What’s it About
Julia (Swinton) is an out-of-control alcoholic whose manipulative behavior has finally tested the patience of her boss, who fires her, and a close friend, Mitch (Rubinek), who doles out some tough love. At an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, she meets broken, obviously unhinged Elena (del Castillo), who pleads with Julia to help kidnap her son from her wealthy industrialist father. Julia, desperate herself, agrees, but has no intention of carrying through with the plan for anyone’s benefit but her own.
Why we love it
Tilda Swinton turns in a tour de force performance in Erick Zonca’s cross-border thriller “Julia,” playing a conniving, selfish drunk who resorts to crime and other extreme measures when she loses her job. The kidnapping goes awry, of course, but that’s just the beginning of Julia’s trek into the lower depths with a scared kid (Aidan Gould) who quickly figures out she’s no friend. Zonca keeps the action on full throttle, all the way south to Mexico, but there’s no question this is Swinton’s film. A great crime movie, “Julia” also provides a fitting showcase for one gifted actress.