Lucía, Lucía

Lucía, Lucía, also known as La hija del caníbal, is a 2003 Mexican-Spanish film and the second by Antonio Serrano. The story is based on Spanish journalist Rosa Montero's novel of the same name (1997). The film stars Argentine actress Cecilia Roth, Mexican actor Kuno Becker, and Spanish actor Carlos Álvarez-Nóvoa. The cinematographer is Xavier Pérez Grobet.

Plot
Lucía, a children's book writer, is travelling to Brazil with her husband on vacation, when her husband disappears after going to the airport bathroom. She later learns that he was kidnapped by a group called the People Workers Party that wants 20 million pesos from her. Her husband frantically tells her to find the money in his aunt's safe deposit box. With the help of her neighbours, a Spanish Civil War veteran, and a young musician, Lucía sets out to find his kidnappers. She eventually discovers the truth about his disappearance after learning from the police that her husband is accused of being part of an elaborate embezzlement scam from within the Treasury Department of the government and may have possibly faked his kidnapping.

Cast

 * Cecilia Roth as Lucía
 * Kuno Becker as Adrián
 * Carlos Álvarez-Nóvoa as Félix
 * Javier Díaz Dueñas as Inspector García
 * Margarita Isabel as Lucía's mother
 * Max Kerlow as Old Wehner
 * Mario Iván Martínez as Mr. Wehner
 * José Elías Moreno as Ramón
 * Héctor Ortega as The Cannibal
 * Enrique Singer as Undersecretary Ortiga

Production
The film was shot over a period of eight weeks in and around Mexico City, as well as at the Puebla airport and the Sierra Gorda of Querétaro. In the United States the film was released under the name Lucía, Lucía, since the producers thought the name La hija del caníbal (literally, "The cannibal's daughter") would lead audiences to believe the story was about a cannibal.

Reception
Lucía, Lucía was not as successful as Serrano's first film Sexo, Pudor y Lágrimas. Its box-office output in Mexico was MNX$10 million (under a million dollars). In Spain it was released on November 21, 2003 in 100 theaters. In the United States it had a box-office output of $269,586 in just 50 theatres. The film currently takes the spot of the 204th highest grossing foreign film in the United States.

The film received mixed to negative reviews, currently holding a 44% rating on Rotten Tomatoes; the consensus states: "A relatively simple mid-life crisis story is burdened by overly cumbersome plot devices."

Accolades
The film was nominated for the following awards:
 * Ariel Award in 2004 from the Mexican Academy of Film for "Best Adapted Script" (Antonio Serrano)
 * MTV Movie Awards Mexico for:
 * "Favourite Actor" (Kuno Becker)
 * "Best Song" (Kinky's Caníbal).