Pilar Bardem Movies
A fantasy-prone transvestite who is looking to make the leap to transsexual status imagines that he is the star of a lavish universe punctuated by elaborate musical numbers in director Ramon Salazar's stylish sophomore feature. Adolfo (Monica Cervera) is a die-hard romantic who currently shares a cramped apartment with Tomas (Miguel O'Dogherty). Though he was born a man, Adolfo prefers to go by the name Marieta, and is currently stashing away the money needed to shed the male appendage that is holding him back from full womanhood. Sex change operations don't come cheap though, and in order to raise said money Marieta must first land a decent paying job. Though one successful interview does find Marieta hired as a railroad station cleaner, the exhausted worker immediately falls asleep on the job and is quickly fired for doing so. It is in his sleep that Marieta truly comes alive though, and after falling asleep during a conversation at a nearby market, the dreamland Ginger Rogers is pulled to safety by handsome stock-boy El Reponedor (Pablo Puyol). As an intensely sexual relationship begins to develop between Marieta and El Reponedor, the aspiring transsexual discovers that even if he himself doesn't appreciate his one defining male characteristic, there are others out there who most certainly do. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monica Cervera, Pablo Puyol, (more)
A heartless killer receives an ominous message after killing his old partner with a car bomb in director José Miguel Juárez's mysterious thriller. Unbeknownst to Miguel Gironza, Remedios and Nemesio have witnessed the violent murder. When the elderly witnesses appear at the funeral with a young girl and tell Gironza that all of his dreams will come true when he sees a black cat with a full moon on its forehead, the confused Gironza ponders the price he will have to pay for such an extravagant fantasy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jose Sancho, Manuela Arcuri, (more)
The healing power of the sexual act is the focus of this magic-realist entry, shot in Mexico and produced in Spain by writer-director Laura Mana. Evoking films as disparate as Wings of Desire, Like Water for Chocolate, and Breaking the Waves, Sexo Por Compasion switches from black and white to color as it relays the tale of Dolores (Elisabeth Margoni), a woman who begins a series of affairs after her husband walks out on her. She begins her trysts "out of compassion," as it were, for men who have been wronged by their women. As word of her carnal benevolence spreads, Dolores notices her small village changing: the invalid Leocadia (Leticia Huijada) is suddenly able to walk; a feuding couple makes amends; and Dolores' suitors donate money to the local church. Everything goes well until the local prostitutes accuse Dolores of noodling in on their business. Sexo world-premiered at the 2000 Malaga Film Festival before moving to festivals in Canada and the U.S. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Margoni, Alex Angulo, (more)
Billed as a Peruvian version of Catch-22 crossed with Dr. Strangelove, this army satire, directed by Francisco J. Lombardi, is about Captain Pantaleon Pantoja (Salvador Del Solar), who heads a hooker squad designed to keep the troops from manhandling the locals. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pilar Bardem, Gianfranco Brero, (more)
- 1998
Norwegian Bent Hamer earned himself quite a bit of fame with his first feature, Eggs. Carrying on the burlesque style of the first film, he tells the story of Almar, a young Norwegian sailor whose gold watch, of great sentimental value, has been broken. While waiting for repairs in a remote Spanish town, he meets a number of unusual characters: Windy, an Australian seafarer with unusual experiences, real or imaginary; Marta, a beautiful Spanish girl; Martha's bizarre grandfather; and two old watchmakers who are painfully methodical. It seems to Almar that real time has also stopped when his watch did. En Dag Til I Solen is an offbeat comedy which is highly entertaining. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Magnusson, Nicholas Hope, (more)
- 1997
This Pedro Almodóvar melodrama examines how several lives are changed by a single gunshot. Adapting the novel Live Flesh by British mystery author Ruth Rendell, Almodóvar has given the material a Spanish makeover with added political thrust. Beginning in 1970 in Franco's Madrid, when a prostitute (Penelope Cruz) gives birth to a son, Victor, the story leaps forward to contemporary Madrid. Wealthy diplomat's daughter Elena (Francesca Neri) is watching Luis Buñuel's The Criminal Life of Archibaldo de La Cruz (1955) while waiting for the arrival of her heroin dealer, and she buzzes Victor (Liberto Rabal) (with whom she made a date, then forgot about him) into the building. In the confusion that follows, two cops, David (Javier Bardem) and Sancho (Jose Sancho) arrive, and a gun goes off. The story then makes another leap to four years later: Victor is in prison, while Elena, no longer on drugs, runs a disadvantaged children's shelter and is married to wheelchair-bound David. After his release, Victor visits his mother's grave and spots David and Elena at the cemetery -- where David meets philandering wife Clara (Angela Molina). Fate interweaves the tangled interrelationships of all into a complex tapestry of destiny and guilt. Shown at 1997 London and New York film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri, (more)
- 1997
