Elián

Name: Elián
Genre: Documentary

Ireland, United States · 2017
1h 48m
Director Ross McDonnell
Starring Elián Gonzalez, Fidel Castro
Genre Documentary

The true story of Elián Gonzalez, a five-year-old Cuban boy plucked from the Florida Straits, and how the fight for his future changed the course of U.S.-Cuba relations. Featuring personal testimony, interviews, and a news archive, this documentary recounts Elián’s remarkable rescue after his mother and 10 others fleeing Cuba perished at sea.

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What are critics saying?

Slant Magazine by Ed Gonzalez

It has the decency to recognize that only Elián González has the right to define his sense of truth for himself.

Screen International by Fionnuala Halligan

&t does effectively plunge the viewer back in those choppy seas for an object lesson in how politics can rapidly inflame a situation to dangerous levels, even when both countries had agreed the best place for him was Cuba.

The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck

[A] comprehensive documentary adding context and a modern-day update to the tale.

The Film Stage by John Fink

McDonnell and Golden’s Elián is a sweeping, definitive look at the saga, engaging and entertaining even if it contradicts what it sets out to do.

Village Voice by Ren Jender

The film assumes a familiarity with the story most won't have, leaving out crucial details.

Los Angeles Times by Robert Abele

Directors Tim Golden and Ross McDonnell, with the help of narrator Raul Esparza, do justice to all sides.