Jorge Perugorría Movies
In 1994, Cuban actor Jorge Perugorria landed one of the most prestigious roles imaginable in his native country, with a lead in the penultimate work of celebrated director Tomás Gutiérrez Alea. Although the film -- a gentle and thoughtful comedy-drama entitled Strawberry and Chocolate (1994) -- did not officially mark Perugorria's debut (several minor-league efforts had preceded it), it did catapult Perugorria from obscurity to instant stardom, thanks to his accomplished turn as Diego, a homosexual, bohemian iconoclast who falls hard for a heterosexual Communist (Vladimir Cruz). The effort also paved the way for extensive additional film work by Perugorria, in Cuba and around the globe. At this point, Perugorria -- a Havana native who grew up in the Wajay District and spent his early years as an actor doing Cuban nationalist theater -- moved squarely into features and maintained a prolific output; after a second collaboration with the late Alea (on Guantanamera), he quickly extended his reach into features produced in other Spanish-speaking countries. Efforts included the Mexican-Spanish co-production Edipo Alcalde (1996), the Spanish-Italian-French co-production Bambola (1996), and the Spanish-French effort Volaverunt (1999) as Francisco de Goya. Perugorria received a great deal of international attention when he teamed up with another top-tiered Cuban director, Humberto Solas, for a lead as a Cuban exile searching for information on his parentage in the 2001 arthouse hit Honey for Oshun. In the years that followed, Perugorria signed for a role that poised him for even greater global acclaim and recognition, as Joaquin in Steven Soderbergh's massive, ambitious three-hour Che Guevara biopic Che. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 2008
Cuban filmmaker Juan Carlos Tabío uses laughter to explore the socio-economic difficulties facing his homeland in this comedy concerning the chaos that unfolds when word spreads that the Castiñeiras family is set to receive a sizable inheritance. When Yamaguey resident Bernardito (Jorge Perugorría) first receives word that the Castiñeiras family is about to receive a large inheritance, he's understandably skeptical at first. Upon checking the internet and discovering that news outlets across the globe are reporting the bizarre development, however, his hopes finally begin to rise. It appears that a group of 18th Century Castiñeiras nuns had quietly deposited a large treasure in a British bank, and that the already substantial sum has been acquiring interest ever since. The authorities estimate that each family is set to receive millions, an announcement that has Castiñeiras all across Cuba lining up to prove their eligibility. But considering the fact that there are two separate Castiñeiras bloodlines, which one is entitled to receive the inheritance? In the case of Miguelón, a somewhat slow villager who has had his eye on town beauty Yurima since childhood, the announcement that he is now filthy rich could prove pivotal in helping him get the girl he's always pined after. Later, after the two become engaged and embark on a lavish spending spree, a new development sends the situation spinning in a wholly unanticipated direction. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jorge Perugorría, Annia Bu, (more)
Part 1 of Steven Soderbergh's Che Guevara saga stars Benicio Del Toro as the legendary Argentine revolutionary. The film opens with Che as one of the important figures in the growing Cuban rebellion led by Fidel Castro (Demián Bichir). The movie charts how the two successfully built an underground army large enough to successfully overthrow the government of Fulgencio Batista. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Benicio Del Toro, Javier Bardem, (more)
- 2007
Nineteenth-century Spanish copper miners working in deplorable conditions rise up against their British employers. Based on a true story. ~ Jim Feeley, Rovi
- Starring:
- Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sienna Guillory, (more)
Filmmaker Humberto Solas weaves together three stories of people struggling to find love and security on the margins of life in Havana in this poignant comedy-drama. Magalis (Luisa Maria Jimenez) is a nurse who has become the unwitting target of repeated romantic advances from Ignacio Mario Limonta), a man many years her senior who works in a lumberyard. One day, Ignacio is seriously injured while on the job, and he's taken to the hospital, where to his delight and her annoyance Magalis is assigned to look after him. Elsewhere, El Chino (Jorge Perugorria) is a truck driver who has fallen in love with Vivian (Isabel Santos), who works in a drugstore. Vivian and Chino's relationship is deeply passionate, and they're both delighted when she discovers she's pregnant. However, their joy turns to lingering grief when she suffers a miscarriage. And finally, Maria (Ana Dominguez) has been quarreling with her husband Santo (Rafael Lahera) and leaves him, which is worrisome for Santo since she's pregnant with his child. Eventually, Maria reconsiders and comes home, to the joy and relief of Santo and his mother Amparo (Adela Legra). However, the fates have decided their happiness will be short lived. Barrio Cuba received its American premiere at the 2006 Palm Springs Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Luisa Maria Jimenez, Jorge Perugorría, (more)
