''Crónicas'' ("chronicles") is a 2004

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

ian thriller film, written and directed by Sebastián Cordero. The film was produced by, among others,

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...

, director of '' Pan's Labyrinth'', and

Alfonso Cuarón Alfonso Cuarón Orozco ( ; ; born 28 November 1961) is a Mexican filmmaker. List of awards and nominations received by Alfonso Cuarón, His accolades include four Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and seven BAFTA Awards. Cuarón made h ...

, director of '' Children of Men''. It was screened in the

Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...

section at the

2004 Cannes Film Festival The 57th Cannes Film Festival took place from 12 to 23 May 2004. American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino served as jury president for the main competition. While American filmmaker Michael Moore won the Palme d'Or for the documentary film '' Fahrenh ...

Overview

Set in rural

, the movie follows a television journalist named Manolo Bonilla (played by

John Leguizamo John Alberto Leguizamo Peláez (, ; ; born July 22, 1960 or 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and film producer. He has appeared in more than 100 films, produced more than 20 films and documentaries, made more than 30 televisio ...

) as he investigates the rape and murder of children in the area. The film also stars Leonor Watling and José María Yazpik as Manolo's producer and

cameraman A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not necessarily imply that a male is performing the task. ...

, respectively. The film was the official

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

selection from

in the Best Foreign Language category.

Plot summary

After traveling to a small village in

, Miami tabloid news reporter Manolo Bonilla (Leguizamo) witnesses the death of a local boy after Vinicio Cepeda, a traveling

salesman Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. A period during which goods are sold for a reduced price may also be referred ...

, hits the boy with his pickup truck. When Cepeda attempts to back his truck away from the boy, a mob, led by the boy's father, Don Lucho, pulls him from his car, severely beats him, and sets him on fire before the local authorities intervene. After both men are arrested, Cepeda is examined at the jail infirmary and taken to his cell where, later that night, he is attacked by Don Lucho and severely injured. The next morning Manolo Bonilla comes to the prison to

interview An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers.Merriam Webster DictionaryInterview Dictionary definition, Retrieved February 16, 2016 In common parlance, the word "interview" re ...

the men involved. After agreeing to an interview alongside Cepeda, Lucho attacks Cepeda a second time and is taken away. The interview with Cepeda is cancelled due to concerns about Manolo's safety; however, before the reporter leaves, Cepeda notifies him that he has information on the Monster of Babahoyo, a notorious murderer and rapist in the area, and tells him the location where one of the murderer's victims, a nine-year-old girl, is buried. Manolo agrees to interview Cepeda and attempts to free him from prison in exchange for information about the murders. Later that evening Manolo and his cameraman Ivan drive to the location Cepeda mentioned and dig up a shallow grave, indeed containing the body of a small girl. Over the following days Manolo begins interviewing Cepeda, as well as Cepeda's wife, son, and babysitter. While interviewing Cepeda, Manolo begins to suspect that Cepeda is, in fact, the Monster of Babahoyo and using him to exonerate himself. After Manolo attempts to get Cepeda to incriminate himself, Cepeda tells him to leave and never come back. Manolo then informs Cepeda that the interview which would free him will not be aired. Manolo calls the authorities and tells them that he had been receiving anonymous calls about the location of the girl's grave. He discovers circumstantial evidence placing Cepeda at the locations of the murders on the dates they occurred; however, despite Manolo's request, the news agency airs Cepeda's interviews which help set Cepeda free. After being interviewed by authorities, Manolo and his crew return to Cepeda's home in search of him only to find that he left his pregnant wife alone at their house and took their son to school before leaving the area. Manolo is offered his own show on the news network and, after deciding against turning over the evidence to the police, the team arrives at the airport and parts ways.

Cast

as Manolo Bonilla * Leonor Watling as Marisa Iturralde * Damián Alcázar as Vinicio Cepeda * José María Yazpik as Iván Suárez *

Alfred Molina Alfred Molina (born Alfredo Molina; 24 May 1953) is a British and American actor. He is known for his leading roles and character actor roles on the stage and screen. In a career spanning over five decades he has received a Drama Desk Award ...

as Victor Hugo Puentes * Henry Layana as Don Lucho *

Tamara Navas Tamara may refer to: People * Tamara (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Tamara Macarena Valcárcel Serrano, Spanish singer, also known mononymously as Tamara * Tamara, another stage name of Spanish ...

as Doña Etelvina * Washington Garzón as Joseph Juan * Rosa Alina Ortiz as Amiga Don Lucho * Raymundo Zambrano as Cura * Camilo Luzuriaga as Capitán Bolivar Rojas * Peki Andino as Sargento Saltos (as Peky Andino) * Luiggi Pulla as Robert

Awards

''Crónicas'' was Ecuador's submission to the

77th Academy Awards The 77th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. Durin ...

for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee.

References

External links