Icíar Bollaín Movies

The politics of the past and present begin to merge during the making of a motion picture in this drama from director Icíar Bollaín. Spanish movie director Sebastián (Gael García Bernal) and his producer Costa (Luis Tosar) have arrived in Bolivia to shoot a picture about Columbus' exploration and exploitation of the New World. While Sebastián has come to Bolivia for realistic scenery, Costa has chosen the location for the cheap and abundant supply of labor. An open casting call for extras attracts far more people than the picture needs, but when Costa tries to send them away, one would-be actor, Daniel (Juan Carlos Aduviri), makes a strong and eloquent case for fair treatment of the locals, and Sebastián casts him as Hatuey, the chief of a native tribe who fought the invading Spaniards. As Sebastián stages scenes of revolt against would-be colonists, a real battle is brewing in Colombia -- the government has privatized the national water works, and the price of water has jumped by 300 percent, leading to protests and riots in the streets of Cochabamba. Daniel is one of the activists protesting price gouging for something as essential as water -- will Sebastián and his colleagues join him in speaking out against this injustice? También la Iluvia (aka Even the Rain) was an official selection at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Take My Eyes and Flowers from Another World director Icíar Bollaín takes the helm for this drama concerning a trio of female detective who are forced to turn their attentions inward if they hope to solve their latest cases. Ines, Eva, and Carmen are used to intruding on the privacy of others, but what happens when they have to use their well-honed sleuthing skills to tackle their own problems? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Spanish actress/author/filmmaker Icíar Bollaín writes and directs the family drama Te Doy Mis Ojos (Take My Eyes), co-written by Alicia Luna. Pilar (Laia Marull) leaves her abusive husband, Antonio (Luis Tosar), during the middle of winter in Toledo, Spain. She and her son, Juan (Nicolás Fernández Luna), go to live with her sister Ana (Candela Peña). While supportive, Ana doesn't fully understand Pilar's situation. Pilar's mother, Aurora (Rosa María Sardà), refuses to acknowledge the problem. Antonio is desperate to win back Pilar. He sends her constant presents and even attends therapy sessions in order to work through his anger. Meanwhile, Pilar gets a job at an art museum and tries to restart her life. Take My Eyes won several awards at the San Sebastian Film Festival before making its U.S. premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Five strangers from various parts of the Iberian Peninsula experience an outbreak of seemingly unrelated supernatural phenomena that only later take on greater significance in veteran director George Sluizer's 2002 seriocomic fantasy The Stoneraft. Joana (Ana Padrao), Jose (Gabino Diego), Maria (Iciar Bollain), and Joaquim (Diogo Infante) are all experiencing events they cannot logically explain: A flock of starlings follows Jose everywhere he goes, while Joana creates small fault lines with her walking stick; Joaquim not only raises an impossibly large stone with only his hands but also throws it out to sea; while unraveling one sock, Maria discovers the thread has no end. Pedro's (Federico Luppi) -- the fifth stranger -- experience is the most significant, as he alone feels a bizarre tremor that eventually leads to the entirety of Iberia dislodging itself from the rest of the European continent. As the new island begins to drift toward North America and a catastrophic collision appears imminent, the majority of the Spanish and Portuguese populations begin to abandon the renegade land mass. The five prophets, however, seek an answer to all of these puzzling events and are thus drawn together on their mutual quest for truth while preparing for what seems to be an approaching apocalypse. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

Veteran filmmaker Josep Maria Forn directed this Spanish thriller about sexual harassment. When feminist attorney Elena (Silvia Munt) tells stockbroker Sergi (Abel Folk) she's wants a child, he responds by informing her that he had a vasectomy. With the support of her friend Cati (Pepa Lopez), Elena takes on the case of Paula (Iciar Bollain), a woman who says she was sexually harassed by her ex-boss. As the case becomes a major news story, Sergi discovers that the accused is one of his biggest clients, mayoral candidate Andreu (Jordi Dauder), who is advised by his lawyer Pau (Josep Maria Pou). A knotty twist develops when it becomes evident to Elena that she will be put in the awkward position of cross-examining her own lover about his affair with Paula. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Two young women leave their old-fashioned Spanish villages in search of wealth and adventure in this gentle drama. Both La Nina and Trini are in their early 20s. After spending time working in a resort filled with aged touristas the two end up in Madrid meeting with Marilo, La Nina's mother. Marilo and her daughter do not get along well, but the mother and Trini become fast friends. Marilo dreams of running a bar along the beach and together with La Nina, Trini, and her lover little Pepe, they all head off to the beach. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this surreal, minimalist fairy tale for adults, a leather-working tailor (Luis Flete) has traveled to the warehouse of a very sinister and macho man (Feodor Atkine) who seemingly owns a good part of the town he lives in, to purchase some more leather for his business. The warehouse owner and the tailor both have eyes on one of the cool, beautiful girls who is a tenant in an apartment house the wearhouse owner lives in (as well as owning it). In order to be near the woman, the tailor agrees to an unusual deal with the warehouse owner. He will make a special leather garment designed to make him irresistable to the girl (Iciar Bollain), and in return the owner will give him the use of an apartment in his building. That done, the tailor soon realizes that he has done his work too well, and violence soon results. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Laura is a Spanish girl who has moved to New York city with the hope of making a new life for herself there. She lives in a junky building in a dangerous neighborhood, and is being hounded by her truly weird landlord to pay the rent of a neighbor of hers, for no discernible reason. Meanwhile, she is attempting to get to know and understand this fabled city, her new home. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Sometimes people know so thoroughly what they meant to say that they lose all objectivity about whether they have actually communicated what they intended to. Reviewers suspected that this might be the case with this film. Three separate but (possibly) related situations take place in it. In the first, Daniel (Jorge de Juan) arrives in town carrying a briefcase which he is meant to deliver to someone. He is prevented from doing so by a police raid. In the second situation, Daniel follows Maria (Iciar Bollain) around, attempting to charm her. Despite her protests, she does succumb to his blandishments. Finally, Maria is working for a greenhouse which uses potentially dangerous chemicals to preserve the fruit it ships out. She and her boss connive to sabotage the operation and spare the workers from further exposure to the chemicals. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Two gunmen chase after an anthropologist on the run in this convoluted, low-budget drama. In spite of several technical flaws in production and amateurish performances, the film shared prize money given by the CIGA hotel chain at the 1987 San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi