Anina (2013)

A fantastical journey into the world of a ten-year-old girl who, following a playground skirmish, is given the weirdest punishment in the history of weird punishments.

Director:

Alfredo Soderguit

Writers:

Federico Ivanier (adaptation), Sergio López Suárez (novel)

Stars:

Federica Lacaño, María Mendive, César Troncoso

1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Federica Lacaño	...	Anina
María Mendive	...	Madre de Anina
César Troncoso	...	Padre de Anina
Cristina Morán	...	Directora
Petru Valenski	...	Tota
Roberto Suárez	...	Pocha
Gimena Fajardo	...	Maestra Agueda
Florencia Zabaleta	...	Maestra Aurora
Guillermina Pardo	...	Florencia
Lucía Parrilla	...	Yisel
Marcel Keoroglian	...	César
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pedro Cruz	...	Yonatan
Ana González	...	Abuela de Anina
Jhonny Hendrix	...	Perianto
Edgar Pedraza	...	Flogisto Rolando

Storyline

Anina Yatay Salas is a ten-year-old girl who does not like her name. Each part is a palindrome, which means it reads the same both forwards and backwards. Her schoolmates are always teasing her about this, especially Anina's arch-enemy Yisel, who Anina sees as an "elephant". One day, Anina and Yisel get into a playground skirmish, so the school principal disciplines them with a weird punishment: they are both given a sealed black envelope which they are not allowed to open for an entire week. Haunted by nightmares and day-dreams, Anina in her anxiousness to find out what horrible punishment awaits her, will get mixed up in a series of adventures, involving secret loves, close friendships and dreadful enemies. Without her realizing it, Anina's efforts to understand the content of the envelope turns into a journey to understand the world and her place in it.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | film within a film | punishment | envelope | nightmare | 

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Taglines:

La única niña capicúa que jamás hubo en una escuela. (There has never been a palindrome girl at the school before.)

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Uruguay]

Country:

Uruguay Colombia

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

19 April 2013 (Uruguay)

Also Known As:

Το κορίτσι με το παράξενο όνομα

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$169,159

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rain Dogs Cine, Palermo Estudio, Antorcha Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Uruguay to the Oscars 2014 best foreign language film category.

User Reviews

The lifestyle of Montevidean kids as shaped by a movie

Being that animation is not something usual in the Uruguay film industry I was highly interested in watching this movie. So I rented it, with some expectations already, knowing that it was nominated for several awards. I was still impressed by what this cinematographic piece achieved.

First of all, the story is really simple, but original and well put together. Most of the characters are fun and have certain charm (save for Anina's crush and best friend, which are very bland). It has a somewhat surreal tone but still bases itself upon the childhood memories the people behind this film could have had.

The soundtrack isn't particularly memorable, but it does the job.

The voice acting (I'm talking about the Spanish version) is really solid and breathes life into the characters.

However (sigh) the animation is the weakest part of this great package. It's not awful, but it is somewhat mediocre. The art style is beautiful and yet the characters move poorly. This is were the lack of budget is more evident.

Overall, if you could find this movie, give it a shot. You probably will appreciate it for what it is. Keep in mind that it is the product of a different culture and therefore another reality.