Directed by:
Luis LlosaCinematography:
Javier SalmonesCast:
Tomas Milian, Isabella Rossellini, Paul Freeman, Juan Diego Botto, Steven Bauer, Eileen Atkins, Stephanie Leonidas, Shawn Elliott, David Zayas, Frank Perozo (more)Plots(1)
Santo Domingo in 1992. Urania Cabral returns to her native land – the Dominican Republic – after an absence of 40 years. She has been living the USA for many years where she enjoys an immensely successful career. At the time, she swore she would never set foot again in the country ruled by the notorious dictator General Trujillo – so great was the trauma she experienced as a 14-year-old. She hardly recognises her old father, now fatally ill. A heart attack has left him a mute, virtually lifeless, bedridden figure. At one time he was the despot's right hand man, until he fell from grace. After her mother's death, Urania meant all the world to her father and he made sure that she wanted for nothing. Most of all, he tried to keep her at a safe distance from Trujillo, a notorious child molester. Urania remembers it all now. She also recalls the three conspirators who wanted to liquidate the dictator in 1961. Amadito could not forgive Trujillo for having put his loyalty to the test and forcing him to murder his fiancée's brother, who was charged with revolutionary activities. Antonio de la Maza wanted to take his revenge for the murder of his younger brother at the hands of the dictator. The third conspirator, known as "the Turk", was a devout Catholic, who could no longer bear to let Trujillo's crimes go unpunished. When the US government withdrew its support and the church openly condemned him, this marked the beginning of the end for Trujillo. Urania experienced all of this as a child. She also remembers the day when her father fell from grace. He would have done anything to regain Trujillo's favour. Anything could be demanded of Agustin Cabral – he would even send his own daughter to the tyrant... Based on a novel by Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, this political thriller is both a portrait of an era as well as the profile of a family that describes the situation for those living under a dictatorship. (Berlinale)
(more)Cast
Tomas Milian
Cuba
Best movies:
JFK (1991)
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
Cop in Blue Jeans, The (1976)
Isabella Rossellini
Italy
Best movies:
Blue Velvet (1986)
Wild at Heart (1990)
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
Paul Freeman
UK
Best movies:
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
The Hollow Crown (2012) (series)
The Horseman on the Roof (1995)
Juan Diego Botto
Argentina
Best movies:
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Bin ich schön? (1998)
The Suicide Squad (2021)
Steven Bauer
Cuba
Best movies:
Scarface (1983)
Traffic (2000)
Primal Fear (1996)
Eileen Atkins
UK
Best movies:
Cold Mountain (2003)
Wit (2001) (TV movie)
The Hours (2002)
Stephanie Leonidas
UK
Best movies:
Endeavour (2012) (series)
Agatha Christie: Poirot (1989) (series)
Agatha Christie's Marple (2004) (series)
Shawn Elliott
Best movies:
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Beat Street (1984)
13 Conversations About One Thing (2001)
David Zayas
Puerto Rico
Best movies:
Wit (2001) (TV movie)
Rounders (1998)
Return to Paradise (1998)
Frank Perozo
Best movies:
The Lost City (2005)
Dreaming of Julia (2003)
The Projectionist (2019)
Richard Bekins
USA
Best movies:
United 93 (2006)
Limitless (2011)
Julie & Julia (2009)
Gary Piquer
UK
Best movies:
The Ministry of Time (2015) (series)
Bad Day to Go Fishing (2009)
Bookshop (2017)
José Guillermo Cortines
Dominican Republic
Best movies:
Shotgun Wedding (2022)
Murphy Guyer
USA
Best movies:
Joker (2019)
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
Mildred Pierce (2011) (series)
Alfonso Rodríguez
Dominican Republic
Jorge Bosso
Best movies:
Flesh+Blood (1985)
Nadie hablará de nosotras cuando hayamos muerto (1995)
Outlaw Justice (1999) (TV movie)
Sharlene Taulé
Dominican Republic
Jordan Lage
USA
Best movies:
You Don't Know Jack (2010) (TV movie)
Michael Clayton (2007)
Body of Lies (2008)
May Heatherly
USA
Best movies:
Witness to Murder (1973)
Gran Hotel (2011) (series)
Goya's Ghosts (2006)
Christian Guthermann
Best movies:
The Lost City (2005)