Juan Echanove Movies

With his gentle ensemble comedy Bienvenido a casa (aka Welcome Home), Spanish director David Trueba meditates on one man's passage from youth to the emotional maturity of adulthood. In the process, Trueba takes a wise and reflective look at the dynamics of contemporary relationships, romantic and otherwise. Alejo Sauras is Samuel, an aspiring photographer who makes the broad leap from his rural village in the Spanish countryside -- where he lives under the thumb of his domineering mother -- to the wonderland of urban Madrid. He moves in with his girlfriend, Eva (Pilar Lopez de Ayala), and accepts a position as resident photojournalist for a local culture magazine, where his eccentric colleagues include a slightly embittered, blind movie critic (with a blind guide dog), a burnt-out sports columnist, and a depressed vocalist/instrumentalist who pens the music column. Through the various employees, Trueba reveals a spectrum of attitudes toward love and romance. The remainder of the story finds Samuel teaming up with the magazine's reporter, Sandra, for an investigative story on a murder related to human trafficking. Meanwhile, Samuel begins to grapple, privately, with problems in his marital life -- specifically, how to preserve the love, romance, and devotion he feels for Eva (and she for him). Samuel's watchful mother cautions him not to repeat the same mistakes that she once made -- but the past comes back to haunt Samuel in the guise of a fateful encounter with a childhood friend, Nieves. Then, suddenly, Eva announces her pregnancy. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

A wrongly imprisoned political prisoner orchestrates a revolution in this drama from director Alberto Lecchi. After is accused of using his newspaper chess column to attack the fascist government, Arcibel (Dario Grandinetti) finds himself behind bars and separated from his daughter. Eventually Arcibel sees a glimmer of hope when a fellow prisoner escapes, taking with him the skills of strategy taught by Arcibel. Diego Torres and Juan Echanove also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Two of Spain's biggest female stars headline this offbeat comedy about the battle of wills between good and evil. Heaven is not getting its fair share of business for the afterlife, so Lola (Victoria Abril), an angel who sings in a nightclub located beyond the pearly gates, is sent to Earth to drum up business by her boss, Marina (Fanny Ardant). Her first prospect is Manny (Demián Bichir), a prizefighter with an injury that could take his life at any time. As Lola tries to claim Manny's soul for the Lord, the wicked Jack Davenport (Gael García Bernal) believes that the Devil deserves the boxer's soul, and he sends one of Hell's waitresses, Carmen (Penélope Cruz), to seal the deal. On Earth, Lola takes the form of Manny's former love and urges him to mend fences with his mother, while seductive Carmen tries to persuade Manny to return to the ring, knowing that another fight would mean his death. While Lola and Carmen wage war over Manny's soul, they maintain their cover by working at a grocery store, where they both learn a few lessons about the pitfalls of earthly capitalism. Meanwhile, Manny is dealing with financial problems of his own -- he owes money to the city's corrupt police commissioner (Emilio Gutiérrez Caba), who is using his strong-arm men to "persuade" Manny to pay up. Released in Europe as Sin Noticias de Dios (which translates as No News From God), Don't Tempt Me was a box-office success in Spain when it was released in late 2001, though it wouldn't reach American theaters until 2003. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Fernando Colomo directed this fact-based Spanish comedy-drama about leftist philosophy students Tomas (Jordi Molla) and Jaime (Ernesto Alterio), arrested in 1947 by Francoists and sent away to a Madrid prison for eight years. After their friend Velasco (Pepon Nieto) goes to Paris to enlist the aid of Michel (Samuel Le Bihan), noted for his ability to free political prisoners, Michel's girlfriend Kathy (Hedy Buress) and her actress friend Susan (Allison Smith) are enlisted to assist. Tomas and Jaime mount mules to make their escape and meet up with Kathy and Susan at a monastery, where romance takes flight, followed by darker events once the group moves on to Barcelona. Filmed in northwest Spain. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

