Casa de los babys

CASA DE LOS BABYS (2003) **** Daryl Hannah, Marcia Gay Harden, mary Steenburgen, Lili Taylor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Susan Lynch, Rita Moreno, Pedro Armendariz Jr., Bruno Bichir, Angelina Pelaez, Vanessa Martinez, Juan Carlos Vives, Miguel Rodarte, David Hevia, Martha Higareda, Tony Marcin, Lourdes Echevarria, Blanca Loaria, Guillermo Ivan Duenas. John Sayles continues to be one of Americas' best and original independent filmmakers in this warm, funny and at times poignant look at the adoption process at a South American clinic attended by six disparate women - all eager and emotionally at odds - awaiting their turn to return home with their new infant. Sayles - who, as always, wrote, directed & edited - skillfully weaves a complicated tapestry of social, political and humane themes concurrent and enables his fine crop of acting talent each a moment to shine (in particular Hannah, Lynch and Martinez) of the heartbreaking stories they each share in the one ultimate goal: happiness. One of the year's best films.

Once again John Sayles reveals that people and the land are one. That issues that face a region are inseparable from their culture. Or in this case, a clash of cultures. Sayles weaves a tale of co-dependence between rich and poor, love and need, power and abuse. He lets you feel and think but reminds you that life isn't comfortable. That choice is involved and that responsibility and compassion, or the lack of either, carries life-altering consequences.

Six American women have traveled to a South American country in order to adopt a baby. They are housed at a hotel for several months as the process takes some time. One of the them is a health nut who lost three babies of her own. Two wealthy ones are determined to adopt for their husbands' sakes and three single women long for the chance to become parents. Intermingled with their stories are tales of the mostly hapless natives of the country. There is a pregnant teen who is a shame to her mother, a young housekeeper who had to give her own baby up for adoption in order to support her family, and a young man with a dream to go to the United States and become wealthy. In other words, the story is tantalizing. Who, if any, will benefit from the situation? The story here is first rate. Human nature is shown at its best and at its absolute worst (Marcia Gay Harden's character is certainly one of the most despicable persons ever put on screen). Countries must make difficult choices for economic reasons and children are thus reduced, to some extent, to being commodities. The last scene of the movie is a stunner, summarizing the film in a heart-wrenching conclusion. Although the pace is slow, those who stick with this film will be both rewarded by it's scope and distraught over it's contents. Movie viewers who love films with merit and bite will find this one a top choice.

Desperate American women, unable to bear children, wait for months at a hotel in Mexico, in order to adopt babies.

Meanwhile, homeless and apparently parent less or unwanted children sleep in cardboard shelters and roam the streets, stealing and washing windows for survival, while one young woman reminisces about the baby she gave up, and another, pregnant and 15 years old, is on the path to giving up her baby.

This is a very affecting movie. It presents the situation, prompts us to ask the questions, but there are no answers.

The characters were interesting, and the performances are compelling. Rita Moreno, especially, was wonderful as the hotel owner.

The genius of this film is exactly the characteristic that many here have criticized it for: it contradicts itself all over the place and ends abruptly with no resolution. What possible resolution could you expect? Adoption is an inherently troubling phenomenon. It always involves awkward intersections of race and class, opportunity and the lack thereof, sex and sexism, law and morals. I found this film to be deeply troubling in all the ways it should be, due to the topic.

I think Sayles did a brilliant job bringing together a number of very believable characters and just showing them to us for 90-some odd minutes. All have their contradictions, and none clearly speaks some unambiguous authorial opinion. The son of the hotel owner mouths his leftist analysis with his buddies, but is really a drunken loser. Rita Moreno, through her frustration with her husband's politics, voices the frustration of so many women: politics is one thing, but who'll take care of the kids? And of course, the reverse is implied as well: kids are one thing, but who'll take care of the politics? You can go through each of the characters and seem some inherent pull in opposite directions.

I loved that none of the characters is entirely sympathetic, except perhaps the three homeless boys. They are all complicated and corrupted by a complicated and corrupt world that places a premium on babies and motherhood, but only under the "right" circumstances for the right women and the right kids.

I was very grateful that there was no real closure at the end, and that all Sayles had to say was that, despite all, both the least sympathetic and the most sympathetic of the potential moms were about to leave with babies.

Anyone who cares about kids and women should see this movie. And certainly anyone who is considering adoption (domestic or international -- either way, it's all the same issues) should see it. In sum, a very thought-provoking movie.

P.S. -- Did I mention the incredible soundtrack?