Other Crap

Latin American directors cause last-minute Cannes stir

• Two films from Latin America caused a late stir at Cannes. "Mexican director Guillermo del Toro's fantasy, Pan's Labyrinth, is about a girl in fascist-era Spain who believes she is the reincarnated princess of a magical underworld kingdom. Buenos Aires 1977, by Israel Adrian Caetano, is based on the true story of four young men who escaped from their torturers during Argentina's military dictatorship. Latin American directors have had a particularly strong showing this year at Cannes, which concludes with the awards ceremony Sunday. Another movie by a Mexican director, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Babel, is considered a strong prize contender.
• NOTE: the author of the article meant "underworld" in the original sense of "underground," not in the modern sense of "criminal."