NICO En la Ciudad sin Limites certainly traps the audience in the mystery and suspense of the story. The film is about a family who is reunited in France when the news of their sick father comes to each of the brothers. As the sons and their mother talk about selling the family business, Victor, one of the sons, switches his attention to the needs of his father. Although everyone else believes that Max is delusional, Victor gives him the benefit of the doubt, which in time reveals some hidden secrets which none of the sons new about. The character of the father, Max, is a very interesting one which keeps the audience at the edge of their seats, wanting to know whether he is acting crazy or if he has a purpose in mind. While the story centers on Max and his son Victor, the director also includes side stories of affairs involving the brothers and their girlfriends or ex-wives. These side stories do not add much to the mystery at hand, but seem to only make the story a bit more complex.

Max I really enjoyed this film. The drama of Max approaching death and losing his grasp on reality intertwined with his fear/wish that he might still be able to undo an act committed 40 years earlier was compelling and very real, at the same time providing a strong element of suspense as his son Victor slowly unravels the truth. The romantic sub-plots work nicely to enhance the theme of betrayal. My only criticism was that I didn't think the gay theme worked and felt inserted into the plot. I personally found the relationship between the two men more profound as purely a political one. I think Marie's jealousy would have been more poignant if she had felt threatened by that side of the men's friendship and not the sexual. But overall an excellent film, well worth seeing. Great soundtrack.

jotix100 At the risk of casting a dissenting note, this film with its convoluted plot, showing a dysfunctional family fighting as the patriarch is dying, left this viewer cold. One has to appreciate the fact that independent film makers take a different view on what they perceive as correct. The Spanish cinema, in general, loves to load a lot of political baggage to the plots of their films, at the expense of the viewer's interest and knowledge of history of that country.Antonio Hernandez, the director, working on his own material, shows he can direct a large cast of Spanish and Argentine actors. The only problem is the story is not so compelling and keeps getting side tracked by the heavy laden screen play.The acting, in general is adequate. The matriarch Marie, as played by Geraldine Chaplin, is the most annoying figure in the film. Fernando Fernan Gomez, as Max, plays his usual self with gusto. Leonardo Sbaraglia, an excellent actor, is Victor, the son that believes in the conspiracy. Alfredo Alcon, one of the best Argentine actors of stage and screen appears briefly in the film.

Jully_Brasil I saw "En la ciudad sin límites" a couple of months ago in the Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival and I left the movie theatre with mixed feelings about it...I mean, the story is very interesting and interestingly told and all the actors are very well (gotta love Geraldine Chaplin and a very hot and talented Leo Sbaraglia), but hey, nothing in life is perfect, right?The movie begins with Sbaraglia's character, Victor, re-joining his family in Europe after years of reclusion in Argentina. His father Max (Fernando Fernán Gómez, superb) is dying - and losing his mind-, so the three sons and their mom Marie (Chaplin) have to decide what to do with the family business. It doesn't take too long, though, for Victor to find out that Max's so-called delusions are based on secrets buried in his past, so the estranged son embarks on a desperate journey to uncover the whole story to allow his father to die in peace - even if it means he has to go against the rest of the family.SOUNDS good? Well, not actually..."En la ciudad sin límites"'s score might be one of, if not THE worst in the history of moviemaking. Seriously, it exaggerates the moods, creates (or at least tries to create) emotions which are totally different from the ones the images and script pass...a total disaster. But if you can get past that, you won't be disappointed, given that the subplots are also very very interesting and the ending, though not entirely unpredictable, fits like a glove the critic to the traditional, high society.I saw "Les invasions barbares" ("The barbarian invasions") a few weeks after "En la ciudad sin límites" and the two have lots of similarities, though the Canadian film exchanges the suspense/mystery factor for a political tone. I know a lot of people will want to kill me, but if it wasn't for the terrible music, I'd say the Spanish movie's better, 'cos quite frankly I don't know what's all the fuss about "Invasions", seriously. I'm 21, but a friend of mine who's the same age thought it was amazing and, on the other hand, my mom, who's 47, didn't think much of it - that proves it has nothing to do with age. I don't know, for me, it just didn't bring anything new...but I shouldn't be talking about it here...Well, anyway, I say go see "En la ciudad sin límites" if you have a chance. I gave it a 7 out of 10 because of the score, but the movie itself is a solid 8 or even a 9. Two thumbs up.