At this point, Lion's Den shifts into high gear as a film - for actress-producer Gusman is, indeed, pregnant. Over the next weeks and months, until the baby is born, the audience is invited to share her pregnancy-purgatory in this rundown prison.
Her character begins to change. From a taciturn, stand-offish rebel who hates her unborn child, Julia slowly awakens to the thrill of childbirth. Tomas becomes a treasure who needs all the help she can offer.
Meanwhile, Julia's estranged mother, Sofia (played by popular Paris-based, Uruguay-born singer Elli Medeiros), appears on the scene. After neglecting her own daughter for many years while living abroad, Sofia, too, suddenly takes an interest in Tomas. The affection doesn't sit well with Julia.
By this time, Julia has hardened into a lioness ready to fight to keep her child by any means possible. Her fiery spirit, moreover, has made her friends in prison. Marta (Laura Garcia), a prison-mate with whom Julia has developed a lasting friendship, helps Julia hatch a scheme to get out of prison - and Tomas away from the clutches of Julia's domineering mother.
When the day of the trial arrives, Romiro saves his own neck by again putting all the blame for the murder on Julia. As is apparently typical of trials in Argentina these days, and despite a veteran feminist lawyer arguing Julia's case, she loses. She is sentenced to eight years in prison for manslaughter.
Julia knows she cannot trust her mother to raise her child in her stead. So when Tomas spends some time out of prison with his grandmother, her nerves break, and she instigates a rebellion in prison to get her son back.
The film ends as a fairy tale: With the help of her friend Marta, who had served her term and is now on the outside, Julia waits for the day when visiting rights are allowed. Once outside the prison, she dupes her probation guard, hails a taxi and heads for the bus station. There, Marta is waiting to give her false identity papers to escape over the border.
Pablo Trapero, born 1971 in Buenos Aires, is a respected name in the Argentinean independent scene. His first feature, Mundo Grua (1999), was invited to the Venice festival. El Bonaerense (2002), his second feature, produced together with Martina Gusman, premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.
Lion's Den owes much to Brazilian coproducer Walter Salles, whose contributions include bringing Roderigo Santoro onboard.
Martina Gusman's performance in Lion's Den is the glue that holds the film together from start to finish despite its lengthy two-hour run. Her last scene alone guarantees a favorable response at art-house bookings. During an anxious ferry-crossing at an isolated border, we see her holding her breath as she counts the seconds to freedom and a new life. Photos courtesy of the filmmaker.
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