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From YourSITE.com conejo en la luna "Classic Hitchcock meets classic Costa-Gavras" SCREEN TEST By Jack Ledger QX Magazine Oct 2006
RABBIT ON THE MOON By James Mottram Film Review October 2006 Rabbit on the Moon **** A terrific political thriller, Rabbit on the Moon has the distinction of being the first Mexico/UK co-production. Set in a world of political intrigue and corruption, this taut story turned out by writer-director Suárez – one that has already stormed the Mexican box-office – definitely feels like a blend of the two very distinct cultures. While it may be the story of a Mexican government cover-up of an assassination of a major political figure, it still taps into a universal vein. As far as the British component goes, it’s a refreshing change of direction for those involved. Producers Phil Hunt and Greg Cruttwell (who briefly turn up in a cameo at the end) were previously responsible for the outlandish comedy Chunky Monkey, while female star Lorraine Pilkington was previously best known for her role as the pill-popping good-time girl from Human Traffic. Here acting superbly in both English and Spanish, Pilkington is far removed from that hedonistic part. She plays Julie, lover to Antonio (Bichir) and mother of his child. After Antonio sets out to acquire some prime land, he suddenly discovers that his agent, known as Chubby (Cobos), was involved in the aforementioned assassination that had gone horribly wrong. With Antonio pulling out of the deal, therefore angering Chubby, he and Julie find themselves in a whole lot of trouble when the agent reports the couple to the authorities as suspects in the killing. It leads to a tense tale that even takes the characters to Britain, after they manage to bring their plight to the attention of a British intelligence agent (Kotz). While one suspects this sojourn to our shores was partly to secure UK financing, Suárez is just as comfortable in the green fields of the English countryside as he is on the mean streets of Mexico City. Bearing a resemblance to a Hitchcock film, as innocents are embroiled in a situation that conspires against them, Rabbit on the Moon remains a fascinating story to the end. RABBIT ON THE MOON By Laurence Boyce HOTDOG October 2006 Rabbit on the Moon**** Set in a murky world of corruption in Mexico, this dark thriller sees naive, young Antonio accidentally implicate himself and his family in an assassination. Having fled to the UK, Antonio (Bruno Bichir) desperately tries to prove his innocence while his wife Julie and their child find themselves captured by the crooked chief of police. Although the UK scenes are the stuff of your bog-standard drama, the prison scenes with Julie (a superb performance from Lorraine Pilkington) are incredibly well executed, and so unbearably tense that they turn this into a completely absorbing story. It has its flaws but this is ultimately a gripping watch. RABBIT ON THE MOON SHADOW ON THE WALL October 2006 Rabbit on the Moon**** With a willingness to boldly tell it like it is, this edgy and riveting political thriller digs deeply into corruption while telling an intensely personal story. It’s powerful, harrowing and startlingly important. As Mexican and UK officials engage in illicit dealings, a Mexico City artist Antonio (Bichir) innocently buys land from a dodgy salesman called Chubby (Cobos). But Chubby’s involved in a political assassination, and the Mexican secret police, in search of a scapegoat, exploit the link to Antonio. A friend helps him flee to London, but his British wife Julie (Pilkington) and infant daughter are secretly imprisoned by the chief investigator (Ochoa). Meanwhile, Antonio is trying to find help in London, not realising that Julie’s ex (Kotz) is actually an MI5 agent. Writer-director Suárez kicks off the film at full speed with a bewildering array of politicians, thugs and innocent bystanders thrown into a stew of corruption, torture, murder and fear. It’s thoroughly terrifying to contemplate how we’d react in the same situations. This is a story of everyday people unwittingly caught up in a massive conspiracy from which there seems to be no escape. The people in power can do whatever they like, while those who elected them are defenceless. There’s an edgy, relentless urgency to the filmmaking style that refuses to play it safe. Even a few badly contrived plot points can’t undermine the film’s bold story and unflinching themes. It helps that the script is extremely realistic, with actors who deliver raw, gritty performances. It’s also especially well edited, cutting between the various story threads to keep us utterly gripped to each element of the plot. (The title refers to one of Antonio’s paintings.) Reminiscent of Traffic or Syriana, this film touches on all aspects of government corruption, dodgy arms deals, drug money, black market babies, secret prisons and the mistreatment of political prisoners. It also bravely challenges our belief that these things can’t possibly happen in a 'civilised society', even if it’s the UK’s legal system that ultimately comes to the rescue. Despite its flaws, this is an important, courageous movie. LA WEEKLY REVIEW November 5th 2004 RABBIT ON THE MOON (Mexico/U.K.)
When a young husband and father attempts to better life for his family by investing in some prime real estate, he’s unwittingly drawn into a web of political intrigue that stretches from Mexico to England and will rip his family apart. Writer-director Jorge Ramirez-Suarez has crafted a sleek and effective thriller in which the ever-twisting plot ratchets up the tension to near unbearable levels. His is a Mexico that is simultaneously ultra-cosmopolitan yet deeply in the grip of age-old but still vital government corruption. A top-notch cast and taut screenplay are the foundation for this sure-footed Rabbit. (EH) RABBIT ON THE MOON By Rafael Avina Reforma Newspaper Extract A Mexican film about violence, corruption and power. The daily life of a country finds a mirror to reflect itself. Conejo en la Luna / Rabbit on the Moon (2004), Jorge Ramirez Suarez's second feature film, is a Mexico/United Kingdom co-production. It depicts corruption and power at the highest levels of government, where scapegoats are created to hide criminal activity, the police use violence with impunity and the selling of children is a common occurrence. Caught in the middle of this web of corruption is Antonio Santos, fantastically played by Bruno Bichir. He portrays intelligently and with subtlety an innocent man being hunted in his own country, a country where lawlessness prevails. The film's corruption is also brought to life by many other acclaimed actors such as, Ricardo Blume and Alvaro Guerrero who plays the leading party's President, a man who attempts to hide his corruption and sexual deviancies as the Mexican Ambassador in London. The always stunningly effective Jesus Ochoa,offers here many different personas in his role as, Deputy Attorney General Macedonio Ramirez, a cynical, violent yet cultured man. Jorge Ramirez Suarez's background includes the animation, Pronto Saldremos del Problema (1998) and Morena (95). He currently lives in Germany. With Conejo En La Luna he has made an intelligent film, he give us much food for thought and the chance to analyse the country's political situation. This noir thriller, can be compared favourably to classic Hitchcock or Costa-Gavras, who found in the thriller the ideal medium in which to submerge themselves in social paranoia and its relationship to political power. Conejo en la Luna / Rabbit on the Moon By Miguel Ángel Granados Chapa Extract Reforma Newspaper Conejo en la Luna / Rabbit on the Moon, is a fantastic film that demonstrates the director's knowledge and deep understanding of politics. It deals with corruption, criminal violence and abuse of power by those who have it against the innocent. In the film Jesus Ochoa, portrays the corrupt Deputy Attorney General Macedonio Ramirez. Ochoa's character is no stereotype or caricature, but someone who we could give a name to in real life, for there have been many who have behaved as his character does in the film. The film begins as the Secretary of State tempestuously leaves his post to run for Governor of Tamaulipas, taking with him delicate information that he can use to his advantage against the President's cabinet or even the President himself. He does not live to do either however, as he is gunned down, in a similar fashion to how Jose Francisco Ruiz Massieu (Head of the Mexico's leading party PRI) was in real life. His assassin survives, is arrested and with his confession starts a political and judicial storm with far reaching consequences. Jorge Ramírez-Suárez is the Writer, Director and Producer of Conejo en la Luna / Rabbit on the Moon -a Mexico / UK co-production. Ramirez Suarez, studied Political Sciences at the UNAM, and film at the CCC In Mexico. He has lived away from Mexico for the last 10 years, but returns frequently to keep in touch with Mexican life. He has closely studied the sensibility of the Mexican middle class, particularly those who desire power and use their status to obtain it and hold onto it at any cost. In the film the Secretary of State and the Official party's leader, aided and abetted by a UK bank and using a British Minister of Defence as an accomplice, transfers millions of dollars into offshore accounts. Corruption, which often leads to violence, is a common occurrence and not just in Mexico. One of the central characters in the film, the corrupt Deputy Attorney General Macedonio Ramirez, is played by Jesus Ochoa. By taking this role he possibly ran the risk of being typecast but the character has many complexities which the