Leonera (Lion's Den) (2008)

88% of critics liked it
(26 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(8,080 ratings)

Writer/director Pablo Trapero crafts this tender tale of an incarcerated woman who gives birth to a baby boy and struggles to raise her son behind bars as she comes to the bleak realization that he is the only one who matters to her anymore. It all started when a pregnant Julia woke up in her… More Writer/director Pablo Trapero crafts this tender tale of an incarcerated woman who gives birth to a baby boy and struggles to raise her son behind bars as she comes to the bleak realization that he is the only one who matters to her anymore. It all started when a pregnant Julia woke up in her apartment flanked by the bloodied bodies of her former lovers Nahuel and Romiro. Subsequently sent to a prison for mothers and pregnant convicts, Julia railed against the system by withdrawing into her own world. Upon giving birth, Julia realizes just how difficult it could be to raise a son in prison, but each day her feelings for the boy swell stronger within her. Later, when Julia pays a visit to Romiro in the men's prison, it becomes obvious that the couple's feelings for one another are just as muddled as the events of that fateful night back in Julia's apartment. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By: Pablo Trapero
Written By: Pablo Trapero, Santiago Mitre, Martín Mauregui, Alejandro Fadel
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: May 15, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Dec 8, 2009
Studio: Strand Releasing

Critic Reviews

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
The results are mixed -- a handful of moments of genuine, undeniable power, interspersed with a fair number of listless scenes.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
The dimly lit, exquisitely composed cinematography, by Guillermo Nieto, adds to the draw of this highly recommended movie.
Stephen Holden, New York Times
Although it is not a comedy, Lion's Den is suffused with sense of life lived in the present. Even the grimmest moments are not exploited to instill fear and loathing.
Aaron Hillis, Village Voice
Once the film devolves into a drag-down fight for custody with Julia's mother, only Gusman's nuance saves us from a script that seems geared more toward screeching overacting.
Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter
Powerful, emotional filmmaking and acting give a lift to the familiar women-in-prison film.
Jay Weissberg, Variety
Pic's overall style and Martina Gusman's bold lead have a great deal to recommend them.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Riveting, harrowing and thoroughly infused with hope and love, this prison drama is so realistic that it's often difficult to watch
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
Frustratingly, the film tells us little about the crime itself and the denouement is a little unconvincing. The taste of sweat and fear is, however, real enough.
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
Real inmates are extras, real cells provide the scenery: it has the desperate vitality of something barely made-up.
Nigel Andrews, Financial Times
Less than the sum of its parts? Yes. Nice parts? Yes.
Jason Wood, Little White Lies
Lion's Den is an unqualified success.
Alan Jones, Radio Times
How do you raise a child in prison? Argentinian director Pablo Trapero tackles that question with affecting skill in this initially squalid yet ultimately uplifting social drama.
Kate Stables, Total Film
No melodrama, no thriller twists, just Trapero's camera sticking to his lead actress like sweat.
David Parkinson, Empire Magazine
[Features] a strong central performance and convincing depiction of the compartmentalisation of Argentina's women.
Stan Hall, Oregonian
When it hits, the emotional intensity is ratcheted up, sometimes to overly showy levels, before ending relatively quietly with an escape attempt that, depending on one's view, is either gratifying or tragic.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
A thoroughly captivating and engrossing drama with a raw, unforgettable performance by Martina Gusman.
Dave Calhoun, Time Out
Part meticulous character study, part hyperrealist drama...
David Fear, Time Out New York
A portrait of a subculture whose members take pride in walking their kids to the penitentiary's pre-K class.
Andrew Schenker, Slant Magazine
The film's only value may be to make foreign viewers aware, at the very simplest level, of the unique practices of the Argentinean penal system.
Joseph Proimakis, Movies for the Masses
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Read all 22 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Randy T

Painfully realistic portrayal of one mother's struggle to raise her child in a penitentiary for women. Director Pablo Trapero doesn't pull any punches and Martina Gusman's performance is utterly fantastic.
Walter M

With a scarcely believable ending, "Lion's Den" is a compelling yet episodic movie about Julia(Martina Gusman) who along with Ramiro(Rodrigo Santoro) has been charged with the murder of a mutual acquaintance. They both have different explanations accusing the other… More
With a scarcely believable ending, "Lion's Den" is a compelling yet episodic movie about Julia(Martina Gusman) who along with Ramiro(Rodrigo Santoro) has been charged with the murder of a mutual acquaintance. They both have different explanations accusing the other which is ironic since they have no memories of the night in question in Julia's apartment. The following morning, she went out like nothing was wrong even when waking up with blood on her cheek but did not realize anything was wrong until she found a bruise on her neck. The movie specializes in subtle clues like that such as a little boy walking in a prison corridor before alerting the viewer to Julia being in a ward for mothers since she is pregnant. While this alone is an intriguing setting from which to examine the dynamics of prison life(sadly, Julia and her friend Marta(Laura Garcia) are the only detailed characters there), her pregnancy has another use as a measurement of how long she is behind bars without receiving a trial. At the same time, Julia undergoes a personal transformation brought on from being in prison and becoming a mother from rich party girl to somebody taking responsibility for her life.
Daisy M

Some beautiful movie were coming lately from Argentina and Lion's Den was also one of them. The movie, the characters. the performances and the location, all were amazing. It was not only a movie about a mother's struggle to raise her child in a prison, but it was more then… More
Some beautiful movie were coming lately from Argentina and Lion's Den was also one of them. The movie, the characters. the performances and the location, all were amazing. It was not only a movie about a mother's struggle to raise her child in a prison, but it was more then only that. The movie was about mothers love and her struggle to prove her innocence to raise her child outside the prison. Presenting the movie scenes in a prison with background prison noises created an atmosphere which made this movie more real. What was remarkable in this movie the prison guards which usually were presented as brutal and heartless human beings, were in this movie touching and caring people. A real jewel from Argentina. Worth a watch.