After languishing in a Barcelona prison for nearly a decade, a busted bank robber attempts to find the girl who made off with the cash in this suspenseful tale of revenge and betrayal starring Adriana Gil and Eduard Fernández. Ex-con Martin Losada is out of prison and on the hunt. When he and his band of anti-Franco bank robbers were busted after a botched heist ten years ago, the only member of their team never caught by police was his long-gone ex-girlfriend Julia. Now, on the eve of the 1958 revolution, the recently released ex-con sets his sights on Havana in a determined bid to find Julia, and stake his claim on his rightful share of the take. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eduard Fernández, Adriana Gil, (more)
Esteban Ramirez's melodrama Caribe stars Jorge Perugorria as Vincente a man who has gotten himself into difficult positions in both his personal life and his financial life. He engages in an affair with his sister-in-law, while also fielding offers from large oil companies to buy his land. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jorge Perugorría, Cuca Escribano, (more)
- 2002
Spanish filmmaker Miguel Albaladejo writes and directs the drama Rencor, marking the film debut of Spanish pop star Lolita. The bold singer Chelo (Lolita) goes to a resort for the summer and ends up running into her ex-boyfriend Toni (Jorge Perugorria), a former criminal involved in a new relationship with Esther (Elena Anaya). In order to get revenge on Toni, Chelo enlists the help of teacher Natalia (Mar Regueras), who has a young son that Toni fathered during a one-night stand and refuses to take responsibility for. Meanwhile, Esther's brother Marcos (Roberto Hernandez) starts up a relationship with Chelo. For her leading role, Lolita won a Goya award for Best New Actress in 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lolita, Jorge Perugorría, (more)
- 2000
In this existential drama from Brazil, a nameless man from a wealthy family (Jorge Perugorria) drifts through life without a job or a clear idea of what to do with his life. His sister (Bianca Byington) feels that he's turned his back on everything his family stands for, but at the same time his best friend, a radical leftist, chides him for not giving up the estate left to him by his parents -- which is currently overrun by squatters, who may soon be kicked out by a gang of violent bikers. The man is somehow convinced that he's being stalked by someone who wants to kill him, and as he wanders from one party to another in a daze of paranoia, he fends off the advances of his sister's drug-addicted friend (Susana Ribeiro) and seeks shelter from his ex-wife (Leonor Arocha), who is not entirely happy to see him. Written and directed by Ruy Guerra, a veteran of Brazil's Cinema Nova movement, Estorvo was screened in competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jorge Perugorría
American filmmakers Laurie Ann Schag and Casey Stoll journeyed to Cuba to investigate the nuts and bolts of day-to-day life for artists and musicians in Cuba, and Great Day in Havana is the result, offering a look at the literal state of the arts in Cuba's capital city. Sculptor Pedro "Pulido" Gonzalez, performance artist Tania Bruguera, singer and songwriter Carlos Varela, and jazz musicians Ele Valdes and Carlos Alfonso all discuss their work, the political climate in Cuba, their feelings about Fidel Castro, and their views on America's economic embargo against their nation. Elio Ruiz, a filmmaker born in Cuba who now lives elsewhere, also lends his perspectives on Cuba's large exile community. Yareli Arizmendi narrates. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 2000
Recalling Werner Herzog's Aguirre: The Wrath of God, acclaimed Chilean filmmaker Miguel Littin directs this sweeping epic about the true-life tale of Romanian engineer Julius Popper and his half-crazed pursuit of gold. Set in 1850, the handsome Romanian rides into a rough and tumble frontier town with his pockets full of gold. He uses his loot to round up dazzled prospectors and seduce hard-bitten brothel owner Armenia (Ornella Muti) into funding his expedition. The band sets off for the rugged South populated by half-naked indigenous people. Claiming the land for the Queen of Romania, Popper captures the Indians as slaves and forces them to mine for gold. They do find a scant amount of gold, which Popper promptly mints into coins bearing his likeness. Popper's second in command, a former Austrian sergeant named Novak (Nelson Villiagra), treats Indians with appalling savagery in the name of civilization, though he develops an odd respect for the tribe's beautiful, thoroughly-tattooed and frequently naked Queen Mennar (Tamara Acosta). As the rainy season sets in, the unpaid miners start to quietly talk of mutiny. Popper makes a bagpiper an example and forces him to play until he keels over. When this fails, Popper offers an ounce of gold for each Indian ear, breast, and testicle. This film was screened at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jorge Perugorría, Ornella Muti, (more)
In this allegorical comedy-drama, a disparate group of people wait at a rundown Cuban transit station for the next bus to arrive. The problem is, it never shows up. While a number of busses pass by the station, and others that are either full or at the end of the line stop by, it soon becomes obvious that the bus everyone was waiting for has left them high and dry. While one of the would-be passengers, Emilio (Vladimir Cruz), uses his down time to win the affections of beautiful Jacqueline (Thaimi Alvarino), most of the rest decide that if they're stuck without anywhere to go, they might as well make the station a better place to wait, and they begin forming a plan to turn the decrepit bus terminal into a showplace that people would look forward to visiting. Lista De Espera was directed by Juan Carlos Tabio, in what was his first solo directorial credit in eight years -- after several noted collaborative efforts. The film was shown as part of the Un Certain Regard series at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Vladimir Cruz, Jorge Perugorría, (more)
- 1999
Based on a historical novel by Antonio Larreta, Volaverunt imagines a number of romantic misadventures that enlivened the court of King Carlos IV, a Spanish ruler of the early 19th century. As the story opens, the beautiful Duchess of Alba (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon) is sharing a coach passing through Andalusia with artist Francisco de Goya (Jorge Perugorria), Prime Minister Manuel de Godey (Jordi Molla), and Pepita Tudo (Penelope Cruz), a peasant girl. Goya and de Godey are obviously charmed by the Duchess's exotic beauty and free-spirited attitude, but the Prime Minister is equally smitten with Pepita. The Prime Minister invites her to the royal court in Madrid, where she becomes his mistress and the subject of several of Goya's paintings. However, Queen Maria Luisa (Stefania Sandrelli) disapproves of de Godey's new love, and instead arranges for him to marry the Countess de Chinchon (Maria Alonso), a plain-Jane member of low-level royalty. The Duchess is upset with de Godey's marriage, as it keeps her away from a collection of royal jewelry she covets. When the Duchess suddenly and mysteriously dies, Goya, de Godey, and Pepita are all murder suspects and must confess where they were and what they were doing at the moments leading up to her death. While the film itself received mixed notices, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon received the Silver Shell as Best Actress at the 1999 San Sebastian Film Festival. The version screened at San Sebastian and several other festivals in the fall of 1999 was director Bigas Luna's original cut; the film's producers announced that the film would be re-edited for international release. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Penélope Cruz, (more)
Spanish director Gracia Querejeta directed this complex psychological study about two generations of a single family. The film unfolds with a double narrative. The first details the turbulent marriage of the brittle Adela (Marta Belaustegui) and her macho, Cuban-born husband Joao (Jorge Perugorria). Their lives are chronicled from their wedding in the 1950s through the birth and upbringing of their three daughters, to Joao's mysterious disappearance in the '60s. In the second narrative, the three daughters, Gloria (Mercedes Sampietro), Ana (Adriana Ozores), and Lidia (Rosa Mariscal) -- now all in their 40s -- gather for the funeral of their mother. They soon discover that they need to find Joao to discuss Adela's will, and their superstitious aunt provides a key bit of information in finding their father's whereabouts. Cuando Vuelvas a Mi Lado was screened at the 1999 San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mercedes Sampietro, Jorge Perugorría, (more)
