Blanquita
Blanquita is a 2022 internationally co-produced drama film directed by Fernando Guzzoni, starring Alejandro Goic, Amparo Noguera, Marcelo Alonso, Daniela Ramírez and Ariel Grandón. The film had its premiere on September 4, 2022 at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in the Horizon section,[1][2][3] where it won an award for best screenplay.[4][5]
| Blanquita | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Fernando Guzzoni |
| Screenplay by | Fernando Guzzoni |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Benjamín Echazarreta |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Chloé Thevenin |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
It was released on December 9 at Cinema Village in New York City, and at Laemmle Glendale in Los Angeles.[6] The film was selected as the Chilean entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.[7]
Synopsis edit
The film is based on a real child prostitution scandal, the Spiniak case, which shook Chile in the early 2000s.[8] It tells the story of Blanquita (Laura López), an 18-year-old resident of a foster home, who becomes the key witness in a scandal involving powerful businessmen and politicians.[9]
Cast edit
- Laura López as Blanquita
- Alejandro Goic as Manuel
- Amparo Noguera as Piedad
- Marcelo Alonso as Fiscal Herrera
- Daniela Ramírez as Fiscal Lagos
- Ariel Grandón as Carlos
Release edit
The film had its world premiere at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2022. It also made it to 'World Cinema' section of 27th Busan International Film Festival where it was screened on 9 October,[10] and 'International Perspective' section of 46th São Paulo International Film Festival, where it was screened on 22 October 2022.[11] Later in December, it was invited to the 28th Kolkata International Film Festival, where it was screened on 17 December 2022,[12] and to the 34th Palm Springs International Film Festival to be screened on January 7, 2023.[13][14][15]
The film was released theatrically in New York and Los Angeles on December 9, 2022 by Outsider Pictures.[16]
Reception edit
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10.[17] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18]
Marta Bałaga reviewing for Cineuropa wrote, "Blanquita is devoid of colour and seemingly also emotion, which makes perfect sense". Bałaga praised the director for execution of the film writing, "it’s the fact that his (director) well-executed film is not exactly explicit". She opined that not making film explicit would make more people see it.[9] Wendy Ide reviewing for ScreenDaily praised the film, writing, "An atmospheric thriller which is carried by an assured central performance from López."[19]
Ronda Racha Penrice reviewing for TheWrap praised the acting of Laura López writing, "López perfectly strikes a great balance between Blanca’s toughness and vulnerability". Penrice commended Fernando Guzzoni for "using all his talent to amplify the sad reality of social injustice". She further wrote that Guzzoni "created a compelling thriller that probes deep, posing critical questions about society’s continual failure to protect children." She praised the cinematography of Benjamín Echazarreta writing, "The impressive cinematography by Benjamín Echazarreta has a moodiness that highlights the inherent drama of Blanquita."[20]
Awards and nominations edit
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Venice Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Fernando Guzzoni | Won | [4] |
References edit
- ^ "Orizzonti: Blanquita". La Biennale di Venezia 2022. Venice International Film Festival. 5 September 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ Orlando Parfitt (26 July 2022). "Venice film festival unveils 2022 line-up - follow live". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ Scott Roxborough (26 July 2022). "Venice Festival Picks Marilyn Monroe Drama 'Blonde,' New Timothee Chalamet, Olivia Wilde, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Films". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ a b "Venice Film Festival Winners: Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell Take Top Acting Prizes – Updating Live". Deadline Hollywood. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ "Official Awards of the 79th Venice Film Festival: Orizzonti". Venice International Film Festival. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ I. Faleye (22 November 2022). "BLANQUITA, Chile's Oscar Entry Opens in US in December - Trailer". Vimooz (in Korean). Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (7 October 2022). "Oscars: Chile Selects "Blanquita" For International Best Film Category". Deadline. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ Marie De La Fuente, Anna (13 December 2022). "'A Fantastic Woman's' Sebastian Lelio Breaks Down Chilean Oscar Entry 'Blanquita' with its Director, Fernando Guzzoni (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ a b Marta Bałaga (5 September 2022). "Review: Blanquita". Cineuropa. Creative Europe Media. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ "Blanquita". Busan International Film Festival. 7 September 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ "International Perspective: Blanquita". Mostra Internacional de Cinema (in Portuguese). 22 October 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ "Cinema International: Blanquita". Kolkata International Film Festival. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ "Blanquita". Palm Springs International Film Festival. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ Brian Blueskye and Ema Sasic (16 December 2022). "2023 Palm Springs International Film Festival lineup announced". Palm Springs Desert Sun. Naver. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (6 December 2022). "Palm Springs Film Festival Unveils 2023 Lineup; '80 For Brady' To Open Fest, With 'The Lost King' Closing It Out". Deadline. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ Balaga, Marta (29 November 2022). "Chilean Oscar Entry 'Blanquita' Acquired for the U.S. by Outsider Pictures (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ "Blanquita (Drama 2022)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
- ^ "Blanquita". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ Wendy Ide (5 September 2022). "'Blanquita': Venice Review". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ^ Ronda Racha Penrice (9 December 2022). "'Blanquita' Review: Chilean Oscar Entry Probes Social Injustice". TheWrap. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
External links edit
- Official website
- Production website
- Blanquita at IMDb
- Blanquita at Rotten Tomatoes
- Blanquita at Box Office Mojo
- Blanquita in Venice International Film Festival