Battle in Heaven (2005)

Marcos lusts after his boss's promiscuous daughter, but after botching an extortion scheme, he becomes wracked with guilt.

Director:

Carlos Reygadas

Writer:

Carlos Reygadas

Stars:

Marcos Hernández, Anapola Mushkadiz, Bertha Ruiz

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Marcos Hernández	...	Marcos
Anapola Mushkadiz	...	Ana
Bertha Ruiz	...	Marcos' Wife
David Bornstein	...	Jaime
Rosalinda Ramirez	...	Viky
El Abuelo	...	Chief of Police
Brenda Angulo	...	Madame
El Mago	...	Preacher
Francisco 'El Gato' Martínez	...	Gas Station Attendant
Diego Martínez Vignatti	...	Soccer Player
Alejandro Mayar	...	Police Inspector
Chavo Nava	...	Neurotic Conductor
Estela Tamariz	...	Ines
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michelle Aizpuru	...	Adolescentes que llegan de fiesta
Valeria Alvarez	...	Ninos que juegan

Storyline

A working-class man named Marcos and his wife kidnap a baby for ransom money, but it goes tragically wrong when the infant dies. In another world is Ana, the daughter of the general for whom he drives, who does sexual acts to any man for pleasure. Marcos confesses his guilt to her in his troubled search for relief, and then finds himself on his knees amid the multitude of believers moving slowly toward the Basilica in honor of the Lady of Guadalupe.

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Plot Keywords:

sex scene | unsimulated blow job | large breasts | erect penis | explicit fellatio | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Mexico France Belgium Germany

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

26 October 2005 (France)

Also Known As:

Battle in Heaven

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

EUR1,601,792 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,351, 19 February 2006

Gross USA:

$70,899

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$258,227

Company Credits

Production Co:

Coproduction Office, No Dream Cinema, Mantarraya Producciones

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 126 min (director's cut) 98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Writer/director Carlos Reygadas shot crowded street scenes in the middle of real crowds. Cameraman Diego Martínez Vignatti sat in a wheelchair and they just pushed him through everyone. Luckily, no one who passed by looked into the camera lens.

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Goofs

During the scene where Ana and Marcos are making love, as the camera pans out, a crew member's reflection can be seen in the window.

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Connections

References SpongeBob SquarePants (1999)

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Soundtracks

Colaboración musical
Written by Juan Gómez-Acebo and Federico Ortiz-Cañavate
Performed by Big Metra
(Mantequilla Records)

User Reviews

When Reality and Art meet together

This was one of the strangest movies I've ever seen. I expected to see some modern style drama with explicit elements, but I was stunned by the deep observation and human understanding, which Reygadas shows in his film. The camera work was very impressive. I admire such kind of directoring- to show everything in details and to try to be as close as he could be to reality, without neglecting the art side of the process. There was something interesting for me in the slow motion and the development of the storyline. It seemed as if the life of the underdog and his wife is somehow connected with their background, with the real everyday life in modern day Mexico city.Anapola Mushkadiz gave a great performance as Ana and her part made the movie even more complex. The urban atmosphere was strong throughout the movie and it reflected on all of the characters. I recommend this movie to all the people who enjoy serious cinema and are eager to see something different and new, away from the mainstream crap.