- 1998
In this Cuban-Argentine film, Argentine 40-year-old Laura (Susu Pecoraro), visiting Cuba for the first time on business, is divorcing her husband back in Buenos Aires. She's soon involved with smooth-talking cab driver Frank (Jorge Perugorria). Garment manufacturer Francisco (Ulises Dumont), having lost his wife, children, and home, has traveled to Cuba to kill himself, but Frank's mother (Veronica Lynn) realizes that Francisco is the teenage lover who got her pregnant. In other relationships, a gay couple (Luis Alberto Garcia and Humberto Paez) argue over whether or not to remain in the closet, and two documentary filmmakers (Jorge Martinez and Laura de la Uz) have career conflicts. Shown at the 1998 Cinequest San Jose Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Susú Pecoraro, Jorge Perugorría, (more)
This Argentine family drama follows the misadventures of nine-year-old Muriel (Florencia Camiletti) and her mother Laura (Soledad Villamil). Problems with men send Laura on the run, so she and Muriel head south, losing transportation, money and belongings when their car rolls into a lake. They walk to a hotel where Mirta (Ines Estevez) lives with her two small children. Laura and Mirta become friends, and eventually Muriel's dad Ernesto (Jorge Perugorria) turns up with hopes of reuniting his family. Shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Soledad Villamil, Ines Estevez, (more)
- 1997
In this Cuban-French sex comedy, architecture student Estela (Silvia Aguila) makes a suicide attempt after her plans for solving Havana's housing shortage are rejected. This brings her into contact with earthy, cynical hospital nurse Ernesto (Jorge Perugorria). Estela invites him home for dinner, and he succeeds in offending everyone present. Unable to find a quiet spot to be alone, they finally find a squatters' tenement, where their sexual frenzy causes a ceiling to collapse. They next try vertical love in a stalled elevator, trapping people in the modern building minus stairs. Fleeing responsibilities, they stage a romantic rendezvous alongside a country river, but once again they are interrupted as Cuban commissars arrive with papers and forms because the couple constructs a hut beneath a bridge. Amid the misadventures, lust turns to love. Shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Silvia Aguila, Jorge Perugorría, (more)
Veteran director Manuel Gutierrez Aragon provided a portrait of Cubans in Spain with this Spanish film, a winner of the Silver Spike at the 1997 Valladolid Film Festival. Three sisters -- aspiring actress Nena (Violeta Rodriguez), timid Ludmila (Broselianda Hernandez), and motherly Rosa (Isabel Santos) -- travel from Havana to Madrid to stay with their aunt Maria (Daisy Granados). Aboard the same plane is Barbaro (Luis Alberto Garcia), who stays with penniless but streetwise Igor (Jorge Perugorria), a man who thinks sleeping with Spanish women is the route to upward mobility. The impoverished Igor also creates forged passports to help others depart for Miami. The three girls move in with Maria, who lives downstairs from her friend Azucena (Kiti Manver). Minus papers, the trio is employed at Maria's fur shop. Matchmaker Maria brings Rosa together with awkward Javier (Pepon Nieto), but Javier goes for Nena instead. So does Igor after he spots Nena in a Cubano bar. Igor sleeps that night at Azucena's place, and the proximity to the sisters during the long night's journey into day makes a commotion and fracas almost a certainty. The film's music blends rumba, bolero, and tango. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jorge Perugorría, Violeta Rodriguez, (more)
- 1996
One might consider this violent adaptation of the classical Greek tragedy as Sophocles with a South American twist. Set amidst the rebel wars (representing the Theban plagues) of contemporary Colombia, Mayor Edipo (Oedipus) must mediate a peace deal between conflicting guerrilla groups and the army. It is raining when he leaves. His journey is interrupted when he gets into a shoot out on a lonely bridge. Returning fire, Edipo somehow escapes. As soon as he gets to town he hears that a prominent leader, Layo was brutally slain. No one knows who shot him. Meanwhile a blind seer wanders town making dire prophecies concerning Edipo's future. It is he who tells the mayor that Layo was murdered by a family member. Edipo's fate is sealed when he gets involved with the beautiful and much older Yocasta, a woman who last had sex thirty years before with her husband Layo. She got pregnant and bore a son... Tragedy ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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