Antonio de la Torre Movies
- 2008
A kid who tries to turn the tables on a bully has his plan backfire on him in this comedy-drama from Spain. Gaby (Eduardo Gare) is a seemingly ordinary teenager attending high school, and like most kids in school he has to put up with bullies. Gaby has become a target for abuse from Guille (Eduardo Espinilla), a big and arrogant guy who has a handful of friends that help him play cruel but imaginative pranks on his classmates. Gaby's mother Merche (Elvira Minguez), the host of a local news show, and father Joaquin (Antonio de la Torre), who sells and installs security systems, are worried about their son's safety, though they're not sure what to do about Guille. As it happens, Guille's family isn't sure what to do either, and his father Guillermo (Lluis Homar), a loud-mouthed local politician, and mom Magda (Paz Padilla) are as frustrated as anyone else. One day, after an especially humiliating ribbing from Guille, Gaby finally loses control and punches him out, but clever Guille is able to persuade the school authorities that Gaby struck him without provocation, and suddenly Gaby finds himself singled out as the bad guy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2008
An elderly man is forced to come to terms with his age and his future in this drama from director Mario Camus. Alfonso (Alvaro de Luna) is in his early Seventies and while he still feels sharp, looking after Nanda (Mari Gonzalez), who cared for him as a child and has only a short time to live, is making him painfully aware of his mortality. Luisa (Marian Aguilera) is a social worker who keeps tabs on Nanda, and through her Alfonso meets her brother Martin (Oscar Abad), who hopes to turn his passion for bike racing into a career. Alfonso was a passionate cyclist in his youth, and he becomes a mentor to the younger man as he looks back on his lost youth. Meanwhile, Luisa is looking for new excitement in her own life, and thinks she's found it in a romance with Ramiro (Antonio de la Torre), a mechanic who works on motorcycles. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alvaro de Luna, Marian Aguilera, (more)
- 2007
A new circle of friends helps a woman come to terms with grief in this Spanish drama. Ana (Julieta Serrano) is a middle-aged woman who is struggling to put her life back in order after the death of her husband. Ana isn't the only one in her family with problems -- her son Antonio (Antonio de la Torre) is having trouble with his marriage, and her grandson Ezequiel (Alexander Biggie) can't convince his father that he's more interested in dancing than football. Ana finds a new lease on life when she meets a group of neighborhood women who meet regularly to play petanca, a Spanish lawn bowling game. Ana's new friends help her to come out of her shell and enjoy life again, but she's forced to deal with real-world crises again when one of her pals is diagnosed with a serious illness. Originally produced for Spanish television, Y A Mi Quien Me Cuida? (aka And Who Will Take Care of Me? later made the rounds of European film festivals, and received its American premiere at the 2007 Los Angeles Latino Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julieta Serrano, Antonio de la Torre, (more)
A handful of young people try to sort out the complications of their relationships -- both romantic and familial -- in this comedy drama from Spain. Jorge (Quim Gutierrez) is a guy in his mid-twenties trying to get his life in order as he looks after his father Andres (Hector Colome), who has recently suffered a stroke. Relations are tense between Jorge and Andres, and Jorge thinks one of their arguments may have led to his father's illness. While Andres recovers, Jorge covers his shifts as a janitor, and spends his spare time hanging out with his friend Israel (Raul Arevalo), who is coming to terms with his sexuality, and corresponding with his one-time girlfriend Natalia (Eva Pallaares), who is now attending college in Germany. Meanwhile, Jorge's brother Antonio (Antonio de la Torre) has stumbled into an unusual new relationship -- Antonio is in prison, and while assisting with a theater production being staged behind bars, he becomes infatuated with Paula (Marta Etura), who is both a cast member and a prisoner. Paula wants a baby despite the fact she's in jail, but Antonio isn't so sure he wants to be the father. AzulOscuroCasiNegro (aka DarkBlueAlmostBlack) was the first feature film from writer and director Daniel Sanchez Arevalo. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Quim Gutierrez, Marta Etura, (more)
Two sisters learn that the bonds of family don't always end after death in this gentle observational comedy drama that marks celebrated Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's 16th feature. The story explores the interactions between three generations of women in a Spanish family. Raimunda (Penélope Cruz) was born and raised in the apocryphal village of Alcanfor de las Infantas, in La Mancha, Spain. However, she now resides in Madrid, where she works as a janitor. She is married to Paco (Antonio de la Torre), an unemployed layabout, and looks after her daughter, Paula (Yohana Cobo). Raimunda's mother, Irene (Carmen Maura), died several years back (along with her father) in a house fire. Raimunda's younger sister, Sole (Lola Dueñas), also lives in Madrid and works as a hair stylist, while their aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave) still makes her home in La Mancha, with occasional help from neighbor Agustina (Blanca Portillo). The story takes an unusual and mystical twist when Agustina mentions that Irene has begun reappearing in ghostly form -- a fact questioned by Raimunda and Sole. After a murder and an unexpected family tragedy, Paula's story is indeed corroborated by the appearance of Irene's spirit (who has come to comfort her family), and Sole must decide how to respond to the long-dead mother's strange, enchanting presence. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, (more)
- 2002
Spanish director Chus Gutierrez draws attention to illegal immigrants and the racism they are forced to endure in her 2002 social issue drama Poniente. Madrid-based schoolteacher Lucía (Cuca Escribano) returns to her birthplace in Southern Spain after her father passes away. Upon her arrival, Lucía reconnects with her hometown and decides to assume leadership of her father's greenhouse business -- a development that draws the ire of her cousin Miguel (Antonio Dechent), who would have taken over if Lucía hadn't. In due time, Lucía meets her father's business accountant, Curro (Jose Coronado), and promptly takes a keen personal interest in the attractive, sensitive man. As Curro and Lucía share a compassionate regard for the illegal immigrants they employ, both are forced to confront the outright racism coming from the surrounding community, as well as from some of their other non-immigrant employees. As tensions come to a head, Lucía is forced to make some business decisions that will have long lasting -- and quite disparate -- effects on her relationships with her employees and the surrounding community. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cuca Escribano, Jose Coronado, (more)
