MovieChat Forums > Daniel & Ana (2010) Discussion > Does the kidnapping make any sense? (spo...

Does the kidnapping make any sense? (spoilers)

posted 14 years ago by jtaboada
16 replies | jump to latest

So these two are kidnapped by some pornographers just to make a dirty scene between brother and sister, and then released. I could never digest such a premise, and I was looking for an explanation throughout the whole movie, but of course, none came. I know the movie claims to be based on real facts, but I honestly think that putting that disclaimer at the beginning of the film was the only way the director could think of to make the audience buy it. And the final commentary about the thousands of victims of clandestine pornography... Come on, pornography is not fabricated at gunpoint, there are so much easier ways to do it. Besides, the kidnappers-pornographers were not scary at all, they could hold a gun, all right, but they were never ever going to shoot anybody. They don't use the faintest violence against their victims, they don't bother to cover their faces, and they deliver their threats without the slightest conviction (this could be due to poor acting, but it certainly doesn't help the story).

Actually, and unlike some reviewers, I did like the psychological study of the trauma and I enjoyed the slow pace of the movie, which nevertheless doesn't lose tension. I just think the conflict is good as a dramatic idea (what'd happened if you're forced to have sex with your sister?) but never gets justified.

[–] vescalant 14 years ago

Yes, it does, but not as a "regular" kidnapping. The clue is just before the
kidnapping, when Daniel misses a turn when he drives with Ana. There are other
clues along the movie. This movie has a hidden, mischievous reading!
In any case kidnappings, carried out by the police, the army, or criminals,
have become a normal fact of life in Mexico. Good acting is no longer important
in Mexican cinema to render a convincing representation of a kidnapping,
just as good acting might not be important to represent a car accident in
the 5th Avenue in New York City with supporting actors.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Stevarooni 13 years ago

How do kidnappers who know their identities and know their itinerary for the day happen to be in a location that's a "wrong turn" for Daniel? It's a very minor event turned into a big deal, but I can see where vescalant is coming from.

With regards to the original post...there are underground markets for porn. Obviously a group of willing participants could slap together something and call it incest, but they may have higher-paying buyers who want to be able to verify that it is what the kidnappers purport it to be. Though I'd think that most underground porn, these days, would focus on sex of a much more illegal and immoral nature.

[–] Eponymous-too 13 years ago

It doesn't take anything sinister on the brother's part to explain why the kidnappers knew who they were and why they were at a place after a missed turn. They are obviously looking to product real incest videos, which require identifying real siblings. They then follow those siblings until they have an opportunity to effect the kidnapping. Presumably, what they can sell the tape for more than makes up for the cost and trouble they had to go through.

"My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the Whale Rider."

[–] Stevarooni 13 years ago

But why were they at the wrong place, Eponymous-too? Yeah, knowing about the kids doesn't take an "inside source", but the fact that the kidnappers were where the kids shouldn't have been was an oddity. Not a big deal, in any case, but that's, I believe, what vescalant was getting at.

[–] Jorge_Dunst 13 years ago

now that u mention some clues of the movie, i remember when Ana asked Daniel to go with her to the bookstore he was like in 30 minutes ill go with you maybe he needed time to call the men who later kidnapped them i dont know i still think they give those hints so people will make theories about it but i still think it was a real kidnapping and that it really *beep* up daniel mind so much he later did it again

I Walk Like This Cause I Can Back It Up

[–] ninth-muse 13 years ago

I don't think Daniel was in on it, because after it happened, he was at home searching the internet to see if the video was somewhere. Like he was worried about it getting out.

[–] impeachmybush 11 years ago

While I agree that I don't think Daniel orchestrated the kidnapping, I don't think he was paranoid that the video was on the internet. I believe that after the kidnapping, he began to grow sexual feelings for his sister. In his search history we see how many times he has searched for the video and the various different terms he used. I believe he wanted to find the video to reminisce and pleasure himself to that day.

Let it slide, overhead...

[–] Tsyroc 8 years ago

I believe that after the kidnapping, he began to grow sexual feelings for his sister. In his search history we see how many times he has searched for the video and the various different terms he used. I believe he wanted to find the video to reminisce and pleasure himself to that day.

With all of the other issues in this film I hadn't thought about this being the real reason he was trying to find the video.

Maybe he could find it on the "Dark Web" in a few months. However one finds the "Dark Web". 😖

I find this movie kind of driving me crazy. About half of it is really good and the other half is WTF!?! which works for one or two viewings. Then I'd rather see something less over-the-top shockery and more long term (like a mini-series) where the siblings deal, individually and together, with what happened to them. Hopefully in the mini-series none of them go crazy and rape their sister, plan on killing their future brother-in-law, or serve their brother-in-law a drink spiked with their own semen because they are have some psychological issues regarding their hot older sister that "bad men" made them have sex with (just like something he imagined). Then again, if they do, then make the series longer and deal with that stuff too.

