Pep Molina Movies
An expectant, ultra-modern mother living in 1913 Barcelona is thrust into a complex and labyrinthine mystery when her psychiatrist husband goes missing and she is forced to seek the help of her conservative brother-in-law in locating her missing spouse in director Joaquin Oristrell's Freudian period comedy. Alma is a modern woman of very modern means; her father Spain's foremost neurosurgeon and her husband, Leon, a devoted follower of controversial Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud. After arriving home one summer afternoon to find her tearful husband mumbling incoherent words of woe, Alma's life is turned upside down when Leon suddenly disappears. With no one else to turn to than her lovelorn brother-in-law Salvador -- likewise a psychiatrist who secretly pines for Alma despite being married to her sister -- Alma's discovery of a strange manuscript on hysteria and female sexuality proves the launching point for a tireless quest to locate her missing husband and discover the true meaning behind his inexplicable disappearance. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leonor Watling, Luis Tosar, (more)
A doctor's past comes back to haunt him in an unexpected way in this modern variation on the classic tale of Faust. Dr. Fausto (Miguel Angel Sola) is a respected oncologist whose career has practically taken over his life; he has no wife or children, and he's barely aware of the fact his beautiful assistant Julia (Najwa Nimri) is obviously in love with him. One day, Fausto finds himself so overwhelmed with his wildly stressful career that be begins pondering suicide as he waits for a train, only to be interrupted by Julia, who brings him the briefcase he left at his office. After boarding his train, the distraught Faust encounters Santos Vella (Eduard Fernandez), who introduces himself as one of Fausto's former patients; after Fausto removed his stomach and informed him that he had but three months to live, Vella opted to stop seeing doctors and ignore their advice -- and he says he's been feeling fine ever since. Despite Vella's contemptuous attitude towards modern medicine, he is both friendly and grateful to Fausto, and insists on giving the doctor a ride after a taxi breakdown leaves Fausto stranded. From then on, Fausto finds he can't get rid of his new friend, no matter how hard he tries -- everywhere he goes, Vella is close behind, and when Faust declares that he needs female companionship instead, Vella arranges for Fausto to spend the evening with Marta (Irene Montala), a prostitute who proves to be similarly unavoidable. Fausto 5.0 was the first motion picture directed and produced by members of La Fura, an acclaimed Spanish theater troupe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Miguel Ángel Solá, Eduard Fernández, (more)
An American abroad finds herself falling in with an eccentric group of fellow expatriates in Spain in this comedy. Cassandra (Judy Davis) is a nomadic American who finds herself stranded in Spain, where she's found temporary work translating books into English. However, Cassandra's limited translating skills are not bringing home the bacon, so when she encounters a strange woman named Frankie (Marcia Gay Harden), she's willing to help her find a missing friend for a price. Cassandra soon discovers Frankie isn't a strange woman after all -- she's a man living as a woman in preparation for a future sex change operation. It seems Frankie's significant other, a seriously butch lesbian named Ben (Lili Taylor), has walked out on her and taken their daughter Delilah (Courtney Jines) with her; Frankie wants Cassandra to help her find the two of them. As it turns out, Ben has moved on to new pastures, becoming involved with April (Juliette Lewis), a head-in-the-clouds bohemian, and with the help of wealthy art patron and part-time magician Hamilton Kincaid (Christopher Bowen), Ben, April, and Delilah are happily squatting in a spare wing at La Pedrera, Spain's best-known gallery. As Cassandra tries to persuade Ben to reconcile with Frankie, she gets fast-talked by Hamilton into performing as part of his magic act. Gaudi Afternoon was directed by Susan Seidelman; it was her first dramatic theatrical feature since Cookie in 1989, after spending over a decade making documentaries and television projects. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Judy Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, (more)
