Francisco Casares Movies

Inspired by actual documents from the archives of the Catholic Church, writer/director Elio Quiroga's The Haunting tells the tale of a respected pediatrician who falls prey to a supernatural force while grieving the death of her infant child. Shortly after losing her child to SIDS, Francesca (Ana Torrent) moves with her family to a sprawling mansion in the Spanish countryside and attempts to take the first slow steps toward emotional recovery. But despite the best efforts of her husband Pedro and their psychiatrist friend Jean, Francesco cannot break free from the suffocating grip of grief. Later, a series of shocking and horrific visions drive the mourning mother to the edge of madness: is Francesco's new house really haunted, or is it all just in her head. As the visitations become more intense, Francesco realizes that they seem to be emanating from the attic and the basement, two rooms that have been declared off-limits to the family, and have been locked up tight for reassurance. Her crumbling psyche on the verge of total collapse, Francesco grows compelled to solve the mystery before she's consumed by it. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In 1946, Darman (Terence Stamp) followed orders from his Communist Party superiors, and went to Spain to kill someone the party had designated as a traitor, and he hasn't been comfortable with himself ever since. Now, it is 1962, and he receives word that he is wanted to perform a similar service. Obediently, he leaves his cozy, book-lined cottage in Britain and heads to Poland, where he gets his orders in some detail. Then he heads for Madrid, evading the Falangist regime's police forces and contacting the city's underground communists. He continues going through the motions of locating his victim, even though he is still very ambivalent about his assignment. At the end, he gets off the hook because another communist does the job. The complex situation grows more complex, leading to a final shootout. This political thriller is based on a novel by Antonio M. Molina and was quite well received in Spain. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In a story with a good premise, a man who has been hiding in a cave for 40 years decides he is finally ready to come out and re-integrate himself into village life. He went into hiding to escape the harsh rule of the fascist dictator Francisco Franco. After Franco dies in 1975, the cave-dweller feels it's safe to emerge, though he is not at all prepared for modern Spain. Meanwhile, friends inform his wife that she may no longer be eligible for a pension because her husband is alive while others wonder if he really is her husband. These considerations are almost enough to drive the man back into the cave again. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This fictional treatment of an actual incident in Barcelona, Spain involves a man who brutalizes his family and those who work underneath him with no concern for anyone except himself. The story may not be far away from the truth for many families in many countries. Costa (Agustin Gonzalez) is a member of the former right-wing extremists Fuerza Nueva and has built a little empire for himself in the construction and real-estate business. He freely and frequently abuses his wife and four children, and in fact only one daughter is not terrified of him. Costa goes around with a bodyguard -- since even he is aware of the hatred he engenders -- but his ultimate mistake lies in assuming that the victims of his vicious temper may not be quite as weak as the spineless jellyfish he sees in them. The result of his excesses finally culminates in an irreversible act of violence that may -- or may not -- result in court action. Although a little flawed by technical problems with the sound and a somewhat disjointed, episodic telling of the tale, this drama is sure to keep viewers involved in the action.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In a gross miscarriage of justice, based on an actual event, two men are falsely accused and convicted of the murder of a missing shepherd from a small Spanish village. A despotic district court judge and a right-wing congressman orchestrate the trial. The two men are subjected to brutal torture by sadistic guards to exact a confession of guilt. The men serve 6 years of a 15-year prison term before they are released, and they later discover their alleged victim is alive and well in a neighboring village. The 15-minute torture scene is harrowing, as is the subsequent passage of the exhuming of human corpses. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This allegorical drama is said to depict the state of Spanish society under Franco's dictatorship, and the film won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 1978. In the story, nothing can possibly go wrong at the annual dinner of the fishing club. Nothing will go wrong. The members are determined to see it just that way, despite evidence to the contrary. A mob of outsiders just tried to crash the party. The cooks briefly went on strike but were persuaded to serve up the members' catch of trout anyway. The fish is liberally dosed with good-tasting sauces. Despite the awful taste, the fish cannot possibly be rotten -- after all, the loyal members of the club just caught them. Nothing is wrong with the members either, although they appear to be dying. The party will go on, the usual self-congratulatory speeches will be made, and the awards will be given. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi