Inês de Medeiros Movies

The collapse of Spain's fascist leadership in 1975 has unexpected repercussions elsewhere in Europe in this taut suspense drama. Charles Williamsen (Thom Hoffman) is an American who has come to the French Basque countryside to do research on birds. Charles meets a fellow traveler and bird enthusiast, Miranda Fernandez (Ines de Medeiros), who is from Spain and whose father is an advisor to Franco. Charles and Miranda soon grow fond of one another, though as they get to know each other she finds herself repeatedly drawn into conversations with others about Franco's rapidly failing health, prompted in part by her father's imminent arrival. Charles and Miranda are staying at the same hotel, where they encounter fellow guests Mitch (Hans Meyer) and Beth (Catherine de Seynes). Many of the locals seem quite familiar with Mitch, though he claims to be a British tourist who has never visited the area before, and while Mitch's explanations seem convincing, no one is sure why he is using a surveillance camera to monitor the activities of a nearby farmhouse -- or how Charles got a pair of military-grade night-vision goggles. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Realizing that teenage mom Tina is about to gas herself and her new child, Tina's young boyfriend grabs the infant and takes it to the streets of Lisbon. What he does next comprises the bulk of this extremely downbeat, minimalist drama from Portuguese director Pedro Costa. Once in the street, the boyfriend attempts to sell the child. When that fails, he leaves it at a nurse's house. That doesn't work out either so the youth gives the baby to a streetwalker. Meanwhile Tina and her friend try to get the baby back. When they fail, they decide to get revenge upon the boyfriend. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The conversations between two lost souls who were former lovers is the basis for this drama. When Sophie suddenly returns into Vincent's life, she convinces him to leave his male lover. A small subplot is provided by Anna, a shy woman who walks from Romania to come together with her lover who promptly dies of a heart attack when they reunite. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This European drama, set in Paris, follows a brilliant musician as he suddenly forsakes his career, to live and love amongst the common populace. Armand is the violinist who yearns to experience that life and to share his music with everyone, not just the wealthy and the elite. He leaves the glittering world of classical music without a backward glance and takes up residence in the Paris metro where he is surrounded by beggars and tramps. There he meets and becomes friends with Lydia, a metro employee. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Miguel (Luis Miguel Cintra) is lucky that his income will only level off if he neglects his business as a financier, and his wife and family will be well supported. Why? Because he has begun hearing noises that no one else hears, noises that bother him a great deal, and that make it impossible for him to bear human society. His wife (Jessica Weiss) is thoroughly put out by this radically changed behavior in her formerly good husband, but though she considers leaving him, she stays by his side. Deep in the mountains, Cecelia (Rita Dias), a devout, pure young cowherd, has been brutally raped by an old man. Her boyfriend (Pedro Hestnes) has killed the rapist, and fled the area. As a result of the rape, Cecelia is pregnant. One day, while driving in the mountains, Miguel gives Cecelia's boyfriend a ride. The two of them chance upon her sitting amid the rocks with her infant baby. The image is so like that of the Madonna that Miguel is thunderstruck. Not only that, the noises that plagued him have gone, and he can return to his patient wife a happier man. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Little is explained in this enigmatic drama. Vincente (Pedro Hestnes Ferreira) and Nino (Nuno Ferreira) have learned to cope so well with their father's frequent unexplained absences that when he apparently disappears for good, they have no difficulty continuing as before. The equilibrium they have established is more precarious than it seems, however, as relatives come to the house seeking clarification of the situation, and it is broken completely when some gangsters who have had some dealings with their father come and try to beat information out of them. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

This classy drama is an updated version of Dickens' novel. Filmed entirely in black and white, the tale is set in the Portuguese industrial town of Poco do Mundo (World's End). The story centers on the schoolmaster's two children. The sister is married to a prominent factory owner. She is terribly unhappy. Her brother works in her husband's factory. All of the main characters have terrible secrets that they hide. Eventually the secrets destroy them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

No film critic of 1989 could write an assessment of the French-made Gang of Four (originally La Bande des Quatre) without using the phrase "Pirandellian" at one point or another. The story revolves around the hand-picked acting class of a famed director (Bulle Ogier) who works only with women. The four members of the class (Fejria Deliba, Nathalie Richard, Bernadette Giraud and Ines de Medeiros D'Almeida) are assigned to study the text of the Marivaux play Double Infidelities. Now, it just so happens that the four actresses share an apartment...and as they begin allowing the Marivaux play to influence their offstage lives, they share a lot more than room and board. A winner of the Berlin Film Festival International Critics prize, Gang of Four maintains an acceptable level of suspense and sexual intrigue throughout, though the spell is broken by a confusing climax. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This visually striking drama is taken from the classic Japanese novel Tales Of Genji by Marasaki Shikibu. Set in modern Portugal, Joao (Luis Miguel Cintra) is a left-wing political leader and ladies man with a bright future. His ex-wife Isabel (Manuela de Freitas) both loves and hates him as Joao plays on her wavering emotional state. He is sent to Italy to retrieve wayward family member Antonia (Caroline Chaniolleau), the beautiful young woman with a terrorist boyfriend. Joao is forced to recognize his feelings as the political and amorous climate changes around him. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide