Antonio de la Torre Movies

A young man who has grown up on the streets wants to do right by his mother -- even as he lives outside the law -- in this stylish action drama from Spain. Ricky (Mario Casas) was only 12 years old when he was left to fend for himself after his mother Pura (Angela Molina) ended up in jail on prostitution charges. Even though she let him down, Ricky is still devoted to his mom as he pedals goods on the street to support himself and lives with a makeshift family that includes Angelito (Vicente Romero), a low-rent pimp; his half-bright sidekick The Kid (Luciano Caceres); Angelito's drug-addicted lover Scrag (Macarena Gomez); and Princess (Damaso Conde), an eccentric cross-dresser convinced she's descended from royalty. Eager to give his mother a better life, Ricky wants to open a brothel that she can run when she's released from prison, and with some help from Angelito and The Kid, he's nearly gotten the illegal business off the ground when he discovers Pura's growing senility would make it impossible for her to run the establishment. Even worse, local gangster El Chino (Dario Grandinetti) doesn't like Ricky giving him competition and demands a huge protection payment if the business is to stay open. Ricky doesn't have the sort of bankroll El Chino demands, so he and his partners make a desperate attempt to raise the cash by kidnapping Veronica (Blanca Suarez), whose father is a powerful but dishonest police detective (Antonio de la Torre). Carne de Néon (aka Neon Flesh) was written and directed by Paco Cabezas, who adapted the story from a short subject he made in 2005. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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, Rovi

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, Rovi