The Dancer Upstairs (2002)

A police detective in a South American country is dedicated to hunting down a revolutionary guerilla leader.

Director:

John Malkovich

Writers:

Nicholas Shakespeare (novel), Nicholas Shakespeare (screenplay)

Stars:

Javier Bardem, Laura Morante, Juan Diego Botto

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Javier Bardem	...	Agustín Rejas
Juan Diego Botto	...	Sucre
Laura Morante	...	Yolanda
Elvira Mínguez	...	Llosa
Alexandra Lencastre	...	Sylvina Rejas
Oliver Cotton	...	Merino
Luís Miguel Cintra	...	Calderón
Javier Manrique	...	Clorindo
Abel Folk	...	Ezequiel / Durán
Marie-Anne Berganza	...	Laura
Lucas Rodríguez	...	Gómez
Xabier Elorriaga	...	Pascual
Natalia Dicenta	...	Marina
Wolframio Sinué	...	Santiago
Ramiro Jiménez	...	Sergeant Pisac

Storyline

The story of Detective Agustin Rejas, a man clinging to the hope of an impossible love in an impossible world. Tracking Ezequiel, a delusional anarchist who incites the downtrodden masses to join in his brutal revolution against the fascist government in their unnamed Latin American country, Rejas finds solace in his sense of self-respect and the joy that his daughter and wife bring him. Then he meets Yolanda--his daughter's soulfully beautiful ballet teacher--a woman who sparks his long-forgotten passions and represents all that is good and all that is corrupt in their troubled country. But she, who appears to be a shelter from the storm, may in actuality be the storm's eye. Ultimately, as the revolution intensifies and the net closes around hunter and hunted alike, the dancer's truth will prove as elusive as the revolutionary's cause and the detective's peace.

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Plot Keywords:

murder of a teenage girl | tv news | watching a video | male pubic hair | pubic hair | 

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Taglines:

An honest man caught in a world of intrigue, power and passion.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, and for language

Details

Country:

Spain USA

Language:

English Quechua Spanish

Release Date:

23 May 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sendero de sangre

Filming Locations:

Ecuador

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

€100,224 (Spain), 22 September 2002, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$106,142, 4 May 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,377,348, 21 August 2003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,227,348, 31 December 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox Searchlight Pictures, Lolafilms, Mr. Mudd

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Directorial debut of John Malkovich.

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Goofs

The camera that Bardem uses to take Ezekiel's picture at the military checkpoint is a either a Polaroid Model 95 made from 1948 to 1953, or the Model 95B was discontinued in 1958. The picture that Bardem holds is a square format SX70 color shot identified buy its square format and black square on the back. This picture which could not have come from the camera used by Bardem.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Indian 1 in Pick-up: [calmly after hitting road-side cop, about person on radio] Why does she talk so much?
Ezequiel: [equally calm] She's preparing to sing.

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Crazy Credits

The producers would like to thank ... the residents of Narcisos Street ...

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Connections

References Pulp Fiction (1994)

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Soundtracks

Dancelight
(uncredited)
Written by Yul Anderson
Piano solo by Yul Anderson
NBE Records USA/DK

User Reviews

Impressive and assured debut

Acclaimed actor John Malkovich has made his directorial debut with an assured political thriller that combines tension and intelligence to make for a gripping two and a quarter hours. The setting is a South American country which is unnamed, but the clear inspiration for the storyline is the early 1990s experience of Peru (which I have recently visited) when the bizarre Abimael Guzman led the murderous Shining Path movement, while the movie was shot in Spain, Portugal and Ecuador.

Javier Bardem plays Augustin Rejas, a former lawyer turned policeman who manages rare dignity and honesty as he battles with the interventions of a regime teetering on the edge of a military dictatorship and the pursuit of a fanatical revolutionary codenamed Ezekiel, while struggling with the varying emotions associated with a vapid wife, an adoring daughter, and his daughter's dance teacher, the eponymous and allurring woman upstairs (Laura Morante as Yolanda). Bardem - who reminds me of an early Raul Julia - gives a languid yet charismatic performance and hopefully we will see much more of this talented actor.

In some respects the work is reminiscent of Costa-Gavras's "State Of Siege", a clip of which is actually used here. However, the movie is based on a novel by the British writer Nicholas Shakespeare, who wrote the screenplay which features some conversation in Quechua (a native language of Peru and Bolivia), and this is a more personal examination of terrorism than the 1973 movie.