Childish Games (2012)

The teachers Daniel and Laura work at the same school and live together. Laura wants to have a baby, but her gynecologist has just informed that she cannot have children. One day, a weird ... See full summary »

Director:

Antonio Chavarrías

Writers:

Antonio Chavarrías (screenplay), Sergi Belbel (original story)

Stars:

Juan Diego Botto, Bárbara Lennie, Mágica Pérez

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Juan Diego Botto	...	Daniel
Bárbara Lennie	...	Laura
Mágica Pérez	...	Julia
Marc Rodríguez	...	Mario
Àgata Roca	...	Luisa
Nora Navas	...	Beatriz
Cristina Azofra	...	Clara
Adrián Bermúdez	...	Daniel niño
Pedro Muiño	...	Mario niño
Monti Castiñeiras	...	Alfonso
Dolors Tuneu	...	Chus
Maria Pau Pigem	...	Doctora Moreno
Carles Prats	...	Oriol
Celia Rico Clavellino	...	Canguro (as Celia Rico)
Txitxu Llamas	...	Sacerdote

Storyline

The teachers Daniel and Laura work at the same school and live together. Laura wants to have a baby, but her gynecologist has just informed that she cannot have children. One day, a weird man named Mario meets Daniel at school and asks him to visit his daughter Julia to help him but Daniel tells that she should go to the doctor to seek for help. A couple of days later, Mario commits suicide and Daniel sees on the front page of a newspaper. Laura tells to Daniel that they should go to the funeral and Daniel accepts her suggestion. When Laura sees Julia, she requests to be the temporary guardianship until a member of the family claims for her. Daniel is affected by the presence of Julia and calls her Clara. Soon a dark and creepy secret of Daniel and Mario's past haunt Daniel, affecting his relationship with Laura.

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Spain]

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

9 March 2012 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Childish Games

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$180,476 (Spain), 9 March 2012, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alebrije Cine y Video,Catalan Films & TV,Filmax International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Good Thriller

I liked Dictado! The story is very good (Sergi Belbel is one of the most talented writers/directors in Catalonia), the acting is too, specially Juan Diego Boto and the kid. I find it specially scary when the monster is a child, because they are capable of huge cruelty (in fiction?!) and pretend they are so innocent and harmless. I like how it dwells in the supernatural, and specially how it portrays the masculine fear to be robbed of their wife's love by a son/daughter. This is not a very common theme in cinema, maybe because it is not politically correct, but very realistic: father jealousy towards their own kids. How children are seen as strange intruders disrupting home harmony, transforming their mothers (wives) into obsessive, alienated monsters. The movie is well ploted, dialogs are crisp and realistic, and it got my attention from beginning to end. Good film.