Gerardo Herrero Movies

Director Joaquin Oristrell's earthy, passionate drama Mediterranean Food opens on June 6, 1968, the day of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination. That same day, a little girl christened Sofia is born prematurely in an Italian barbershop, and grows up into an idiosyncratic, impulsive, yet intelligent and diligent young woman (Sofia Molina), raised in the kitchen and dining room of her parents' celebrated restaurant. As she reaches the age of 15, Sofia falls in love with two men simultaneously and finds herself torn between their embraces. She marries one, Toni (Paco Leon) - seemingly the perfect husband and father, who provides anything a young woman could want (including two children) - and she takes the second suitor, Frank (Alfonso Bassave), as an extramarital lover. A young man employed as an agent, Frank takes Sofia not only into his bed but under his wing, teaching her the ins and outs of preparing five-star European haute cuisine. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

What actions should take when one witnesses one's most trusted mentor and advisor committing uxoricide? That is the plight that befalls Vicente (Tristan Ulloa); a lower-level professor at a Law School in Spain, he not only regards senior professor Fernando (Emilio Gutierrez Aragon) as his closest friend and colleague, but relies on Fernando for counsel and direction, as a father figure and an emotional anchor. That begins to change rather rapidly when Vicente catches Fernando brutally murdering his beloved wife. Vincente cannot quite force himself to turn Fernando in, but even after Fernando offers a convincing explanation, Vincente can neither forgive Fernando nor drive the images out of his mind. Instead of running to the police, Vincente remains silent (which makes him an accomplice), yet tells Fernando to permanently stay out of his life. Then additional bodies begin to pile up. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Two young people learn about love as politics turn their world upside down in this drama from director Ana Diez. After a long and successful career as a soccer player, Xavi (Nicolas Pauls) retires from the game and moves to Spain, where one day to his surprise he happens upon Rosana (Maria Botto), a friend from his childhood in Uruguay. As Xavi and Rosana catch up on what has happened to them over the past thirty years, they flash back to 1973, when young Xavi (Pablo Arnoletti) and his father Manuel (Emilio Gutierrez Caba), a shoemaker, lived down the street from Rosana (Pia Rodriguez). Rosana's father Severgnini (Mauricio Davub) was the local chief of police, and found himself frequently dealing with military authorities as Marxist rebels began plotting an overthrow of Uruguay's leadership. While Manuel is largely apolitical, he has friends who are fighting with the rebels, and when he's warned of an upcoming action at a soccer match, he packs Xavi off to a cabin in the country, and as word is leaked to Severgnini, he sends Rosana off with him. The two youngsters soon find themselves caught in the web of first love, but as a coup throws all of Uruguay into chaos, the simplicity of their stay in the country proves short lived. Paisito (aka Small Country) was an official selection at the 2008 Malaga Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Filmmaker Andrés Wood offers a glimpse into the aspirations and disappointments of a handful of ordinary people from Santiago, Chile in this drama. Teresa (Aline Kuppernheim) is a social worker who counsels prostitutes about the importance of practicing safe sex with their clients. Unfortunately, her open minded thinking doesn't always extend to her family; her teenage daughter Paula (Manuela Martelli) is carrying her boyfriend's child but is afraid to tell her mother, and her husband regularly sees a prostitute for the affection he can't get at home. Elsewhere, a young man with a talent for music tries out for a place in a symphony orchestra; when he fails the audition, he joins the military and ends up playing clarinet in a marching band. A woman who needs to buy a car applies for a loan and falls in love with a manager from the bank; he's also infatuated with her, but neither has the courage to confess their feelings. And a traumatic event forces a hairdresser to look at his past, present and future. La Buena Vida (aka The Good Life) was an official selection at the 2009 San Francisco International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cuban filmmaker Juan Carlos Tabío uses laughter to explore the socio-economic difficulties facing his homeland in this comedy concerning the chaos that unfolds when word spreads that the Castiñeiras family is set to receive a sizable inheritance. When Yamaguey resident Bernardito (Jorge Perugorría) first receives word that the Castiñeiras family is about to receive a large inheritance, he's understandably skeptical at first. Upon checking the internet and discovering that news outlets across the globe are reporting the bizarre development, however, his hopes finally begin to rise. It appears that a group of 18th Century Castiñeiras nuns had