SYNOPSICS
En la ciudad sin límites (2002) is a Spanish,French movie. Antonio Hernández has directed this movie. Leonardo Sbaraglia,Fernando Fernán Gómez,Geraldine Chaplin,Ana Fernández are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2002. En la ciudad sin límites (2002) is considered one of the best Drama movie in India and around the world.
Victor is a man who gets to Paris to join his family around their seriously ill father, Max. As the chance of selling the family business begins to disrupt the family relationships, Victor is desperately asked for help by Max. What seems in the beginning mere delusions of an old man losing his mind, begin to show traces of some sort of real 'secret' that is troubling Max's last days. Victor decide to help his father to find that something (maybe just peace) he is searching for.
En la ciudad sin límites (2002) Trailers
En la ciudad sin límites (2002) Reviews
Intriguing and moving Spanish film set in Paris about a dark secret that affects a wealthy family
¨The city of no limits¨ is a beautiful story and haunting drama , dealing with a hidden truth . This is a co-production Argentina/Spain/France , being well paced , skillfully edited and suspenseful . It is plenty of thrills , intense drama , twists and turns and is pretty interesting . It talks about Victor (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a young who gets to Paris to unite his brothers (Roberto Alvarez , Alex Casanovas , Adriana Ozores , Ana Fernandez) and mother (Geraldine Chaplin) around their seriously ill daddy named Max (marvelous , as always , Fernando Fernan Gomez) . As the chance of selling the family business about pharmaceutic laboratory begins to disrupt the family relationships , Victor is desperately asked for help by Max . What seems in the beginning mere delusions of an old man losing his mind , begin to show clues of a strange secret may be true . Victor decides to help his dad to resolve that something he is searching for. Interesting Spanish film plenty of thrills , emotion , suspense , intrigue , plot twists and being pretty entertaining . The picture profits itself from a top-drawer plethora of players who give exacting interpretations . Suspenseful from start to finish and dealing with some sort of real 'secret' that is troubling Max/Fernando Fernan Gomez's last days , while Victor/Leonardo Sbaraglia is trying to find it out . Exciting and thought-provoking plot by Enrique Braso and the same filmmaker Antonio Hernandez that deservedly had Goya Award Winner best screenplay . Excellent support actors formed by a Spanish all-star-cast such as Ana Fernández as Carmen , Adriana Ozores as Pilar , Roberto Álvarez as Luis , Àlex Casanovas as Alberto , Mónica Estarreado as Beatriz ; furthermore , South American players as Leticia Bredice , Alfredo Alcón as Rancel and director Cameo , Antonio Hernández as friend of Rancel , although credited, may pass unnoticed. Special mention to wonderful musical score , Victor Reyes composes a thrilling and touching soundtrack that is one of the best parts of the film . Colorful and luxurious cinematography by Unax Mendia . The motion picture was stunningly directed by Antonio Hernandez . Antonio is a good craftsman , writer , producer and occasionally actor . Antonio Hernández -whose first film, 1979's F.E.N., is one of those never praised enough hidden masterpieces of Spanish cinema- is expert on all kind of genres , such as comedy ¨Apaga y Vamonos , Como Levantar 1000 Kilos , Menor de Males¨ , Historical , ¨Los Borgia¨ , and Thriller ¨ Oculto , Lisboa , The city of no limits¨. And he also directs TV series such as ¨Tarancon , Sofia and Dias sin Luz¨ . In ¨City of no limits¨ Antonio proves to be a very courageous auteur , shooting a magnificent picture .
Beautifully made
This is a movie with strong acting and a suspenseful intrigue that successfully peels open layer by layer to leave a sentiment of understanding and satisfaction to the attentive audience. "En la ciudad sin limites" is the story of a Spanish family (Madrid) who is gathered in Paris to support the 'pater familia' in his fight against a terminal illness. Family secrets and tense relations will surface and the dying old man, secretive as can be, will nonetheless give clues to what is really going on in the city without limits. This Spanish and Argentinian co-production is a testament to the collaboration of nations to produce top-notch film-making with an excellent cast, great directing, deep and compelling storytelling, and the power of a incredible cinematic experience. There are so many interesting stories intertwined that some will be left without clear answers, and this is particularly effective because of the care taken to flesh out believable flawed characters that make us attached and concerned about their lives. Lives that are no less complicated and problematic than our own. You will experience unexpected turns hand and hand with the characters and be able to not only relish the story and the denouement of the complex plot, but to appreciate this portray of the drives and constraints of men.