I swear, this movie makes me want to learn Spanish but I am afraid that it would take a decade (or more) for me to learn the nuances enough to be able to tell whether I've been missing any interesting details from this movie and I get the feeling that there aren't any nuances there for me to pick up on.

[–] noveltylibrary 14 years ago

no.

[–] C.S.Wood 13 years ago

I rented this movie having no idea what it was about. Naturally, I was very surprised when I found out what it's really about.

Long story short, I hated this movie. I don't care if it is based on a true story, it's a poorly made manipulative piece of nonsense.

First of all, the kidnapping. It's the most important part of the movie because if you don't buy that those two are going to be killed if they don't do what the kidnappers say then you can't very well buy the rest of it, can you? The kidnappers don't wear masks and let the kidnappies see their faces. This usually means they're not worried about getting caught because they're going to kill them or the kidnappers are idiots.

Granted, the psychological aspect of the story was very interesting, but then the brother flips out and does what he does towards the end of the film and I just lost it. I wanted to break the DVD I was so angry. No wonder I never heard of this movie. Who would want to watch this? Who would want to recommend this to friends to watch? I feel like a moron for having sat through it. I didn't even hate Transformers 2 this much, at least that movie knows it's trash!

Don't try to cash in love, that check will always bounce.

[–] akrisluvskev 13 years ago

To those whose sensibilites would have them believe this kind of thing doesn't happen WAKE UP.

Mexico is a cess pool, full of all kinds of corruptions and kidnapping the wealthy and well off is done all the time there. Also human trafficking is a very lucrative market for mexico, as well as porno. The culture it self encourages incest and even turns a blind eye to male relatives raping their female relatives, or older men having sex with kids. Incest in mexico is all to common and no one does a thing about it. The market however for those types of porno tapes are world wide. Japanese men, middle eastern men and american men are the biggest clients for such tapes, and will pay thousands to have sex with children usually traffiked through mexico.

As for this movie whats so hard to understand, they were stalked and when the opportunity arose kiddnapped and made to engage in incest, that's not so hard to believe, especially if it's happening in mexico.

Don't be blind to facts ppl.

[–] fridacorona 13 years ago

There are cases like this in EVERY country. There is no shortage of pervert, and although there is a rise in cases like this in Mexico, it is idiotic to define a country like this.

[–] dianaintherain 13 years ago

To those making a big deal about the kidnapping:

I think it's fairly safe to assume that the kidnappers were following Daniel and Ana. We get a shot in the film, right after Ana gets back in the car by the bookstore, that implies that they're being watched. Plus the criminals seem to already know their names so apparently they had already done their homework and were now in the process of following and finding a good spot to finally kidnap the siblings.

Also I think the kidnappers didn't bother to disguise their identities because they probably knew that it would be hard to prosecute them. I mean, they didn't actually cause any direct harm to the siblings. I admit though, after some thought, that it was a dumb thing to show their faces.

To those that say the kidnapping scene wasn't realistic:

If you were constantly invaded with stories of extreme brutality happening around and someone put a gun to your head I think you'd be quick to do whatever they asked of you. Unless brutal rape and death were the better alternatives.

Additionally:

I'm sure there are people out there into weird porn that would be willing to pay for such films. The problem is that the films would be very easy to fake so why would they pay exorbitant amounts of money for something that could very easily be manufactured?

On a side note: Maybe someone that knew the siblings personally requested that the film be made. That person would know for sure that the film was real. Just a thought.

[–] Tsyroc 12 years ago

I agree with you that the kidnapping works as it is.

The kidnappers stated they knew who Daniel and Ana were before they took them. There was one shot when Ana comes out of the bookstore that makes it look like it was from the POV of someone watching them but not wanting to be seen.

Also, after they've filmed the video one of the pornographers can be heard mentioning that he got the Torres' video and that he had previously sent photos of the siblings to the other person on the phone. Granted, the photos could have been sent after they collected the siblings but from a risk/reward standpoint it makes sense for the kidnappers to identify potential targets and then see if there would be a demand for that target as part of one of their products.

As for the kidnappers not covering their faces. Traditionally in fiction this automatically means that the victims are going to be killed, and maybe this has carried over into the real world, but in general people are terrible at identifying other people and sketch artist drawings are not that effective. However, in this case I think the kidnappers were counting on Daniel and Ana not even reporting the crime because of fear, either from the perceived stigma associated with what they were made to do, or that the kidnappers would kill them and/or their family. The kidnappers certainly knew who they were and where they lived. The threat that got them to make the video could just as easily contribute to the reasons they didn't report the crime to the authorities.

[–] vegaoth 12 years ago

Add to that that the police in Mexico just doesn't work and there's no way they will be able to identify the kidnappers, so why hide?