Clandestine Childhood 2011

Clandestine Childhood 2011
Infancia clandestina (original title)
Not Rated | 1h 52min | Drama | 20 September 2012 (Argentina)

Storyline:

Juan lives in clandestinity. Just like his mum, his dad and his adored uncle Beto, outside his home he has another name. At school, Juan is known as Ernesto. And he meets María, who only has one name. Based on true facts, set in the Argentina of 1979, this film is “one about love”.

User review:

It’s 1979, Argentina. 12 year old Juan and his family returns after their exile in Cuba. They are guerrillas hunted by the military junta. Juan hides his true identity to everyone including his friends at school where they know him as Ernesto.

It’s an Argentinian film with the potential of compelling characters. For a film of paranoia, we need to feel it much more. The filmmaking style is slow paced. It needs a lot more energy, and I’m not advocating some big action scene. There’s got to be more intensity in this story.

The kids do good work. I like their characters. Their scenes have the intensity I’m talking about. I actually think the adults don’t contribute as much. This feels like a lesser ‘Running on Empty’. I do like the animation to break up some of the violence. It works well as from a child’s point of view. Overall it tells an interesting story.

Director: Benjamín Ávila
Writers: Benjamín Ávila (screenplay), Marcelo Müller (screenplay)
Stars: Ernesto Alterio, Natalia Oreiro, César Troncoso
Country: Argentina | Spain | Brazil
Language: Spanish | Portuguese
Release Date: 20 September 2012 (Argentina)
Also Known As: Clandestine Childhood
Filming Locations: Burzaco, Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina