK2 Productions
• Televisión Española (TVE)
• Wanda Visión S.A.

Distributors

• MK2 Diffusion (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Distribution Company (2009) (Argentina) (all media)
• Edition Salzgeber (2010) (Germany) (all media)
• Peccadillo Pictures (2010) (UK) (all media)
• Wanda Distribución Cinematográfica de Films S.A. (2009) (Spain) (all media)

Also Known As:

"El niño pez" - Argentina (original title)

Runtime:

Argentina:96 min | Germany:96 min (Berlin International Film Festival)

Country:

Argentina | France | Spain

Language:

Spanish | Guarani

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | France:U | Spain:13 | UK:15 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Company:

Historias Cinematograficas Cinemania

Soundtrack:

Caramelito

Great performances, confusing development of the story

Good intentions, no so well translated to the screen. In a way, confuse in many moments, not so clear in others; all related without a clear cinematographic language.

A feeling that the story is what in Spanish we call "tirada de los pelos"; exaggerated situations without a clear context between one situation with another.

Great performances of Ines Efron and specially of Mariela Vitale -the daughter of Lito Vitale, wow!-, that studied guarani for her role on this movie, a revelation as actress. A special mention for Arnaldo Andre, too.