''Clandestine Childhood'' ( es, link=no, Infancia clandestina) is a 2011 Argentine
historical drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
directed by
Benjamín Ávila
Benjamín Akoto Asamoah (born 4 January 1994) is a Ghanaian footballer who plays for Cypriot club Doxa as a midfielder.
Club career
Born in Accra, Benjamín arrived at the youth academy of Atlético Madrid from the Rayo Majadahonda counterpar ...
and starring
Natalia Oreiro
Natalia Marisa Oreiro Iglesias (; born 19 May 1977) is a Uruguayan actress, singer, songwriter, model, television presenter and fashion designer. Oreiro began her career in telenovelas. Since 2008 she has switched to work primarily in films. O ...
,
Ernesto Alterio
Ernesto Federico Alterio Bacaicoa (born 25 September 1970) is an Argentine-Spanish film, theatre, and television actor.
Early life
Alterio is the son of psychologist Modesta Ángela Bacaicoa Destéfano and actor Héctor Alterio Onorato. His ...
and
César Troncoso.
Critically acclaimed, the film won ten awards from the
Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences
The Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences ( es, Academia de las Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas de la Argentina - AACCA) is an industry association in Argentina founded in 2004. Each year the Academy present the '' Premios Sur'' ...
and five awards from the
Argentine Film Critics Association, including the
Silver Condor
The Argentine Film Critics Association ( es, Asociación de Cronistas Cinematográficos de la Argentina) is an organization of Argentine-based journalists and correspondents. The association presents the ''Silver Condor Awards'' (''Premios Cóndor ...
Award for Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress. It was Argentina's submission for the 2013
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film to be presented in February 2013 at the
85th Academy Awards
The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p. ...
, but it did not make the final shortlist.
Synopsis
The story is set in the
Dirty War
The Dirty War ( es, Guerra sucia) is the name used by the military junta or civic-military dictatorship of Argentina ( es, dictadura cívico-militar de Argentina, links=no) for the period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983 as ...
time period and during Argentina's
last military dictatorship (1976-1983). A married couple of
guerrilla soldiers from
Montoneros are living in
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
with their two children. With the help of "Uncle Beto", they forge new identities and return to the country in 1979, with the aim of taking part in the leftist counteroffensive against the
military junta
A military junta () is a government led by a committee of military leaders. The term ''junta'' means "meeting" or "committee" and originated in the national and local junta organized by the Spanish resistance to Napoleon's invasion of Spain in ...
. The events are narrated from the point of view of Juan, one of the couple's children.
Cast
*
Natalia Oreiro
Natalia Marisa Oreiro Iglesias (; born 19 May 1977) is a Uruguayan actress, singer, songwriter, model, television presenter and fashion designer. Oreiro began her career in telenovelas. Since 2008 she has switched to work primarily in films. O ...
as Cristina, alias Charo
*
Ernesto Alterio
Ernesto Federico Alterio Bacaicoa (born 25 September 1970) is an Argentine-Spanish film, theatre, and television actor.
Early life
Alterio is the son of psychologist Modesta Ángela Bacaicoa Destéfano and actor Héctor Alterio Onorato. His ...
as Uncle Beto
*
César Troncoso as Horacio, alias Daniel
*
Teo Gutiérrez Romero as Juan, alias Ernesto Estrada
*
Cristina Banegas as Grandmother Amalia
*
Douglas Simon as Gregorio
*
Violeta Palukas as María
*
Marcelo Mininno
*
Mayana Neiva as Carmen
Production
The film is based on director
Benjamín Ávila
Benjamín Akoto Asamoah (born 4 January 1994) is a Ghanaian footballer who plays for Cypriot club Doxa as a midfielder.
Club career
Born in Accra, Benjamín arrived at the youth academy of Atlético Madrid from the Rayo Majadahonda counterpar ...
's childhood; his mother was affiliated with the Montoneros and disappeared during the last military dictatorship.
The actors spent several days with former Montoneros, to understand both the sociopolitical context of the time and the daily life of Montoneros partisans.
Natalia Oreiro
Natalia Marisa Oreiro Iglesias (; born 19 May 1977) is a Uruguayan actress, singer, songwriter, model, television presenter and fashion designer. Oreiro began her career in telenovelas. Since 2008 she has switched to work primarily in films. O ...
took part in the film before getting pregnant. She found that portraying the character was a difficult task, as the director wanted her to be both sweet and aggressive. Both Oreiro and co-star
Ernesto Alterio
Ernesto Federico Alterio Bacaicoa (born 25 September 1970) is an Argentine-Spanish film, theatre, and television actor.
Early life
Alterio is the son of psychologist Modesta Ángela Bacaicoa Destéfano and actor Héctor Alterio Onorato. His ...
criticized the tone of the film, pointing out that the parents exposed their children to situations that threatened their lives, and although the script does not explicitly condone the actions of the Montoneros, it is not critical of them, either.
Natalia Oreiro is married to
Ricardo Mollo, vocalist and lead guitar of the Rock band
Divididos
Divididos ("Divided") is an Argentine rock band.[El Polaco Goyeneche fue el pri ...](_blank)
. Benjamín Ávila invited the band to provide the soundtrack if they liked the film. Although he does not appear on screen, Mollo played the guitar during a scene with Oreiro singing a song by the tango artist
Enrique Santos Discépolo
Enrique Santos Discépolo (''Discepolín'') (27 March 1901 – 23 December 1951) was an Argentine tango and milonga musician and composer, author of famous tangos like ''Cambalache'' and many others performed by several of the most important si ...
.
Reception
The film was ranked as the 8th most seen film in Argentina at the premiere. As of September 2012, the film was sold to 20 countries.
Accolades
The film was submitted by the
Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences
The Argentine Academy of Cinematography Arts and Sciences ( es, Academia de las Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas de la Argentina - AACCA) is an industry association in Argentina founded in 2004. Each year the Academy present the '' Premios Sur'' ...
to compete for the
Best Foreign Language Oscar at the
85th Academy Awards
The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p. ...
. It prevailed over ''
El último Elvis
EL, El or el may refer to:
Religion
* El (deity), a Semitic word for "God"
People
* EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer
* El DeBarge, music artist
* El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American ...
'' by a single vote,
however the film did not receive a nomination.
See also
*
*
References
External links
Official website*
*
*
Infancia Clandestina' at Distribution Company website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clandestine Childhood
2011 films
2011 romantic drama films
Brazilian romantic drama films
Dirty War films
Films set in Argentina
Films set in the 1970s
2010s Spanish-language films
Spanish romantic drama films
Argentine romantic drama films
2010s Argentine films