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Lion's Den

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Lion's Den

Released Jul 3, 2009

1h 53m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

72%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In the hazy morning after a threesome, expectant mother Julia Zárate (Martina Gusmán) finds her partner dead in her flat, and his fling, Ramiro (Rodrigo Santoro), badly injured. Police arrive on the scene and promptly throw Julia behind bars, where she awaits trial. As her pregnancy progresses, Julia sinks into a deep depression. But she sheds her quiet, defeated demeanor when the eventual birth of her son, Tomás (Tomás Plotinsky), gives her a reason to live.

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Critics Consensus

Martina Gusmán gives a feral performance in the Lion's Den, a gripping prison drama so real even the camera perspires behind bars.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Frustratingly, the film tells us little about the crime itself and the denouement is a little unconvincing. The taste of sweat and fear is, however, real enough.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 26, 2010

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Tim Robey

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Real inmates are extras, real cells provide the scenery: it has the desperate vitality of something barely made-up.

Rated: 4/4

Mar 25, 2010

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Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

Less than the sum of its parts? Yes. Nice parts? Yes.

Rated: 3/5

Mar 25, 2010

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Diego Batlle

Otroscines.com

Any minimal reproach that can be made to the film is easily overlooked by the narrative power... [Full review in Spanish]

Aug 18, 2023

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Diego Brodersen

Otroscines.com

Lion's Den is the film by a team -actress and director- who fully trusts the material at hand, building, unlike few recent Argentine films, an absolute emotional empathy with the protagonist. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 18, 2023

Full Review

Juan Pablo Russo

EscribiendoCine

As a voyeur and in Italian neorealistic fashion, Trapero follows the characters with narrative agility rarely seen in national cinema. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 8/10

Jul 31, 2023

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Vítor Pimentel de Oliveira V

Extremely visceral work... this movie is a punch in your face, with an absolutely mesmerizing work by Martina Gusmán in the main role. Definitely a must-see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/21/25

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Audience Member

This film is so well done, so realistically made, it took more than half the film to see something too impossible to be recorded as it happened. The acting is fabulous. The story is connecting. The feelings are true. The outcome we though was automatic, is not. It is like following the course of a newly formed river. We guess it's path toward lower ground and all flows naturally until an effort is made to direct the river a little made it go a completely different path. When we reflect on it, we see that the river was working her own path toward the open ocean, not toward the inland lake/ocean.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

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Audience Member

Very emotional movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

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Audience Member

wow ummm just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch......its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie......i think that Leonardo Sauma, Laura Garcia, Rodrigo Santoro, Eli Medeiros, Martina Gusman, play good roles/parts throughout this movie......i think that the director of this art house/inter national/drama movie had done a great job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie.......its got a good soundtrack throughout this movie,......i think that this is such a really powerful drama movie 2 watch it is such a really enjoyable drama movie 2 watch it is such a really sad movie 2 watch.......i think that this is such a really sad movie 2 watch it is such a really difficult movie 2 watch as it is such a really sad movie 2 watch its got a good soundtrack throughout this movie.......i think that this is such a really difficult movie 2 watch it is such a superb movie 2 watch it is a really well written/acted/directed movie 2 watch its got a great cast throughout this movie it is such a really sad movie 2 watch but its such a stunningly beautiful movie 2 watch its got a great cast throughout this movie its so really well directed movie 2 watch its got a great cast throughout this movie.....

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

Thoughtful piece on the person, incarceration and motherhood.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Audience Member

Powerful story of a woman trying to raise her child while in prison.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

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Pablo Trapero

Director

Martina Gusmán

Julia

Elli Medeiros

Sofia

Rodrigo Santoro

Ramiro

Laura García

Marta

Tomás Plotinsky

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Synopsis

In the hazy morning after a threesome, expectant mother Julia Zárate (Martina Gusmán) finds her partner dead in her flat, and his fling, Ramiro (Rodrigo Santoro), badly injured. Police arrive on the scene and promptly throw Julia behind bars, where she awaits trial. As her pregnancy progresses, Julia sinks into a deep depression. But she sheds her quiet, defeated demeanor when the eventual birth of her son, Tomás (Tomás Plotinsky), gives her a reason to live.

Director: Pablo Trapero
Producer: Suh Youngjoo, Pablo Trapero
Screenwriter: Alejandro Fadel, Martín Mauregui, Santiago Mitre, Pablo Trapero
Distributor: Strand Releasing
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 3, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 26, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.7K
Runtime: 1h 53m

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