Julia (2008 film)
| Julia | |
|---|---|
Film poster
|
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| Directed by | Erick Zonca |
| Produced by | Bertrand Faivre François Marquis |
| Written by | Michael Collins Camille Natta (adaptation) Erick Zonca (writer) Aude Py (co-writer) |
| Starring |
Tilda Swinton Aidan Gould Saul Rubinek Kate del Castillo |
| Music by | Pollard Berrier Darius Keeler |
| Cinematography | Yorick Le Saux |
| Edited by | Philippe Kotlarski |
| Distributed by |
Studio Canal (France) Magnolia Pictures (US) |
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Release date
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March 12, 2008 |
|
Running time
|
144 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | English Spanish |
| Budget | $6 million |
| Box office | $1,327,897 |
Julia is a 2008 French crime drama film, directed by Erick Zonca, starring Tilda Swinton. It was shot in California and Mexico. The film was inspired by the John Cassavetes film Gloria.
In California, an alcoholic named Julia (Tilda Swinton) is out of control, partying every night, and waking up in unknown homes with no memory of the previous night. Her reckless behavior costs her her job and she begins to go broke. She soon meets a mother, Elena (Kate del Castillo), at an AA meeting. Elena takes Julia into her apartment after finding her passed out on the pavement one night. The following morning Elena explains that she wants to kidnap her son Tom (Aidan Gould) from his wealthy grandfather and asks Julia to participate for $50,000. Julia declines, but after some time changes her mind. She visits an old friend to ask for his cooperation, but her offer is refused. She rides to the Mexican border, kidnaps the little boy and blackmails Elena's father-in-law for $2 million. The police discover her whereabouts and she flees, accidentally crashing her car through the wall dividing the United States and Mexico. There, the boy is kidnapped in turn by Mexican kidnappers. Her friend Mitch (Saul Rubinek) arrives in Mexico and gives Julia the ransom money. During the exchange, the Mexican kidnappers escape with the money, leaving the boy safely with Julia.
The film premiered in February 2008 Berlin Film Festival and received very positive reviews in Germany as well as in other European countries. David Gordon Smith, writing for Der Spiegel, called it "one of the most stylish movies" in the competition and referred to Tilda Swinton as an "unforgettable leading lady." Markus Zinsmaier, in Die Zeit, said the film was one of the highpoints of the festival and had high praise for Swinton. Immediately after its success in Berlin, the movie was widely distributed in Germany. The film was praised in the French press also and was called a "French film with English dialogue."L'Humanité felt that the film ought to have won the competition and that Swinton should have won for best actress. The Dutch press praised the movie also. Kevin Toma of Cinema.nl called the movie "uncompromising," of "recalcitrant, dizzying beauty." Another Dutch reviewer, Constant Hoogenbosch of Moviemachine was less positive, stating the movie was too long, but in the end was saved by Swinton's performance.
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