talented Ochoa plays brilliantly. Well-written and imaginative, Conejo en la Luna / Rabbit on the Moon started as a great script and has now become a great film. It has an outstanding cast, carefully chosen by the Director. Bruno Bichir and Alvaro Guerrero, both prominent figures in the new wave of Mexican cinema, are two of its stars along with Ochoa, Rodrigo Murray and talented UK actors Lorraine Pilkington, Adam Kotz, Emma Cunniffe and Reece Dinsdale. AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival review RABBIT ON THE MOON CONEJO EN LA LUNA [RABBI] Latin Cinema Series Mexico, UK, 2004, 112 min, Color, 35 MM In Spanish with English subtitles World Premiere DIR/SCR: Jorge Ramirez-Suarez PROD: Phil Hunt, Greg Cruttwell, Jorge Ramirez-Suarez DP: Luis Sansans Arnanz ED: Alex Rodriguez MUS: Eduardo Gamboa PROD DES: Bernardo Trujillo Cast: Bruno Bichir, Lorraine Pilkington, Jesus Ochoa, Adam Kotz, Alvaro Guerrero, Rodrigo Murray, Emma Cunniffe With a cast and crew assembled from the best of contemporary Mexican cinema, Jorge Ramírez Suárez brings to the screen a poignant cross-cultural thriller that’s modern on every level, yet gently radiates the sensibility of a classic film. Though around them a criminal world seethes, Julie and Antonio are a young and loving couple with a new baby and a solid, white-collar sense of stability. But when a loose social connection suddenly ties them to a major political assassination, the two become innocents desperately trying to adapt to a world of murderous politicians and cops that, moment to moment, threatens their lives. Bruno Bichir and Lorraine Pilkington deliver exquisitely believable performances, complemented by a crisp visual sensibility and a sparse, yet flawless score by Eduardo Gamboa. RABBIT ON THE MOON is, all at once, a gripping political thriller and an emotionally complex story of a family ripped apart. - Maggie Mackay British Film Magazine May 5th 2005
Berlinale Daily News February 18th 2005
Screen Daily.com Leo Marshall in Berlin Fecruary 16th 2005 Rabbit On the Moon (Conejo En La Luna) Dir/scr: Jorge Ramirez-Suarez. Mex-UK. 2005. 114mins. A tightly-paced political thriller, Rabbit On The Moon opened to peppy reviews and buoyant box office takings on its home release in Mexico last October. A rare Mexico-UK co-production, it proves to be a film with a surefire genre instinct. Its overseas prospects will not be harmed by its dual Mexico-UK setting and dialogue in both Spanish and English. But it would be a mistake to pitch Rabbit On The Moon as the next Amores Perros or Y Tu Mama Tambien: this is less of an arthouse crossover than a small mainstream title, with good prospects for auxiliary sales. Rabbit On The Moon derives much of its initial impetus by dramatising a bourgeois nightmare: a nice young couple with a nice new house and a nice new baby are suddenly caught up by pure accident in a murder plot. British citizen Julie (Pilkington, from Human Traffic) and Antonio (Bichir) have committed no crime, but a cheque found in the possession of a fixer who does dirty work for a Mexican political party implicates Antonio in the assassination of a dissident politician. The murder was ordered by top brass in the party, and Antonio is chosen as the scapegoat. Persuaded to flee by his lawyer friend Alfredo (Murray, from Amores Perros), Antonio flies to London, convinced that his wife and baby are safe inside the British Embassy. In reality, they are being kept prisoner by a corrupt police chief who is in the pay of the party. Pilkington and Bichir are well cast as the two leads, but one of the real pleasures of the film - and the script - are the nuanced character parts, like Julie's gaoler Ramirez (Ochoa from Nicotina), a sadistic but cultured man with a taste for kinky sex. No names are named in the film, but like the political satire La Ley de Herodes, which was also handled by Mexican indie producer Gussi Films, the story is a clear reference to the climate of corruption that was fostered under the PRI, which dominated Mexican politics for seven decades before opposition candidate Vicente Fox won power in 2000. However, the Brits come off little better; the Embassy guard's refusal to open the gates almost does for Julie when she does eventually seek refuge there, and a sub-sub-plot about money-laundering by the Ministry of Defence seems designed to establish a kind of moral par condicio. Shot on high-definition digital, the film hits the ground running: for the first half hour or