Casa de los babys

Last updated
Casa de los Babys
Casa de los babys.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Sayles
Screenplay byJohn Sayles
Produced by Alejandro Springall
Lemore Syvan
Starring Marcia Gay Harden
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Daryl Hannah
Susan Lynch
Mary Steenburgen
Lili Taylor
CinematographyMauricio Rubinstein
Edited byJohn Sayles
Music by Mason Daring
Production
companies
IFC Films
Springall Pictures
Distributed byIFC Films
Release dates
  • September 5, 2003 (2003-09-05)(Venice Film Festival)
  • September 19, 2003 (2003-09-19)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes
CountriesMexico
United States
LanguagesEnglish
Spanish
Budget$800,000
Box office$475,940

Casa de los Babys ("House of the Babies") is a 2003 drama film written, directed, and edited by filmmaker John Sayles. It features an ensemble cast, including Marcia Gay Harden, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Daryl Hannah.

Contents

Plot

The film tells the story of six white American women, impatiently waiting out their lengthy residency requirements in an unidentified South American country before picking up their adoptive babies.

Cast

Reception

Box-office and distribution

The film was first presented at the Venice Film Festival on September 5, 2003. [1]

The film was screened at various film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival, Canada; the Istanbul FilmOctober Film Week, Turkey; and others.

It opened both in New York City and Los Angeles on September 19, 2003. The first week's gross was $36,456 (nine screens) and the total receipts for the run were $475,940. In its widest release the film was featured in 71 theaters. The motion picture was in circulation 10 weeks. [2]

Critical response

Critic Stephen Holden, writing for The New York Times, liked the film message and wrote, "Casa de los Babys, adheres to the same essayistic format as many of its forerunners...Despite its emotionally loaded theme, the film is a scrupulously suds-free examination of motherhood as it is viewed in first- and third-world countries. The closest it gets to misty-eyed is in its panoramic shots of wide-eyed Latino infants who will soon be transported from a nation mired in poverty to a land of plenty ... the movie's even-handed portrayal of two cultures uneasily transacting the most personal business resonates with truth." [3]

Critic Roger Ebert lauded the film and wrote, "Sayles handles this material with gentle delicacy, as if aware that the issues are too fraught to be approached with simple messages. He shows both sides; the maid Asuncion gave up her baby and now imagines her happy life in El Norte, but we feel how much she misses her. The squeegee kids on the corner have been abandoned by their parents and might happily go home with one of these rich Americanas. Sayles sees like a documentarian, showing us the women, listening to their stories, inviting us to share their hopes and fears and speculate about their motives. There are no answers here, just the experiences of waiting for a few weeks in the Casa de los Babys." [4]

Critics Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat also liked the film's message and wrote, "The overall tone of Casa de los Babys promotes the spiritual practice of openness, which is the ability to see clearly, without preference or prejudice, and with empathy. Sayles continues his special mission of exploring the nuances that go into the creation of cross-cultural tensions and misunderstandings." [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Sayles</span> American film director

John Thomas Sayles is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for Passion Fish (1992) and Lone Star (1996). His film Men with Guns (1997) was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. His directorial debut, Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980), has been added to the National Film Registry.

<i>Return of the Secaucus 7</i> 1980 film directed by John Sayles

Return of the Secaucus 7 is a 1980 drama film written and directed by John Sayles and starring Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Adam LeFevre, Maggie Cousineau, Gordon Clapp, Jean Passanante, and others. The film tells the story of seven friends who spend a weekend together in New Hampshire. The weekend is marred by the break-up of a relationship between two of the friends. This causes a ripple effect among the group and brings up old desires and problems.

<i>Secretary</i> (2002 film) 2002 film by Steven Shainberg

Secretary is a 2002 American erotic black comedy romantic drama film directed by Steven Shainberg and written by Erin Cressida Wilson, based on the short story Secretary by Mary Gaitskill. Starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader, the film explores the intense relationship between a dominant lawyer and his submissive secretary, who indulge in various types of BDSM activity such as erotic spanking and Petplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcia Gay Harden</span> American actress

Marcia Gay Harden is an American actress. She is the recipient of accolades including an Academy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for a Critics' Choice Movie Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie Gyllenhaal</span> American actress, producer, and director (born 1977)

Margalit Ruth Gyllenhaal, known as Maggie Gyllenhaal, is an American actress and filmmaker. Part of the Gyllenhaal family, she is the daughter of filmmakers Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Achs, and the older sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal.

<i>My Girl 2</i> 1994 American film

My Girl 2 is a 1994 American comedy-drama film starring Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Anna Chlumsky and Austin O'Brien. A sequel to My Girl (1991), its plot follows a now-teenaged Vada Sultenfuss, who travels from her home in suburban Pennsylvania to Los Angeles to find more information about her deceased mother.

