Taxi (1996)

A young girl, after failing an exam, is forced by her father, a taxi-driver, to learn his profession. Soon she discovers that her father is not only a driver but also a member of a racist ... See full summary »

Director:

Carlos Saura

Writer:

Santiago Tabernero

Stars:

Ingrid Rubio, Carlos Fuentes, Ágata Lys

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ingrid Rubio	...	Paz
Carlos Fuentes	...	Dani
Ágata Lys	...	Reme (as Agata Lys)
Ángel de Andrés López	...	Velasco
Eusebio Lázaro	...	Calero
Francisco Maestre	...	Niño
Maite Blasco	...	Mari
Francisco Boira	...	Francis
Iker Ortiz de Zárate	...	Encapuchado Cicatriz (as Iker Ortiz de Zarate)
Chus Castrillo	...	Coral
Javier Manrique	...	Chico Discoteca
Pilar Ordóñez	...	Travesti (as Pilar Ordoñez)
Isabel Ampudia	...	Chica Yonqui
Alfonso Nsue	...	Cliente Negro (as Alfonso Nsue Mbese)
José Reche	...	Gabi

Storyline

A young girl, after failing an exam, is forced by her father, a taxi-driver, to learn his profession. Soon she discovers that her father is not only a driver but also a member of a racist group eliminating immigrants, homosexual, transvestite, etc. people. She also falls in love with a boy, also a taxi-driver and a "socio" of the group.

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Plot Keywords:

happy ending | taxi driver | transvestite | urination | skinhead | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

11 October 1996 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Im Schutz der Nacht

Filming Locations:

El Escorial, Madrid, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+ España, Producciones Cinematográficas Filmart S.L., Saura Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Alien (1979)

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Soundtracks

Un amor
Performed by Gipsy Kings

User Reviews

The plot follows Paz, a young woman who becomes reacquainted with "the family", friends of her father who are taxi drivers and part of a Neonazi faction in Madrid.

Taxi lacks the subtle commentary of Saura's previous films under Franco like Los Golfos (1960). Without censorship, Suara has attempted to directly portray the real violence in Madrid during this time period but the result is somewhat contrived and the addition of the love story moves the focus away from what might have otherwise been an important commentary. Between the blatant violence and predictable love story, something is lost and the audience fails to connect the horror and overt symbolism to something meaningful. The obviousness of the subject demands a presentation of a solution or at least the implication of one, however, all that is given to us is the overt symbolism of the protagonist Paz who disapproves of violence. At the culmination of the film in which Paz and Dani reunite does not address problems presented but simply suggests that peace is good, violence is bad and that love overcomes everything, including Neonazism.