so, there are almost no scenes that last longer than 30 seconds; and this breathless pace is backed up by a quickfire, in-your-face shooting style. Part of the film's message is how innocents are corrupted by contact with the corrupt, forced to adopt the warped mentality of their persecutors in order to survive. It's a red-hot script and a punchy thriller. Prod cos: Head Gear Films, Beanca Films Int'l sales: Capitol Films Exec prod: Compton Ross Prods: Phil Hunt, Greg Cruttwell, Jorge Ramirez-Suarez Cine: Luis Sansans Arnanz Prod des: Bernardo Trujillo, Charlie Tymms Ed: Alex Rodriguez Music: Eduardo Gamboa Main cast: Bruno Bichir, Lorraine Pilkington, Jesus Ochoa, Adam Kotz, Alvaro Guerrero, Rodrigo Murray, Emma Cunniffe Hollywood Reporter February 16th 2005 Head Gear aiming high with 'Rabbit' BERLIN -- An oil man, a music-loving indie producer and an actor-turned-screenwriter all based in the United Kingdom might seem like an unlikely trio to back an up-and-coming Berlin-based Mexican director. But this triumvirate comprises London-based independent production and financing operation Head Gear, which produced Jorge Ramirez-Suarez's Rabbit on the Moon, set to unspool here Friday in a Special Screening. Run by producer Phil Hunt and multihyphenate Greg Cruttwell and backed by cash from Scotland-based oil man Compton Ross, Head Gear persuaded high-end U.K. sales and financing house Capitol Films to pitch international sales on Rabbit during the European Film Market. Hollywood Reporter November 2004
AFI Festival Daily News
Excerpt taken from the leading Mexican Political magazine: proceso 1437 /16 may / 2004 An Adventure Rabbit on the Moon is Jorge Ramirez-Suarez’s second feature film. It deals with corruption and money laundering in Mexico and abroad. The Director hopes and feels the film will be the source of much interesting and controversial debate. The film is the first ever Mexico/UK co-production. Ramirez-Suarez, began writing the script in 2001 and began shooting it in November 2003. There were 5 weeks of filming in Mexico, followed by 3 weeks in the UK. The dialogue is partly in Spanish and partly in English. The film will be distributed in Mexico by Gussi-Artecinema. On moving away from Mexico – " I left Mexico because there was nothing to start here… In 1994 very few films were made and then the peso's value dropped! Thanks to my first feature film, Morena, Miramax and other companies began approaching me and I spent the next five years developing projects in the USA". His travels continued when he moved to Konigswinter, Germany, where he began developing Rabbit on the Moon. Although he was now living in Germany he still very much wanted to make a Mexican film. "Over the last 10 years news from Mexico, especially political news, had become incredibly confusing… I wanted to develop a film that reflected this confusion, but that also had a view from outside. Being away from Mexico for such a long time made me look at it from a different perspective". "This film is different from Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, in which Mexico is totally corrupt, meanwhile, in contrast, all is perfect in the USA. I wanted to shoot a film about Mexico, which, if it included another country, would reflect that country's problems too, without necessarily having to go too deep into its politics. I did however want to show that they are accomplices in corruption… making it possible for Mexican politicians to take their money out of the country and then deposit it in European and American banks". A Drama Ramirez-Suarez did not want the film to point any fingers, or indeed to be solely a documentary about corruption. He wanted to create a fictitious story about human beings and their emotions. In the script Julie Mile is a young English woman, living in Mexico City with her husband Antonio Santos and their four-month-old baby. Their calm life is suddenly torn apart when in a roller coaster 48 hours, Antonio is innocently accused of a political murder and Julie and her child are kidnapped by the authorities and kept in a secret place. Antonio escapes to England, where Interpol attempts to hunt him down. He in turn however is tracking down the root cause of all his troubles: the new Mexican Ambassador in London, who is conducting multi-million dollar illegal transactions with corrupt English government officials. Back in Mexico Julie manages to escape her sadistic captors and an international scandal unfolds. "The situation that occurs destroys