In this sequel to the acclaimed Sighs of Spain (and Portugal) (1995), two picaros, slick Juan (Juan Luis Galiardo) and his innocent pal Pepe (Juan Echanove) return to Spain with Angelica (Rosa Maria Sarda) and Carmela (Neus Asensi). Pepe and Juan, both in love with the same woman, are on the brink of suicide when they are invited by TV-host Lanzagorta (Javier Gurruchaga) to tell their story on his show, "There Is Always a Right Way." In a series of flashbacks from the TV studio, Lanzagorta leads his viewers through a morass of misery in a materialist society as experienced by Juan and Pepe, as he turns their suffering into mass entertainment. Filmed in the poverty-stricken back alleys of Madrid. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Carlos (Carlos Hipolito) is a steady sort of fellow, a law-abiding insurance salesman. Somehow, in his competition with his raffish, gambling-addicted brother Toni (Juanjo Puigcorbe), he has won the hand of Julia (Lydia Bosche) and they have married. For ten years, they have generally gone their seperate ways without much contact. However, one day Toni shows up to make life a living hell for Carlos. Not only does he seduce his wife, but he screws up his insurance business. The conflict between these wildly differing brothers escalates until there is violence between them. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

When henpecked Harold Pigeon (Jeff Goldblum) becomes fed up with the bullying demands of his wife, Elizabeth (Mimi Rogers), he comes up with a plan to murder her and set himself free. However, when several attempts fail miserably, Harold lures his wife on a second honeymoon, where she inexplicably disappears. When the police suspect Harold for Elizabeth's disappearance, he must struggle to find his wife and clear his name. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

It is an interesting fact that Generalissimo Francisco Franco did not relinquish even a tiny bit of his hold on the reins of power in Spain until he had quelled all that country's many separatist and terrorist groups to his satisfaction. It is also quite remarkable that, having done so, he readily passed the reins of government over to parliament and the king. Even so, his heavy-handed tactics in getting there, beginning with the Civil War itself, aroused tremendous criticism and worldwide concern. The 1975 trial, which took place in Burgos, of five men accused of terrorism was a part of that process. It was a worldwide cause celèbre at the time, and this movie loosely uses that story as its basis. However, not only does it not go into the rationales and defense for the activities of the men who were convicted of terrorism (and executed), but it even scants the prosecution's case. Politically knowledgeable reviewers were disappointed in the film, which serves better as a courtroom melodrama than as a recapitulation of history. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

The extremely well-loved Flamenco singer Isabel Pantoja makes her screen debut in this feature. Since most of the film consists of her singing, fans of her voice and music will be pleased at this opportunity to see her. In the story, an attractively heavy woman is arriving at a movie theater to the accompaniment of much fanfare. She is a movie star whose film is being premiered. She is accompanied by an extremely thin man -- one of her co-stars. In the film which is then shown, the star plays a singer who is being courted by two men who wish to bask in her abundance. Meanwhile, back at the theater, the leading man has sneaked away to play poker. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Chusa is a fashionable and party-loving denizen of modern-day Madrid. Some of her flashy lifestyle is paid for by her amateur hashish-smuggling operation. Like many others, she often flies down to Morocco to score some of this marijuana-derived drug and then smuggles it back in various places on her body. She would like to smuggle more but needs a reliable courier. One candidate for the operation is Elena, an old friend of hers. However, there is just one problem: Elena is a virgin, and at least one of her body orifices won't accommodate much of the drug. Chusa asks her policeman boyfriend to help Elena past this handicap, and he reluctantly agrees. Unfortunately for her, the two friends become much friendlier than she had intended, and soon she is on her own, her smuggling plans in a shambles. When she gets to Morocco, she experiences even more setbacks. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This somber drama illustrates the cruel lengths some people will go to capitalize on unfortunate human oddities. When a beggar woman dies, her relatives fight over her son who has an enlarged head from having water on the brain. He is taken on tours of county fairs where his condition brings in money from slack-jawed yokels who stare in disbelief. When the boy is left unattended in a local tavern, he dies from alcohol poisoning. Even in death, the body is put on display in an effort to profit from his unfortunate disability. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi