Daniel & Ana

Daniel and Ana's parents are so good at pretending they live in Manhattan that they have forgotten the real Mexico roaring at their back. Their luxurious white home is sterile and their parenting skills are nil. So when their children are violated, they just don't get it. The young people struggle on as best they can, but the task of coming to terms with events is too much for 16 year old Daniel, who collapses under the influence of a toxic mix of trauma, hormones and fantasy. Everything in this world is for sale - Ana's love for her fiance is expressed in the materialistic act of choosing a wedding dress, Daniel's parents show their love by giving him a car,and a young person's innocence is worth exactly what it will fetch on the porn market. In misery, Daniel turns not to his family, but to a professional psychologist, who happens not to be available; when his mother despairs, all she can do is threaten him with psycho-analysis. Dario Yazbek plays Daniel with quiet intensity and a beautiful touch of enigma - Marimar Vega's performance is occasionally superficial, and at times the editing is clumsy -however,this is a remarkable film, which though undeniably disturbing, should make everybody involved with young people stop for a moment and check their priorities.

The movie is about two siblings who fall prey to criminals. They are forced to have sex with each other, before the camera. The criminals tape the scene, leave the devastated siblings - and Ana and Daniel never hear a single word anymore from them, no nothing. Fine might you say, they had fun and didn't need to pay a dam, she's on the pill anyway and could give her virgin brother a hand.... However, this isn't. It is rape, and even if we do not believe in eternal damanation in hell anymore (at least, I do not) it is still shocking to be forced to share the most intimate with a relative, the more in this case: A very close relative. It is even more than shocking, it rocks the ground for Daniel who seem too loose track completely. Ana takes it easier, it seems - but in her meeting with the therapist she breaks down completely. The movie clearly shows what happens to rape victims, even if they are so closely related. It is a good movie and the sexual content is bearable.

Ok

This movie had a shocking theme. Kidnapping a Hispanic post-teen brother and sister in Mexico, and forcing them to perform sex, while the kidnappers videotaped the act. Then the siblings are returned, unharmed, to resume their lives. They never know their kidnappers, or see them again, or the sex tape. But the experience destroys their bonded relationship. Verrrrry titilating topic, and somewhat graphic in two short scenes, but then the movie slowly dies, having used-up its shock value in one or two 5 minute scenes. The topic had immense potential, but it never amounted to much after the graphic scenes. We expect the siblings to snap-back to loving and caring for one another, but just the opposite happens. They avoid one another, until the sister marries, and moves away. Not a "Family" movie. And don't watch it with your sister either, unless you are trying to put thoughts in her head. The end of the movie, the intention is to notify the viewer that this practice of kidnapping Females, Siblings, or Children in Mexico for enrichment in the Porno Industry, is not uncommon. Whether it is, or not, I cannot say. But the movie was adequate enough to demonstrate the issue.

I'm researching behavior , my thoughts on this film are that, one ,with impressionable youth it is more likely to create a predator then support a lesson or moral to the story , two ,aggression against women is fostered by sexual desire that is stimulaed by violence either for them or against them , in my estimation this film appeals to the darker side of man and should not be seen by man or beast for the former will become the latter more than likely after seeing it .

In the initial scenes of this movie, we are introduced to a number of characters in Mexico City. Ana Torres, a young woman in her late teens or early twenties, is getting married in three months, and is the center of attention. Her fiance, Rafa, wants to move to Spain after the wedding to accept a job offer, but Ana is too close to her family to consider it. Ana's younger brother Daniel has a girlfriend, Mariana, but he claims to have had limited or no sexual contact with her to date. However, an unexpected and tragic turn of events leads to Daniel's first sexual encounter being not with Mariana but with Ana. Daniel and Ana are out shopping for Ana's wedding and are kidnapped at gunpoint. After driving them to an abandoned house, the gunmen make their demands clear. Ana and Daniel must have sexual intercourse on camera, apparently for a pornographic film the gunmen are shooting, or die along with their family. Left with no real choice, Daniel and Ana reluctantly agree, and a long sex scene follows. After the shoot is over, the gunmen release Ana and Daniel without physical harm. The remainder of the movie deals with Daniel and Ana's attempts to deal with the aftermath of the trauma they have endured. Both initially withdraw into themselves, telling no one anything about what has happened. Eventually, however, Ana begins to take steps to put her life back together, whereas Daniel starts down an increasingly disturbing path. The strength of this movie is the way it deals with a very difficult subject, one I'm not aware of any other filmmaker trying to tackle. It is apparently based on a true story and, even if it is not, events similar to what are shown here have definitely happened in many countries. The way in which events play out seem very realistic to me with the possible exception of some of the final scenes involving Daniel.

The quality isn't amazing and the subtitles are a bit big but it didn't take long into the movie before I stopped noticing. The film itself is very depressing but it makes you think about things that really do happen. It was acted to perfection. It's not a film you wanna watch over and over but it's good for a once in awhile watch. Giving five stars because it came quick and the dvd was in great condition!

This could have been an interesting, disturbing and erotic film. It was none of these. Not interesting, because there was no real character study. The shocking part happens too early in the film. The shocking part was not even filmed well. There is no time to relate to the characters. It was not disturbing, because the criminals and the crime have no build-up. The actual crime had no build-up, so it seemed pedantic. There is no resolution of any kind, except to motivate the Ana character to move to another country with her husband. The storytelling should have been done more through the edit process, but I guess there was not enough footage to work with. This is a story that should maybe have had a noirish feel to it. Something that illustrated how dangerous and disturbed the criminals were. There should have been more scenes of the actual crimes they were commiting, so that when Daniel & Ana became victims, it would have had more impact. There should have been more of an emphasis on the fact that maybe there was an attraction, or curiousity between Daniel & Ana. This would have made the inevitable crime more ironic. Perhaps, showing more eroticism in the fact that Daniel & Ana enjoyed what happened to them. THAT would keep them from reporting this crime to the police and THAT would have made for more of an emotional impact. I think this movie was made for shock value rather than a deeply moving and unforgettable film. I don't think the filmmaker went far enough in plot, character or eroticism.