the couple’s lives! Some people have commented that corruption is only for the powerful and it neither affects the average person, nor, if it does, is there anything we can do about it. I wanted to show in this film how it does affect us; for it is not only money laundering that we have to look at but all the other crime that comes with it. This, I feel, is very important and is why I developed the project". The script had 22 treatments and from the beginning had the support of Spain, Germany and IMCINE (Mexican Film Institute). " I was afraid IMCINE would censor the project, but they never did. They were always very supportive and thankfully commented on how strong they thought the script was. Even with European backing, if I had not had the support in Mexico that I did have this film could have never been made". After IMCINE backed the project, Ramirez-Suarez tried to find a Mexican co-producer – "Nobody was interested". He was successful in the UK however and so created his own production company in Mexico, Beanca Films, in order to co-produce with his new partners in the UK, Headgear Films. A Very Mexican Film He comments on how Gussi-Artecinema, offered him great distribution conditions for the Mexican market – " They took a chance with me and I liked the fact it is a Mexican company". He then goes on to say that although it is a very Mexican film, it has an English feel to it too! Stating enthusiastically – "The rest of the world really seems to like Mexican cinema. Everywhere I go people constantly ask: Where are the Mexican films? People want to watch them however since, Amores Perros, Y tu Mama Tambien and El Crimen del Padre Amaro came and went there don't seem to be any coming along. The Mexican movie industry undoubtedly has a market, provided, of course, that we continue to produce very strong films with international appeal!" "Although it is an original story and completely fictitious, many of the things that happen in the film have actually happened and no doubt will continue to do so. This film will definitely make some people very uncomfortable, especially powerful politicians and diplomats, as not only does it deal with their corruption, but also with how they conduct their personal lives".
Scandals spur Gussi to bow political pic Local film goes up against H'w'd blockbusters By ANNA MARIE DE LA FUENTE GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- Recent political scandals in Mexico have prompted indie distrib Gussi Films to target a risky summer release for the first Mexican-U.K. co-production, "Conejo en la luna." The political thriller, directed and co-produced by Jorge Ramirez, touches on corruption in the U.K. and Mexico. Story follows a graphic arts designer from Mexico (Bruno Bichir) who flees to London after he is falsely accused of planning a murder. Lorraine Pilkington ("Human Traffic") plays his wife. Other cast members include Adam Katz, Reece Dinsdale, Alvaro Guerrero and Rodrigo Murray. U.K. co-producer Head Gear is in talks with various distribs in the U.K., including Icon. Hollywood blockbusters crowd Mexico's 3,000-plus screens during the summer, and recent events, such as the assassination attempt on the Oaxaca governor, have convinced the distrib that an earlier release would benefit the film. "Conejo" is in post-production in London and will be ready by late spring. Gussi pre-bought the $2.5 million political thriller last year, a rare move on its part. It has bought only a handful of Mexican pics, including political satire "La ley de herodes" four years ago. Gussi picked it up after state-backed Mexican Film Institute (Imcine) tried to bury the pic for poking fun at ruling party PRI. "It went on to make a respectable $4 million," said Gussi acquisitions head Alejandro Lebrija. "Conejo" could not have been made "two years ago when the PRI enjoyed absolute power, but with the current government led by opposition leader President Vicente Fox and a two-party system, we don't think we'll experience this kind of censorship," said Lebrija. However, the pic will probably be slapped with an 18-and-above rating for its violent and sexual content. "Conejo" is Ramirez's second feature. He served as a second unit director on "Like Water for Chocolate" and produced "La Mujer de Benjamin," by Carlos Carrera ("El Crimen del Padre Amaro"), under his Beanca Films label. http://www.variety.com/story.asp?l=story&a=VR1117902050&c=1237 AFI Festival Programme
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