Francisca (2002)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Eva López Sánchez

Writers:

Jorge Goldenberg (screenplay)
Eva López Sánchez (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 April 2002 (Mexico)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

¡Aunque resucites... ya valiste madres!

Plot:

A former East Germany secret agent runs away fron his past and lands in Mexico under a fake identity...

Plot Keywords:

Fake Identity | Secret Agent | Mexico | Spy | One Word Title

Awards:

7 nominations

Cast

Ulrich Noethen	...	Helmut Busch / Bruno Müller
Fabiola Campomanes	...	Adela
Héctor Ortega
Arcelia Ramírez
Carlos Lucas	...	Matias
Rafael Martín	...	Burro
Julio Bracho
Juan Ríos
Gustavo Sánchez Parra
Eligio Meléndez
Juan Carlos Colombo
Pedro Altamirano
Giovanni Florido
Miguel Santana		(as Mickey Santana)
Regina Kuri	...	La Güera

Also Known As:

¿De qué lado estás? (Mexico)
Francisca (Spain)
Francisca - Auf welcher Seite stehst Du? (Germany)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

Spain | Mexico | Germany

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Germany:12 | Mexico:B | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company:

Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografía (IMCINE)

Not a film for the masses

This small film stayed for only one week in one cinema in my city. And with me were only two other people attending the performance I had chosen. Well, I guess that's life. For me it's quite difficult to find the right words for what I've seen. The film takes place in Mexico in the early 1970s, a time when I wasn't even born yet. I can't remember whether I had ever learned anything about Mexican history or not. So I didn't know what was awaiting me. I have to admit the only reason for me was to see Ulrich Noethen, one of the finest actors we have today in Germany.

He plays a former Stasi informant (Stasi= secret police in the GDR) who wants to find a new life in Mexico in 1971. But the Mexican secret police knows him, catches him and oppresses him to work for them, otherwise they will send him back. He consents to do so, gets a new job at the university and falls in love with one of the political students he actually should spy upon. Suddenly the secret police is after him and the student and they have to disappear...

Ulrich Noethen delivers a fine performance - speaking Spanish, by the way- as do all the other main actors. Still I can't say that the film really impressed me. It was average, good average with good camera work, directing and score, but still average. Sometimes excellent films are able to awake an interest in me of the things I've just seen so that I read about them afterwards in books and magazines. This film unfortunately didn't get me interested in the Mexican history of that time. That's a pity.

My opinion is that this picture is only interesting for people who already love Mexico and its history or for admirers of one of the actors. But unfortunately for nobody else. I vote 5 out of ten.