Assumpta Serna Movies

In this children's film about the values of fighting air pollution, a young singing group (Regaliz) is joined by other pre-teens to discover why all the birds have deserted Barcelona -- and what will bring them back again? When it appears that the culprit is the city's smog-filled air, the youngsters decide to take matters into their own hands. Their civic calling is subsequently lightened by snappy dialogue and a few musical numbers. The children organize protests, they convince the mayor to help out, they struggle with their parents, and even set up tree houses in a public park as their new residences. Their activities come to a climax when one of them is injured falling out of a tree house, and the boy's father -- an industrial mogul -- starts taking the problem of air pollution to heart. Maybe there is some hope for the return of the birds after all. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

A young married couple living in Madrid decide to go their separate ways, a decision brought on by the person who moves into the apartment next to them. The jealous husband leaves his wife and takes up an apartment in another section of the building, taking some of the furniture with him when he goes. But the prospects for divorce alter as the film heads toward its conclusion, in a series of unexpected events. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Confusion seems to settle over this drama like dust on a polished surface, until the layers are so thick that nothing is seen clearly any more. Andrés (José Sacristán) goes back to Spain from Mexico because a lawyer has sent for him. Andrés has inherited an enormous piece of property -- an old mansion of a house -- and although his half-brother offers him a good sum of money for the structure, Andrés hesitates. He wants to know more about the circumstances of his father's death which happened when Andrés was six; he is also becoming infatuated with the lawyer's daughter, and some men are threatening him -- men who may or may not be hired by his half-brother. In the end, Andrés fares better than the plot itself. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This suspense thriller about a bad relationship concerns Lola (Angela Molina), who is working hard for a living but becomes caught up in a sado-masochistic affair with the vicious Mario (Feodor Atkine). Finally breaking away from her own neurosis and a punishing lifestyle, Lola meets and marries Robert (Patrick Bauchau) and starts a new life with him in Barcelona. They have a young daughter but after a few years, Mario suddenly bursts into their lives claiming that the daughter is really his. Nothing but trouble lies ahead. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Once-great Spanish matador Nacho Martinez has been reduced to starring in gruesome "snuff" films. Martinez is idolized by Antonio Banderas, who has no notion of his idol's current illegal profession. Terrified at the thought of drawing blood in the bullring, Banderas nevertheless seeks out Martinez' assistance in preparing for a bullfighting career. To prove his "machismo", Banderas rapes Martinez' lady-friend Eva Cobo. No one will believe Banderas' confession of the rape, so he decides to attach more importance to his crime by confessing to a recent rash of serial killings (actually perpetrated by Martinez and his cohorts). Bandera's case is taken by feminist attorney Assumpta Serna, who unwittingly--but not unwillingly--sets herself up as Martinez' next "conquest." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Captain Luis Dantas (Patrick Bauchau) is the escaped military officer found murdered in this often surrealistic crime drama. Inspector Elias (Raul Solnado) is called on to investigate the man's death, and the story is told by the sleuth in narrative form with the help of flashbacks. The inquiry leads to Mena (Assumpta Serna), the sexually vibrant daughter of a wealthy countess who was romantically involved with Dantas. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

This mystery is taken from the novel by best-selling author Guy des Cars. While on a voyage with his philandering wife (Assumpta Serna), Jacques (Xavier Deluc), in spite of the fact that he is blind, deaf, and mute, is accused of murdering an oily lounge singer. Deliot (Jean Carmet) is the defense attorney who tries to find the killer and defend Jacques, who inexplicably admits to a murder he did not commit. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In this slow-paced and chaotic film, Ravi has been bedding a beauty queen who is on the outs with her former lover and has been drinking a lot. They are at a hotel in Provence which a local landowner has a grudge against. Before the hotel came, the main livelihood in the region was fruit-growing. With the arrival of the hotel, it is only a matter of time before tourism takes over. The landowner has hired some drifters to set fire to the hotel. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

A beautiful woman discovers a new side of her personality in this erotic drama. Kansas-born Emily Reed (Carré Otis) is an intelligent but naive young woman who has made a name for herself as a lawyer and is hired to work with businesswoman Claudia Lirones (Jacqueline Bisset), who is putting the finishing touches on a major real estate deal. Claudia brings Emily with her as she jets off to Rio De Janeiro to wrap up the sale of a resort hotel to the Chinese. When Claudia is unexpectedly called away, Emily is left in the care of James Wheeler (Mickey Rourke), an expatriate American multi-millionaire with a truly remarkable tan who is in on Claudia's deal. The Carnivale is in full swing in Rio, and James seeks to broaden Emily's horizons by introducing her to the sensual pleasures lurking all around her; James and Emily soon become involved, which complicates matters when Claudia returns. One of Wild Orchid's love scenes between Mickey Rourke and Carré Otis had to be trimmed so that the film could gain an R rating for American release (the uncut version was later released on home video); a widely circulated rumor had it that Rourke and Otis, who were living together at the time, had actually had sex while the scene was filmed, though Otis later denied it. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi