Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Elián

Play trailer Poster for Elián Released May 19, 2017 1h 48m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 15 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
A 5-year-old Cuban boy is found floating at sea, triggering a bitter custody battle between his Cuban father and relatives in Miami.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Elián

Critics Reviews

View All (15) Critics Reviews
Robert Abele Los Angeles Times Your sympathy and judgment coexist, no matter how wince-inducing it gets with each turbulent turn. Context is everything here. Jun 1, 2017 Full Review Frank Scheck The Hollywood Reporter For the most part the film chronicles the complex tale cogently and effectively, using extensive archival footage as well as contemporary interviews that help put the events in context. May 15, 2017 Full Review Fionnuala Halligan Screen International It's not exactly revelatory, in the manner of OJ: MIA. But it does effectively plunge the viewer back in those choppy seas for an object lesson in how politics can rapidly inflame a situation to dangerous levels. May 15, 2017 Full Review Erica Peplin Vague Visages It’s a miracle that Golden and McDonnell were able to create such a coherent document out of what appears to be bureaucratic chaos. Dec 5, 2023 Full Review Phil Guie Film-Forward.com The film isn't just about Elián as a political prop, as directors Tim Golden and Ross McDonnell also recall the round-the-clock media frenzy that developed around him. Rated: 4/5 Mar 21, 2019 Full Review Glenn Heath Jr. San Diego CityBeat Captures the simmering tension of this historical moment. It meticulously weaves together talking head interviews and archival footage to provide contextual groundwork for a larger conversation about the complicated nature of Cuban/American relations. Aug 21, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (3) audience reviews
StephenPaul C The greatest 01 hour: and 48 minutes of real Cuban relatives in Miami, including the 5-year-old boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/11/23 Full Review Audience Member Powerful Documentary! "Had the Elian event been handled better, we might not have had the Iraq war," - Joe Garcia, Former U.S. Congressman Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review dave d 'Elian' is entertaining, but unfortunately it will be frustrating in many respects. First of all, it wanders off the story which based on the title is the Cuban Elian Gonzalez. Gonzalez was taken to America by his mother who died on the journey. The rest is condensed and well-told. What should make this special is that it has exclusive interviews with not only Elian, but also his American and Cuban families. Sadly, Elian doesn't say what we'd like him to say and that's going to turn a lot of viewers off. Also I wonder how much he repeated talking points. They didn't use much footage of him in the present day and what they did was very surface information. It was edited so we even heard him repeating himself. We'll never know the whole truth about the whole ordeal, but if you remember the drama it's a journey down memory lane. If you don't recall the story it's also a worthwhile watch. Final Score: 6.8/10 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Elián

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Transformer 100% 87% Transformer Watchlist TRAILER for Transformer Alt-Right: Age of Rage 88% 54% Alt-Right: Age of Rage Watchlist TRAILER for Alt-Right: Age of Rage Half the Picture 100% 69% Half the Picture Watchlist TRAILER for Half the Picture Dr. Feelgood: Dealer or Healer? 83% 48% Dr. Feelgood: Dealer or Healer? Watchlist The Anthropologist 100% 74% The Anthropologist Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A 5-year-old Cuban boy is found floating at sea, triggering a bitter custody battle between his Cuban father and relatives in Miami.
Director
Ross McDonnell, Tim Golden
Producer
Trevor Birney
Screenwriter
Tim Golden
Distributor
Gravitas Ventures
Production Co
Gravitas Ventures
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 19, 2017, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jun 2, 2017
Runtime
1h 48m
Most Popular at Home Now