'The Crimes That Bind': Meet Cecilia Roth, Yanina Ávila and rest of the cast of Argentinian crime drama
'Crímenes de Familia' (The Crimes That Bind) follows the story of Alicia, a desperate mother who will do the impossible to prevent her only son Daniel from being sentenced to prison on charges of attempted murder and rape of his ex-wife. While she and her husband try to get their son out of jail, Alicia discovers a terrible truth that changes her life completely and turns it upside down. The gripping thriller that combines crime and family drama is a portrait about class, gender, and violence and how assumptions can destroy lives. With a rock-solid cast, here are the main actors who bring the story to life.
Cecilia Roth as Alicia
Cecilia Roth plays Alicia, the distraught mother of Daniel, who runs pillar to post to free her son from jail. She also acts as an "auntie" to her maid Gladys' son and enjoys a comfortable life in an upper-class apartment complex with her husband. Roth began her career as an actress in Argentina until 1976 when she fled the country under military dictatorship and moved to Spain. There she had great success in Spanish films and her prominent roles included movies like 'Un Lugar en el Mundo' (A Place in this World), 'Martin', 'Las Verdes Praderas' (The Green Meadows) and 'Arrebato' (Rage) among many. In 1980, she worked with Pedro Almodóvar in the critically acclaimed films 'Pepi, Luci, Bom' and 'Todo Sobre Mi Madre' (All About My Mother), which earned Almodóvar his first Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Roth is the recipient of two Goya Awards and a European Film Award. She is also popularly known for being an 'Almodóvar girl' and an inspiration to Fito Páez during the 1990s.
Miguel Angel Solá as Ignacio
Miguel Angel Solá is Ignacio, Daniel's father who is tired of opening his wallet to rescue Daniel, who is now in prison thanks to his troubles with his ex-wife. In the trailer, he tells Alicia that he is done bailing their son out and ends their marriage. Solá is a prolific actor with over 60 Argentinian film and television appearances under his belt since 1973. Acting runs in his blood, as he hails from the Vehil's dynasty with eight generations of actors (originally from Catalonia) on his mother's side. He began working in television in 1973 and made his silver screen debut with 'Beyond the Sun' in 1975. He started off as a theater actor in 1971 and gained prominence in Peter Shaffer's 'Equus'. By the 1980s, Solá had established himself as a major film actor appearing in box-office hits like 'Murder in the Nation's Senate' (1984), 'Sur' (1987), and 'A Dos Aguas' (1988). He's also known for his role as Salvador Mazza in 'Casas de Fuego' (1995). He has appeared in 'La Fuga' (2001), 'The Impatient Alchemist' (2000), 'La Puta y la Ballena' (2004), and 'Arizona Sur' (2004). In 2006, he suffered a major injury while on vacation in the Canary Islands and spent two months in recovery. He returned to television and theater in 2011.
Benjamín Amadeo as Daniel
Benjamín Amadeo is Daniel, Alicia's beleaguered son who tells his parents that his ex-wife is making false accusations about how he raped her and tried to kill her. He says that he fell for her trap when he went to see her after she spoke of letting him see Martin, their son. A singer and actor, Amadeo is the son of Argentinian politician Eduardo Amadeo. He made his television debut in 2002 playing the role of Lautaro in the telenovela '1000 Million' and then in 'Son Amores', 'Una Familia Especial', 'El Refugio', 'Romeo y Julieta' and 'Amanda O'. He made his film debut in 2008 with the film 'Un Novio Para Mi Mujer' and then in 'La Leyenda'. He released his first single "Volaré" which is part of his first solo album 'Vida Lejana' in July 2015 and opened for Ed Sheeran's show at the Estadio Único de la Plata in 2017.
Sofía Gala Castiglione as Marcela
Daniel's ex-wife Marcela is played by Sofía Gala Castiglione. In direct contrast to Daniel's testimony, Marcela tells the court that he is a serial abuser who has threatened the lives of her and her son multiple times. Alicia hates her because she has not seen her grandson Martin in over a year and believes that Marcela is making up stories about Daniel to keep sole custody. Castiglione is the daughter of actress Moria Casán and producer Mario Castiglione. She grew up with much influence from showbiz and debuted in the film 'Los Roldán' in 2004 at age 17. In 2007, she starred in ' El Resultado Del Amor' and received a Silver Condor Award for 'Best Actress' for her performance, at the Festival de Cine Iberoamericano de Huelva.
Yanina Ávila as Gladys
Yanina Ávila plays Gladys, the quiet, anxious maid of Alicia, who rarely talks beyond acknowledging Alicia's instructions. Coming from an impoverished, abusive background, she gives birth to her first son, Santi, after she is hired as Alicia's live-in maid. She is grateful to Alicia for the care she lavishes on Santi but is also reticent around her because of the wide class difference between them. She finds herself in court for murdering her own baby (her second child) while Alicia is trying to sort out Daniel's mess. Yanina Ávila is an actress, known for the 2017 'Una especie de familia' (A Sort of Family) for which she won the Sur Award for 'Best Upcoming Actress'. The film by Argentinian director Diego Lerman was launched at the Toronto Film Festival to rave reviews in which Yanina received special mention for her role as Marcela. 'The Crimes That Bind' is her second film with a global premiere.
'The Crimes That Bind' ('Crímenes de Familia') premieres on August 20 and is available to stream on Netflix.