A thriller on feelings
An old man is dying of cancer in a hospital, but he has something to do first. He doesn't trust no one in his family (who has gathered around him in hospital) but his younger son, Victor, who just arrived from Argentina. He is the only one to notice that something's weird with his father... Hollywood-like thrillers are serving as a cover to introduce deep, human-relation movies to the public. We've seen it in Lantana for instance. The big misteries, the fantastic intrigues we've seen so many times in conventional American movies are here changed for feelings. Although the movie develops as a thriller, with its intrigues and misteries, at the end we see that there's no bigger mistery than human relationships. A very good way of wrapping a typical intimist European or Asian movie with an American-style thriller cover.
Emotion in the strangest places
"You must find the way out", declares the tagline. It's, with one simple look, referring to the movie's title; "The City of No Limits", and how to get away from it. That's how you would imagine, but it's much more complex. It's a way out of problems and situations involving a family A way to show what happens when a family is separated for a long time and meets again. I decided to watch this movie, mainly, because I saw Leticia Brédice's name somewhere. She's probably my favorite Argentinean actress and I love to see her in movies (because she also works in television). I considered that reason enough, but I was glad I found Leonardo Sbaraglia too. He's an excellent character actor that was born in Argentina but, like many others, tried luck in Spain and did many movies in both countries. "En la ciudad sin límites" is a co-production between Spain and Argentina This co-productions fail almost all the times, because the writers have to invent plot elements to set locations in any of those countries. But not this movie This movie is set mostly in France It includes characters living in Argentina, in Spain, but once the family is reunited, it's France. Director Antonio Hernández takes great advantage of this, and his camera travels through Paris' streets, from building to building, from house to house, from hotel to hotel; even when the main situations occur in a hospital floor Less, a hospital room. In this room, Max (Fernando Fernán Gómez) is dying and this joins the whole family together. Spanish and French words are spoken all over by different and peculiar characters; in an objective demonstration of how life goes round and round. It happens with my family today. I have family in France, in Peru, in Venezuela, in Argentina Sometimes it happens that events join us. I won't expand on the things that all the characters experience (each of them has at least one magical moment); because in the end, even when there's a main event, there's a treatment and for every person of the family That's what the movie makes us watch and hear. Víctor (Leonardo Sbaraglia) is Max's son and has to secretly help him find a person, Rancel (Alfredo Alcón), that probably doesn't even exists, because Max is probably going crazy, or back to the past. Víctor is married to Eileen (Leticia Brédice), and meets in the reunion with Pilar (Adriana Ozores), his brother's Alberto (Álex Casanovas) wife, and his own old lover. Luis (Roberto Álvarez) was married to Carmen (Ana Fernández) and had to children, but now they're separated and in Paris for different reasons; when Luis' girlfriend, Beatriz (Mónica Estarreado) gives a surprise visit...Marie (Geraldine Chaplin), Max's wife and the boys' mother, is quiet and lonely; also keeping something hidden. Writing is outstandingly correct, with the director and his collaborator coming up with an interesting and emotional story mixing emotions with mystery And that's probably the film's dilemma. It has a side where it wants to work as a suspense movie, thriller; and it could have gone wrong, but it didn't because the elements are correctly combined and I managed myself to put all together in my mind as a powerful movie with all its things. In the movie's intent for the thriller genre, and the mix I'm talking about, it was difficult for the team to get the right structure. Luckily, it all came out fine indeed; with a score by Víctor Reyes that has its totally strange moments, but at the same time powerful and moving moments with inspiring melodies. The acting by the entire ensemble is decent. Sbaraglia highlights as Víctor, in a very natural performance with a lot of commitment. Adriana Ozores also highlights as Pilar, and carries some powerful scenes in her shoulders. The pros Gómez and Alcón are lovable in their characters, Chaplin gives strength to a simple Marie, Álvarez generates laughs with his Luis, Fernández goes crazy as Carmen, Casanovas makes everything look easy through Alberto's eyes, Estarreado looks as she needs to but does little as Beatriz and Brédice; well She's still the Leticia I love to see. The film deals with some fresh strong issues in its dramatic moments; but don't be fooled. This is not a movie about prejudices and opinions about people. It's about what each human being thinks is best for it, deciding in order to get that; and those decisions can cause lots of troubles.
A perfectly structured thriller
A rich Spanish man is treated for a brain tumor in a Paris hospital . His family around him, fighting for the inheritance (and mutually betraying). The old man seems to have lost contact with reality, but his elder son noticing that he still has some consciousness, tries to establish a communication with him, even when that implies to get into his father madness and discover secrets nobody wants to surface. The movie is an exercise in suspense. Perfectly orchestrated situations, make you feel nervous about simple things as a walk in the hall (trying to get out of the hospital). Or make the bad guy out of a worried mother. This is just a family story with an old mystery. It is so simple that similar things happen every day but with an incredible craftsmanship was converted in a thriller. Yes, it is a thriller and a mystery. It has all the elements you usually expect; sex, betrayal, lies. No, is not what you expect. The story is clever but realistic. The violence is replaced with poetry, and as in real life, lots of things happen but few are really resolved.