Anita

2009
7.3| 1h44m| en
Details

Anita is the story of a young woman with Down syndrome who lives a happy, routine life in Buenos Aires, being meticulously cared for by her mother Dora. One tragic morning in 1994, everything changes when Anita is left alone, confused and helpless after the nearby Argentine Israelite Mutual Association is bombed (the deadliest bombing in Argentina's history). As Anita wanders through the city, she learns not only to care for herself, but touches the lives of those around her, from an alcoholic to a family of Asian immigrants.

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Also starring Peto Menahem

Reviews

VividSimon Simply Perfect
Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype
ShangLuda Admirable film.
Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
jotix100 Anita, a girl born with Down syndrome, is lovingly cared by her mother Dora. They live in a small department in the heart of the Jewish quarter of Buenos Aires. Dora has a small shop where she has Anita help her with menial jobs. One day, Dora must go to the Jewish Center, leaving Anita alone, but making sure the girl knows she will be back when the big hand of the clock is standing at the top. Anita, who is perhaps in her twenties, can function normally, under Dora's supervision.Unfortunately, there is a terrorist car bomb that had targeted the Jewish Center. Anita, alone in the store, sees the shop and its contents get damaged, although nothing serious happened to her. The girl decides to venture out among the confusion and chaos in the streets. No one notices her; the girl begins to roam the streets looking for Dora. What follows is a tale of horrors Anita goes through in her quest to find her missing mother."Anita" directed by Marcos Carnevale, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Marcela Guerty and Lily Ann Martin. The film is a tender story about human survival for a young woman who has to fend for herself in any way she can. It is also a document about how people can see a situation such as what the girl is experiencing and not have enough sense to turn the matter into authorities, or institutions that can be of help. Anita roams the streets not being able to find the home comforts only her mother could give her. The three individuals she becomes in contact with may be adults, but show no feelings about a terrorized girl whose mind does not allow her to express the information needed to reunite her with relatives. To the creator's credit, the film, although sentimental, does not play with the viewer's emotions in a mawkish way. Anita's journey from a well kept home to places she does not know, shows that in spite of her handicap, she is able to survive using resources no one could have guessed she had.Mr. Carnevale has done wonders with Alejandra Manzo, who is seen as Anita. She shows a resiliency seldom seen in individuals suffering from her condition. Anita is more intelligent than what a typical person afflicted with the syndrome is likely to do. Norma Aleandro is Dora, but she only appears at the beginning of the story. The excellent Luis Luque plays Felix, the unemployed photographer with marital problems. Leonor Manso appears as Nora, the only person who got to understand the girl in spite of a shaky first impression. The film speaks volumes about human nature as a helpless soul deals with what a cruel destiny had in store for her.
LadyPanthera So tender yet so sad. Impossible not to cry watching this movie. We should learn from Anita. Her innocence didn't let her know what was happening towards her, and she remained happy. Such an awful tragedy told in such a sweet story. Norma Aleandro, (Dora, Anita's mum) plays a tiny role in this movie, but the necessary enough to know who Anita is, and what does she feel and thinks. Dora dies in the AMIA, and then, the story begins and it is all Anita. Entirely Anita. Alejandra Manzo, the actress who plays her is great.Awesome movie. You'll cry, I assure you that. But you won't regret of watching it. Believe me :)
Red-125 Anita (2009) was co-written and directed by Marcos Carnevale. In this unusual Argentinian film, we follow the odyssey of a young woman with Down syndrome. Anita, played by Alejandra Manzo, lives contentedly with her mother, Dora. (Dora is played by the wonderful actor Norma Aleandro.) A tragic event sends Anita wandering the streets of Buenos Aires, armed with little more than a smile, a few words, and a loving and trusting nature.People with Down syndrome have a range of intelligence that allows some to function fully and independently in society. (I assume this is true of Ms. Manzo, who is a professional actor.) However, Anita is clearly not in the higher range, so that her survival skills are pretty meager, and they are tested to the full when she is lost.She survives from day to day because people feel sorry for her, and want to help her, although not always in a way that brings them much credit. (People help her, but they help her sporadically and unwillingly.)What keeps this film from being just a feel-good movie is that the people Anita meets aren't overly kind or effusive, and they certainly aren't saintly. The good news is that no one tries to harm or harass her--they just would rather not be bothered.We really enjoyed this film, partly because of its interesting plot. Better yet, the movie never succumbed to the temptation to make Anita perfect, or able to mystically discern things that others cannot. She's a young woman with developmental disabilities who, like the rest of us, is doing the best she can to survive and to enjoy life.We saw this movie at the truly outstanding Rochester Jewish Film Festival. It will work well on DVD as well. This is a must-see film for those who work in the field of developmental disabilities, but I can recommend it to everyone who wants to see a unusual and thought-provoking movie.
Enrique Patiño I just found this title and decided to see it because in the credits was the name of Norma Leandro. The fact is that the fantastic actress from Argentina is not the one who touches you and remains in your memory: is Anita (Alejandra Manzo), the girl with down syndrome, who performs a truly remarkable, emotional and touching film. The script is simple, but Marcos Carnevale, the director (Elsa & Fred), leads the story with sensibility and yet distance. It's all about this woman, Anita, who loses her mother after a bomb explosion in Buenos Aires, and gets lost in the city. During several days she walks and finds people who doesn't know what to do with her. She isn't able to say too much about what happened to her because her world was limited to her mother's company. With this few elements a great movie is done and delivered to the audience. I don't live in Argentina. But this film convinces me that in this country there is a profound sensibility that is expressed in films. A must see, if you like movies where the human beings are shown as they are, as we are.

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