<i>Passion Fish</i> 1992 film by John Sayles

Passion Fish is a 1992 American drama film written and directed by John Sayles. The film stars Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Vondie Curtis-Hall, David Strathairn, Leo Burmester, and Angela Bassett.

<i>The Good Girl</i> 2002 American black comedy-drama film

The Good Girl is a 2002 American comedy-drama film directed by Miguel Arteta from a script by Mike White. The film stars Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal and John C. Reilly.

<i>Cecil B. Demented</i> 2000 American film

Cecil B. Demented is a 2000 black comedy film written and directed by John Waters. The film stars Melanie Griffith as a snobby A-list Hollywood actress who is kidnapped by a band of terrorist filmmakers; they force her to star in their underground film. Stephen Dorff stars as the eponymous character and leader of the group, with Alicia Witt, Adrian Grenier, Michael Shannon, and Maggie Gyllenhaal co-starring as the rest of his gang of filmmakers.

<i>Million Dollar Baby</i> 2004 film by Clint Eastwood

Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced, scored by and starring Clint Eastwood from a screenplay written by Paul Haggis, based on stories from the 2000 collection Rope Burns: Stories from the Corner by F.X. Toole, the pen name of fight manager and cutman Jerry Boyd. It also stars Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman. The film follows Margaret "Maggie" Fitzgerald (Swank), an underdog amateur boxer who is helped by an underappreciated boxing trainer (Eastwood) to achieve her dream of becoming a professional.

<i>Lianna</i> 1983 film by John Sayles

Lianna is a 1983 drama film written and directed by John Sayles and starring Linda Griffiths, Jane Hallaren, and Jon DeVries.

<i>The Brother from Another Planet</i> 1984 film by John Sayles

The Brother from Another Planet is a 1984 American science fiction film, written and directed by John Sayles. The low-budget film stars Joe Morton as an extraterrestrial trapped on Earth.

<i>George Washington</i> (film) 2000 film by David Gordon Green

George Washington is a 2000 American drama film written and directed by David Gordon Green. Its story centers on a group of children in a depressed small town in North Carolina who band together to cover up a tragic mistake.

<i>Happy Endings</i> (film) 2005 film by Don Roos

Happy Endings is a 2005 American dramedy film written and directed by Don Roos and starring Tom Arnold, Jesse Bradford, Bobby Cannavale, Steve Coogan, Laura Dern, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lisa Kudrow and Jason Ritter. The film’s plot uses interconnected storylines to tell three stories of Los Angeles natives that center around love and family.

<i>Sherrybaby</i> 2006 film by Laurie Collyer

Sherrybaby is a 2006 American drama film written and directed by Laurie Collyer. Screened at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2006, the film received a limited release in the United States on September 8, 2006.

<i>City of Hope</i> (film) 1991 film by John Sayles

City of Hope is a 1991 American drama film written, directed, and edited by John Sayles. The film features Vincent Spano, Stephen Mendillo, and Chris Cooper.

<i>Love & Other Drugs</i> 2010 film by Edward Zwick

Love & Other Drugs is a 2010 American romantic comedy-drama film directed, produced and co-written by Edward Zwick and based on Jamie Reidy's 2005 non-fiction book Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman.

<i>October Baby</i> 2011 American film

October Baby is a 2011 American Christian-themed drama film directed by Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin and starring Rachel Hendrix in her film debut. It is the story of a woman named Hannah, who learns as a young adult that she survived a failed abortion attempt. She then embarks upon a road trip to understand the circumstances of her birth. October Baby was inspired by a YouTube video chronicling the life experiences of Gianna Jessen, who was born after a failed abortion attempt.

<i>End of Watch</i> 2012 film by David Ayer

End of Watch is a 2012 American action thriller film written and directed by David Ayer. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as Brian Taylor and Mike Zavala, two Los Angeles Police Department officers who work in South Los Angeles. The film focuses on their day-to-day police work, their dealings with a certain group of gang members, their friendship with each other, and their personal relationships.

<i>Wont Back Down</i> (film) 2012 American film

Won't Back Down is a 2012 American drama film directed by Daniel Barnz and starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis and Holly Hunter.

References

  1. Kaufman, Anthony (August 27, 2003). "Venice Year 60 — Our First Peek at Oscar Contenders and Critics Faves". IndieWire . Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  2. "Casa de los Babys (2003) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved January 27, 2008.
  3. Holden, Stephen (September 19, 2003). "FILM REVIEW; Six Characters in Search of an Infant". The New York Times . Retrieved January 27, 2008.
  4. Ebert, Roger (October 3, 2003). "Casa de los Babys movie review (2003)". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved January 27, 2008.
  5. Brussat, Frederic; Brussat, Mary Ann (2003). "Casa de los Babys". Spirituality & Practice. Retrieved January 27, 2008.