Roxanne's transformation perhaps best conveys the film's meaning.
As young guerilla Carmen, her mix of naïveté, intelligence, and boldness breaks down the barriers between captors and captives. Coroy has only one other credit so far, but she delivers perhaps the most sympathetic performance in a film full of them. As the translator, Kase is extremely effective as both the glue of the situation and a man who finds himself unexpectedly overcome by passion. Huerta, memorably villainous in a brief appearance in Sin Nombre, slowly reveals a thoughtful humanism as the guerillas' leader. Lambert has perhaps his most charming role to date as Thibault.
And Watanabe is, as ever, a powerful screen presence. Moore is supple, as always, as she portrays Roxanne's various sides. Director/co-adapter Paul Weitz helps himself immensely by casting such a superb ensemble. The film allows relationships to develop realistically and personalities to emerge organically. Bel Canto avoids any hint of starry-eyed Stockholm Syndrome by simply presenting its subjects as honestly human. Unlike most hostage dramas, this film isn't about survival, cruelty, or escape it's a powerfully moving, beautiful story about shared humanity revealed by time and close quarters.
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