75
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.
Elián
Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
- Ireland,
- United States
- 2017
- · 108m
Director
Ross McDonnell
Cast
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?
70
Los Angeles Times by Robert Abele
Directors Tim Golden and Ross McDonnell, with the help of narrator Raul Esparza, do justice to all sides.
70
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.
70
The Hollywood Reporter by Frank Scheck
[A] comprehensive documentary adding context and a modern-day update to the tale.
70
Screen Daily 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.
63
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.
60
Village Voice by Ren Jender
The film assumes a familiarity with the story most won't have, leaving out crucial details.
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