Tragic and ill-fated Julia awakens on a blood-stained pillow with no memory of the murder she may or may not have committed the night before. Tried for the brutal stabbing of her lover and his cohort, our newly pregnant protagonist must wait out a complicated trial process in prison custody, confined to a specialized ward for expectant women, mothers and their children. Offering a stark glimpse into the harsh struggle to raise and maintain a child in the Argentine prison system, Lion’s Den follows Julia’s transformation over a period of years from vulnerable and damaged youth to a loving mother determined to nourish and protect her innocent offspring in an environment of unimaginable squalor. Argentine writer/director Pablo Trapero, a three-time veteran of the San Francisco International Film Festival (Crane World, 1999; Rolling Family, 2004; Born and Bred, 2006) returns having crafted a vigorously raw, yet ultimately redemptive tale of the tenderness that can triumph and bloom in the most harrowing circumstances and hardship, anchored by a stunningly ferocious performance from Martina Gusman who brings a rich intensity to the ever victimized Julia. With skilled precision and sobering focus, Trapero elevates the female prison picture into a work of remarkable sensitivity. (113 min, Strand Releasing)

Showtimes 1:30, 4:15, 7:35, 10:00. Saturday and Sunday matinees at 11:05.

View full SFFS Screen schedule


Written by Alejandro Fadel, Martín Mauregui, Santiago Mitre. Photographed by Guillermo Nieto. With Martina Gusman, Elli Medeiros, Rodrigo Santoro.