''7 Boxes'' (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

: ''7 Cajas'') is a

Paraguayan Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

film directed by

Juan Carlos Maneglia Juan Carlos Maneglia is a Paraguayan film maker. A member of the Maneglia Schémbori duo, Juan Carlos Maneglia is the most recognized reference in the Paraguayan film industry, along with Tana Schémbori with whom he has co-directed since its in ...

and Tana Schémbori. Initially the film was to be released in June 2011, but was delayed when the film was accepted as a competitor in the International Film Festival of San Sebastian in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. After months of work, the film was finally released on August 10, 2012, and received praise from

critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...

and the public as well as breaking

box office A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is f ...

records in Paraguayan cinemas. ''7 Boxes'' won the "Films in Progress" in what was the first unanimous decision in the festival's history. The film participated at the Moscow International Film Festival in 2013.

Plot

On a hot Friday in April 2005 in

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay o ...

, a 17-year-old pushcart porter named Victor (Celso Franco) is distracted while daydreaming about being famous and admired at a

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booth in the middle of a market, causing him the loss of a customer. Acknowledging the competitiveness of the market, and fearing for the security of his job, Victor realizes that he needs to work harder to make money that day. He then receives an unusual proposal: He is asked to transport seven boxes of unknown contents, in exchange for half of a torn $100 bill and the promise of the other half when the job is done. With a borrowed cell phone, which the contractor uses to keep track of his progress, Victor begins the journey accompanied by a hyperactive young woman named Liz (

Lali Gonzalez Lali may refer to: * Lali (drum), a type of drum used in Fiji * Lali, Humla. a village and municipality in Humla District in the Karnali Zone of northwestern Nepal * Lali, Mahakali, a village development committee in Darchula District in the Mahak ...

). While crossing the eight blocks covering the market, one of the boxes is stolen and Victor loses the cell phone, and the police are roaming the market searching for something. Meanwhile, a group of porters is ready to escort the boxes for almost nothing. Unknowingly, Victor, Liz, and their pursuers are involved in a crime of which they know nothing; not the cause, nor the victim or perpetrator. As night falls Victor realizes that he is now an accomplice in a dangerous crime.

Cast

* Celso Franco as Victor, a porter who aspires to become a famous actor. He is recruited to transport seven mysterious boxes in exchange for one hundred dollars. *

as Liz, a young woman who accompanies Victor on his mission. * Nelly Davalos as Tamara * Jin Hyuk Johnny Kim as Jim * Víctor Sosa as Nelson * Nico García as Luis

Accolades

The film has been nominated at the

27th Goya Awards The 27th Goya Awards were presented at the Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel in Madrid on February 17, 2013 to honour the best in Spanish films of 2012. Comedian Eva Hache was the master of ceremonies for the second year in a row. Nominees were a ...

for Best Spanish Language Foreign Film representing Paraguay. ''7 Boxes'' won the "Films in Progress" in what was the first unanimous decision at the International Film Festival of San Sebastian.

Critical reception

The

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website

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surveyed and, categorizing the reviews as positive or negative, assessed 30 as positive and 1 as negative for a 97% rating. Among the reviews, it determined an average rating of 7 out of 10.

Filming

Juan Carlos Maneglia was a regular visitor to Asunción's Mercado 4, and in 2004, he began planning to film the porters and vendors who worked there. The shooting of the film took place mainly at night. ''7 Boxes'' had a cast of 30 people and a large crew. The production included an office near the shopping area, with the support of the leadership of the Municipal Market No. 4 for

logistics Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...

and safety of the film crew. The National Police accompanied the filmmakers for some sequences in which some sectors needed to be closed off for location shooting. The script provides about 75 locations for about 179 scenes. The filming of ''7 Boxes'' lasted two months and two days of shooting, where more than 40

technician A technician is a worker in a field of technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use ...

s and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

s participated in the filming.

Production

''7 Boxes'' was directed by Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori.7 cajas
En-Filme, 29 - Jul - 2015 The original script was cowritten by Maneglia and Tito Chamorro. Richard Careaga performed the

cinematography Cinematography (from ancient Greek κίνημα, ''kìnema'' "movement" and γράφειν, ''gràphein'' "to write") is the art of Film, motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (o ...

, and the Synchro team carried out the coordination of the technical operation. The original music was composed by

Fran Villalba Francisco José Villalba Rodrigo (born 11 May 1998) is a Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Segunda División club Sporting de Gijón. He began his career with Valencia and spent a season on loan to Numancia before moving to ...

, and production and post-production were performed by Schémbori and Maneglia. The

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...

s are Jou Vicky Ramirez, Camilo Guanes and Rocio Galiano, while Oniria is the

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of the movie.

External links

* * *
''7 Boxes''
at The International Film Festival's official website
Film review for ''7 Boxes''
at ''The Globe and Mail''

Bibliography

7 Boxes
Variety, Robert Koehler, 9 September 2012
"7 Boxes" Arrives on Home Video
The Independent Critic, Richard Propes, Access date: 31 May 2022

Los Angeles Times, Review: Martin Tsai, 6 February 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:7 Cajas Paraguayan thriller films 2012 films 2012 comedy films Films shot in Paraguay Films set in Paraguay 2010s Spanish-language films Guaraní-language films 2010s Korean-language films 2012 multilingual films