`CAUTIVA' A DULL TAKE ON INTERESTING TOPIC.Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic `Cautiva'' is another Argentinian drama about the fallout from the Dirty War, that period in the 1970s and '80s when the ruling military junta Noun 1. military junta - a group of military officers who rule a country after seizing power junta clique, coterie, ingroup, inner circle, camp, pack - an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose kidnapped, tortured and murdered citizens at will. Many great stories have been told about The Disappeared, the victims whose fates weren't learned for years afterward, if ever. And at least one great movie, the Oscar-winning ``The Official Story,'' has been built around a child of The Disappeared. But that film focused on an adoptive mother discovering her daughter's terrible provenance. ``Cautiva'' comes from the opposite point of view: It's about a teenage girl whose true past is dropped upon her like a bomb. The movie, written and directed by Gaston Biraben, is sensitive and deliberate, and fully comprehends what such a shattering revelation would do to an otherwise happy young girl. It's also dramatically turgid turgid /tur·gid/ (ter´jid) swollen and congested. tur·gid adj. Swollen or distended, as from a fluid; bloated; tumid. turgid swollen and congested. , and perhaps depends too much on audiences being as shocked by its every new disclosure as its uncomprehending heroine is. Young Barbara Lombardo proves herself a natural film actor -- she instinctively knows just how much emotion to give the camera, in a role that could easily have devolved into sustained hysteria -- as Cristina Quadri (or so she thinks). Doted dote intr.v. dot·ed, dot·ing, dotes To show excessive fondness or love: parents who dote on their only child. [Middle English doten. on by her retired cop (uh oh) father (Osvaldo Santoro) and loving mom (Silvia Bayle), Cristina refuses to believe it when a judge (Hugo Arana) summons her to his chambers and introduces her to Elisa (the late Susana Campos Campos (käm`p s), city (1996 pop. 391,299), Rio de Janeiro state, SE Brazil, on the Paraíba River near its mouth. ), a grandmother she never knew she had. Gradually -- too gradually -- the truth about the girl's past emerges, and she ricochets between denial and acceptance. Her adoptive parents adoptive parents Social medicine Persons who lawfully adopt children, who are generally married couples but may be single persons, including homosexuals; most APs are married choose obfuscation ob·fus·cate tr.v. ob·fus·cat·ed, ob·fus·cat·ing, ob·fus·cates 1. To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand: "A great effort was made . . . , which is pretty cruel when you think about it, but their love for her never really comes into question. Matters finally liven up Verb 1. liven up - make lively; "let's liven up this room a bit" liven, enliven, invigorate, animate energize, perk up, energise, stimulate, arouse, brace - cause to be alert and energetic; "Coffee and tea stimulate me"; "This herbal infusion doesn't , if you can call it that, in the third act. Biraben somehow manages to stage a crucial conversation between two showering girls, and flashbacks to a heartbreaking heart·break·ing adj. 1. Causing overwhelming grief or distress. 2. Producing a strong emotional reaction: heartbreaking loveliness. birth can't help but stir tears. At every step, ``Cautiva'' is a noble, thoughtful effort. Too bad it's so often a dull one. Bob Strauss, (818) 713-3670 bob.strauss@dailynews.com CAUTIVA - Two and one half stars (Not rated: nudity, language, graphic childbirth) Starring: Barbara Lombardo, Susana Campos, Osvaldo Santoro, Silvia Bayle, Mercedes Funes. Director: Gaston Biraben. Running time: 1 hr. 53 min. In a nutshell: Argentinian teenager finds out she was adopted when her real parents were disappeared. Interesting story, tediously presented. In Spanish with English subtitles sub·ti·tle n. 1. A secondary, usually explanatory title, as of a literary work. 2. A printed translation of the dialogue of a foreign-language film shown at the bottom of the screen. tr.v. . CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Cristina Quadri (Barbara Lombardo) has no idea she was adopted and that her birth parents disappeared in Argentina's Dirty War -- until she is summoned to the chambers of a judge (Hugo Arana) and introduced to the grandmother she never knew in ``Cautiva.'' |
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