Julia is an alcoholic on the constant decline. She spends the nights partying, usually not knowing where she is, when she wakes up. Because of that, she loses her job. Her only friend, Mitch, a recovering alcoholic himself, makes her go to an AA meeting, where she meets her neighbour, Elena. A few days later, Julia passes out on the sidewalk in front of her apartment building.
When she comes to, she’s in Elena’s flat. Elena starts to talk about her son Tommy, who lives with his grandfather, because his father died and Elena herself has a history of psychosis. The grandfather is very rich. Elena tells Julia that she wants to kidnap her son and go back to Mexico with him and she needs Julia to help her, she would pay her $50,000.
Julia declines at first, but after a couple of drinks and overcoming a few doubts, she tells Elena that she’ll do it. But Julia is not satisfied with the arrangement and goes to her old friend Nick, a former crook. She asks him to help her kidnap the child and ask for a ransom from his grandfather. Nick says no.
Julia then goes to an acquaintance of hers, Leon, to ask him for help. She tells him that Elena owes her $5,000 and that she would split with him if helped her. He agrees to do it. Leon gets her a gun.
Elena explains the plan. The boy and his guardian will be swimming at the river in a couple of days time. Julia should wait in the car close to the place, while Elena gets Tommy and then Julia shall drive them to the border. Elena asks Julia not to drink that day.
Julia agrees to everything, getting very drunk before the whole thing. Mitch finds her and sleeps with her, telling her the whole story of how he lost his family through his alcoholism and that Julia should take care of herself and watch out. Julia leaves, not caring about what he said. Later, she discovers that Elena doesnt have any money after all.
Finally, the day is here. Julia waits in her car, when Tommy’s guardian notices that he has a flat tire. He sees Julias car and walks up to her, asking for a car jack. She gives him one. When he returns and puts it back in the trunk, she hits him with the car, drives over him twice and then goes to get the boy.
She locks Tommy in the trunk and takes off. In panic, she drives to a motel with him, in the desert. In the motel, she makes him take sleeping pills, binds him up and calls the grandfather and asks for a ransom, 2 million dollars.
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Julia
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Saul Rubinek, Kate del Castillo, Aidan Gould, Jude Ciccolella, Bruno Bichir, Horacio Garcia Rojas
Directed by: Erick Zonca
Screenplay by: Michael Collins, Camille Natta
Release Date: April 24th, 2009
MPAA Rating: R pervasive language, some violent content and brief nudity.
Studio: Magnolia Pictures
Box Office Totals
Domestic: $65,108 (4.9%)
Foreign: $1,268,133 (95.1%)
Total: $1,333,241 (Worldwide)