Elián charts the remarkable story of Elián Gonzalez: a 5-year-old Cuban boy plucked from the Florida Straits on Thanksgiving Day in 1999. After his mother and others perished at sea, the ensuing custody battle between Gonzalez's Cuban father and Miami-based relatives sparked a flash point for simmering post-Cold War U.S. and Cuban tensions. Featuring powerful personal testimony, candid interviews and extraordinary news archive, this film presents a gripping account of Elián's remarkable survival and the momentous political fight that came to surround him.

REVIEWS

“Never has the story been told with the urgency of Bryan Fogel’s new doc, Icarus, a real-life absurdist thriller, in its electric coverage of one Russian scandal.”
— Village Voice

“As he is taken for the ride of his life, Fogel’s... project [has] its camera aimed squarely at an international scandal.”
— RogerEbert.com

“A coup for a first-time documentarian.”
— The Atlantic

“If you want insight into cheating in sports and the complicated reasons why it happens over and over, Icarus will open your eyes as never before. It is essential viewing for anyone interested in athletics or competitive sports of any type.”
— The Globe and Mail

“The pleasure here is in learning the behind-the-scenes stories pertaining to a world customarily fronted only by athletes who, in this telling, are reduced to mere pawns in an international chess game dominated by politics, power, prestige and big bucks.”
— The Hollywood Reporter

“Maybe the best non-fiction movie of the year.”
— Financial Times

“A Game Changing documentary.”
— Variety

“A truly absorbing piece of filmmaking.”
— Indie Wire

“An Exceptionally Riveting Portrait.”
— Vogue