On a dark and rainy night, a deeply troubled Antonio drives a saddened Laura home from the hospital after witnessing the painful death of her husband (Antonio's best friend), Tomas. In a series of flashbacks, as water splashes down the darkened car windows, Antonio tells her how he came to marry the seductive and murderous Ana. A long-time morphine addict, he met her while she was living in the gorgeous old home of her ailing grandparents. She wanted the house for herself, so when her grandfather told her he wanted to die, she graciously obliged him. Unfortunately, her doddering grandmother is not ready to go, nor is she easy to get rid of. To this end, Ana agrees to marry the impassioned Antonio only if he promises to help murder her grandmother. Antonio says yes, but after the honeymoon ends, he begins rethinking his hasty vow. The painful death of Tomas has not helped him make his decision. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This stylish, taut and unpredictable Spanish thriller is laced with black comedy and social consciousness as it tells the convoluted tale centering on alcoholic, unlucky Gloria Duque, an impoverished Mexico City prostitute. She is first seen performing fellatio on several crooks as they make another drug deal. Something goes awry and violence erupts and two corrupt drug agents and a local gangster die. Eduardo, an Argentine hit man survives and he does not kill Gloria. Just before one of the agents died, he handed Gloria a list of international money-laundering businesses and when things settle down she flies to Madrid, her hometown. There she sees her husband, a bullfighter in an irreversible coma, and begins living off of her mother-in-law's money. Doña Julia cares about her daughter-in-law and tries to get her to give up the booze, go to school and earn a respectable living, but Gloria is stubborn and insists on making it her own way. Unfortunately, her way is to rob a furrier, a front for one of the illicit businesses. Meanwhile, back in Mexico, Eduardo prepares to fly to Spain and complete his latest assignment: to kill Gloria and bring back the valuable list. Fortunately for her, just before Eduardo gets to her, Eduardo sees the light and turns to God instead of killing, but in the end, it is Doña Julia who holds the key to Gloria's final salvation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this comedy from Spain, Manolo (Juanjo Puigcorbe) is a police lieutenant who has asked to speak to a group of law enforcement officials who will be having a meeting at a popular ski resort. Manolo's car breaks down en route, and while trying to hitch a ride, he gets a lift from a free spirited young woman (Laura del Sol) who is planning to spend a few days on the slopes. Manolo soons finds himself head over heels in love, but juggling his unexpected courtship with his duties to his fellow officers proves to be more taxing than he imagined. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In Basque country, feuds, governments, and wars come and go, while cows placidly observe the strange behaviors of the humans who care for them. In 1875, during a massacre inspired by an out-of-control family feud, a farmer and his friend find themselves in a ditch together. One of them dies, and the other survives by playing possum using his friend's blood as a disguise. As the film flashes forward in time, the man is now a grandfather who amuses himself by painting the tranquil gaze of cows over and over again, while he observes that his son is having an affair with his dead friend's granddaughter. Finally, during the Civil War in 1936, violence again mars the life of the family, as the illegitimate son of the earlier affair attempts to make headway with his life. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Suarez, Carmelo Gómez, (more)
- 1978
Four different Alices wander through mazes constructed from 40 years of Spanish history in this post-Franco meditation. Loosely related to the "Alice" of Alice in Wonderland, in one episode of this film, Alice (who is clearly a metaphor for the Spanish people) is raped by some multinational corporations. Told in a somewhat confusing manner, especially for those unfamiliar with the nuances of Spain's history in the period between 1936 and 1975, this is director Jorge Feliu's first feature film. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Silvia Aguilar
- 1976
Based on a novel by Jose Cruset, and packed with violence and riotousness, this film tells the story of a humanitarian bookseller in 16th-century Granada who manages to open Spain's first mental institution. The story takes place several generations after the expulsion of the Jews and Moors from Spain. Juan de Dios (Timothy Dalton), after experiencing and witnessing brutalities visited upon the people of Spain, vows to spend his life helping others. In fulfillment of his vow, he faces down the Inquisition and suffers greatly. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Dalton, Antonio Ferrandis, (more)
- 1976
On long summer weekends, Juan (Alfredo Landa) is in the habit of hopping on his motorcycle in Madrid and driving for many hours to Torremolinos, a popular hangout for foreign tourists. There, he indulges in his fondness for romancing foreign girls. In this movie, which won a Gold Prize at the 1977 Moscow Film Festival, the people he meets on his journey form a microcosm of modern Spain. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alfredo Landa, Paco Algora, (more)
Sometimes its okay to judge a book by its cover and a film by its title. This blood-soaked cheapo Spanish horror film is a good example. Starring popular creepshow star Paul Naschy, it is the grim tale of three twisted sisters, a one-handed brunette, a wheel-chair bound blonde and a nymphomaniacal redhead who bedevil a handsome but hapless handyman whom they hire to fix up their decaying old house. Doffing his shirt to flash his muscular, hairy chest at every opportunity, Naschy soon finds himself encountering a bevy of beautiful, dead, eyeless (they were torn out by the killer) women laying about. When not sleeping with the redhead, Naschy attempts to solve the mystery and save his life. Actually, the literal translation of the Spanish title Los Ojos Azules de la Muñeca Rota, "The Blue Eyes of the Broken Doll" is far more intriguing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacinto Molina
- 1971
This unwieldy Spanish drama tells the story of what happens in a conservative country region, sometime in the past, when the new director of a home for mentally deranged women attempts to bring more modern and humane methods to the management and treatment of his charges. The staff and the neighboring villagers and officials resist his changes, considering them no better than witchcraft. He has some success with his patients but cannot make headway with those who hired him. When he leads his charges through the village as a form of protest march, his days in charge are over. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
This video tells a horrifying story of adultery and revenge. ~ All Movie Guide
