Storyline A working-class man named Marcos and his wife kidnap a baby for ransom money, but it goes tragically wrong when the infant dies. In another world is Ana, the daughter of the general for whom he drives, who does sexual acts to any man for pleasure. Marcos confesses his guilt to her in his troubled search for relief, and then finds himself on his knees amid the multitude of believers moving slowly toward the Basilica in honor of the Lady of Guadalupe.
Cast: Marcos Hernández
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Marcos
Anapola Mushkadiz
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Ana
Bertha Ruiz
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Marcos' Wife
David Bornstein
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Jaime
Rosalinda Ramirez
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Viky
El Abuelo
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Chief of Police
Brenda Angulo
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Madame
El Mago
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Preacher
Francisco 'El Gato' Martínez
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Gas Station Attendant
Diego Martínez Vignatti
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Soccer Player
Alejandro Mayar
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Police Inspector
Chavo Nava
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Neurotic Conductor
Estela Tamariz
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Ines
Ernesto Veláquez
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Entrevistador Cancha
Filming Locations: Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
Box Office Details
Budget: €1,601,792
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $25,306
(USA)
(19 February 2006)
(2 Screens)
Gross: $70,899
(USA)
(25 June 2006)
Technical Specs
Runtime:|
Brazil:
(director's cut)
|
Argentina:
(Mar del Plata Film Festival)
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Writer/director Carlos Reygadas shot crowded street scenes in the middle of real crowds. Cameraman Diego Martínez Vignatti sat in a wheelchair and they just pushed him through everyone. Luckily, no one who passed by looked into the camera lens.
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible:
During the scene where Ana and Marcos are making love, as the camera pans out, a crew member's reflection can be seen in the window.
User Review
Refreshing (and realistic) proposal for Mexican directors
Rating: 8/10
As a Mexican, it is very exciting for me to find new proposals for
Mexican modern films.
Unfortunately, must of the current Mexican movies are taking the same
Hollywood recipe: beautiful actors, violence, soundtracks of well known
Latin groups... Batalla en el Cielo does not follow this. The director,
Carlos Reygadas, is a person that really wants to show what he has in
mind, and does not care about considering distracting elements for
having a greater impact in the audience.
I am against the use of sex for attracting audience to a film. However,
I really think that some (not all) of the sex scenes of this movie were
really part of the story. Also, showing sex as it is (not always as
idealistic and esthetic as Hollywood has taught us) is an interesting
proposal!
I consider that one of the main achievements of this movies is to show
many cultural traits of my country:
-The view of the Catholic religion as a resource to erase the mistakes
one has made: "you can do whatever you want, don't worry about the
effects because God will always help you"
-The notorious gap between rich and poor people: when Ana refers to
Jaime's servant as "la gata" in such a despective -but common- way.
-The double morale managed by Mexican: how can a prostitute, as Ana,
can be a moral leader over Marcos's acts?
-The informal commerce (Marcos and his wife sold merchandise in the
subway).
-The love for soccer (what can I say about that, if I love it?)
-Cheating on your partner
-The lifestyle in Mexico City, with its traffic jams, way people behave
in the subway, neurotic people, kidnaps.
All the issues above are part of the Mexican life.
Personally, I consider the following opportunity areas:
-Not all the music that was used was OK. Sometimes it was too "belic"
for me , but at least it is according to the scenes and most of it does
not follow the marketing intentions to make you buy a soundtrack
-The audio quality should have been improved (it was not easy to
understand, even for people used to the way people from Mexico City
speak!)
-Some (very few!) parts were too slow... but considering Reygadas's
style, I might think that it is part of his professional charm.
I like to see a different proposal. I would recommend this film to
people that, at the time that they leave the theater, really want to
think about human nature, rather than thinking if it was an erotic or
violent film.
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