"El Baile Amor (The Love Dance)"

Author(s): T.D.
Location: Killeen, TX

"El Baile Amor (The Love Dance)"

Distributed by Miramax Films
Directed by Leon Ichaso
Produced by Julio Caro, David Maldonado, & Simon Fields
Written by Leon Ichaso & Todd Anthony Bello

Drama

Main Cast

Freddy Rodriguez as Luis Soto
Rosie Perez as Sonia Gonzalez
John Leguizamo as Josué Gonzalez
Christina Vidal as Carmen Gonzalez
Héctor Elizondo as Juan de la Luz
Marc Anthony as Esai de la Luz
Kristin Herrera as Ángelina Gonzalez

Tagline: "There’s no greater love than that of a robber and his cousin"

Synopsis: Luis Soto is a robber who was sentenced to jail for the murder of a store clerk in Miami . After two months of living in prison, he, with the help of a few in-mates, manages to escape prison and flees to Puerto Rico with almost $10, 000 dollars. When he arrived in Puerto Rico, he makes his way to his cousins Josué and Sonia’s home in Arecibo to hide away. The family takes him in, but they don’t know that he’s an escapee from a prison. While hiding away, he learns that his cousins also live with Sonia’s father Juan, who has Alzheimer’s disease and is living with them for care, her lazy, foul-mouthed brother Esai, and the couple’s two daughters Carmen, a college graduate, and Ángelina, a young girl who will be celebrating her 15th birthday and is planning for her Quinceañera.

During his stay in the household, he takes care of the family, mainly Sonia’s father, and helps Ángelina out with the party planning by giving a lot of money to the family. Also, there are times where Luis almost got into fist fights with Esai, helps Juan get around the house, and there are moments in which he gets to bond with Josué, Sonia, and Carmen separately and together, but most of his stay he becomes really close to Ángelina, and just a few days before the party, she gives him her special charm, hoping that nothing ever happens to him and that he’ll stay with them forever. On the day of the Quinceañera, Luis gives Ángelina a set of diamond jewelry, a few items that he bought with the rest of the money. After the ceremony, he takes her out on the floor and they began to dance to a song that Sonia wrote called “El Baile de Amor”. As they danced to the song, the police comes in and arrests Luis.

He was taken back to the United States and was put back in jail, and Ángelina and Sonia followed along to try and reason with the police, but they told them he’s a murderer and must do his time in jail unless they pay bail. At first, Sonia tells Ángelina it’s hopeless because they didn’t have the money to get Luis out, but Ángelina didn’t give up and decides to sale the jewelry and a few other things to get the money. She does, and they were able to get Luis out of jail. In the end, Luis agrees to stay with the family and moves to Puerto Rico to be closer to the family and his cousin Ángelina.

What the Press would say:

Rodriguez and Herrera both bring so much heart to this film that you will leave with a brand new feeling. Both of the film’s leading stars give outstanding performances that stand the test of time. Not only were the leads great, but so were the supporting cast. Although Elizondo had a short amount of screen time, he gives a heartwarming performance as a caring grandfather with Alzheimer’s disease, and Academy Award nominee Rosie Perez delivers an amazing performance as the mother. Overall, this is a great film from Leon Ichaso and it will be a serious contender during the Oscar race.

For Your Consideration

Best Picture
Best Director – Leon Ichaso
Best Actor in a Leading Role – Freddy Rodriguez
Best Actress in a Leading Role – Kristin Herrera
Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Héctor Elizondo
Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Rosie Perez
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing
Best Original Song – “El Baile de Amor”