quietly deposited a large treasure in a British bank, and that the already substantial sum has been acquiring interest ever since. The authorities estimate that each family is set to receive millions, an announcement that has Castiñeiras all across Cuba lining up to prove their eligibility. But considering the fact that there are two separate Castiñeiras bloodlines, which one is entitled to receive the inheritance? In the case of Miguelón, a somewhat slow villager who has had his eye on town beauty Yurima since childhood, the announcement that he is now filthy rich could prove pivotal in helping him get the girl he's always pined after. Later, after the two become engaged and embark on a lavish spending spree, a new development sends the situation spinning in a wholly unanticipated direction. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A successful young doctor with a beautiful wife, a happy child, and a comfortable house finds his life suddenly changed in ways he never thought possible after being injured in a serious car accident. To the outside eye Lazar Perkov (Boris Nacev) has everything -- indeed his friends and colleagues have even gone so far as to christen him with the nickname "Lucky." But appearances can sometimes be deceptive, and despite having all the creature comforts, Lazar is constantly trying to live up to the demands of his overbearing mother and discontented spouse. Every day seems to be pretty much the same for the man they call Lucky, until one day when Lazar barely survives a devastating automobile accident. Upon recovering from his life-threatening injuries, Lazar is confronted by a series of people who appear to die time and again, and always deliver the cryptic message "Return what is not yours. Have respect." Experiencing such visions in dreamland is one thing, but when they begin to invade his waking life, Lazar quickly draws the conclusion that these apparitions are simply lost souls who have yet to find peace in the afterlife. When the specter of an old woman begins speaking in a dialect Lazar can't recognize, the frightened accident survivor seeks out the aid of a linguistics professor in deciphering her message. Despite the fact that the professor always seems to be away at a conference, his wife is more than willing to help. Soon, she and Lazar have entered into a bizarre relationship. Unfortunately for Lazar, the situation only grows more haunting, and as the people around him begin to appear and disappear at random, and his wife appears indifferent to her husband's fate as she departs for a seaside vacation with her lover and child. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A group of friends who are all approaching middle age gather daily at a the Garllington Pub in Buenos Aires to drink their daily coffee and discuss the topics of the day when a sudden tragedy suddenly snaps them back to reality. While the owner of the bar has explicitly banned the topics of politics and soccer in order to prevent tension between combative friends Sergio and Marco, there never seems to be a shortage of topics to turn to in substitution. While most of conversations eventually end up being about women, the appearance of Tango singer Valeria one day brings the topic of relationships in general to the forefront. All of these friends are single, and realize that if they are going to find a mate they better do so soon. When finance worker Sebastian suffers a serious emotional breakdown, the generally jovial atmosphere of the bar turns quickly somber. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A sullen doctor who is teetering on the cusp of middle-age is forced to revisit his painful family past in director Gerardo Herrero's adaptation of Almudena Grandes' best-selling novel. As children, Juan and Charo (Natalia Sanchez) were sweethearts until Charo was swept away by the charms of Juan's older brother Dami. Though Dami and Charo eventually marry, their union was simply not meant to be. Soon after the unhappy wife comes seeking solace in the arms of her husband's brother, tragedy strikes and Charo is killed in a deadly car accident. Years later, Juan is a forty-year old doctor who has relocated his family from Madrid to the village of Cádiz on Spain's Atlantic coast. In addition to caring for he and Dami's mentally handicapped younger brother Alfonso (Andres Gertrudix), Juan also acts as guardian to his young niece Tamara. When a relationship begins to develop between Juan and his Andalusian maid Maribel (Cuca Escribano), Juan's troubled past soon begins to work its way to the surface of things despite his best efforts to keep it under lock and key. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A lonely taxidermist with a photographic memory dreams of committing the "perfect crime" in Nine Queens director Fabián Bielinsky's deliberately paced existential thriller. Espinosa (Ricardo Darín) is an epileptic fortysomething who makes his living by stuffing creatures for the natural history museum in Buenos Aires. It is there that Espinosa meets friend and fellow taxidermist Sontag (Alejandro Awada). After picking up their paycheck at a nearby bank, Sontag kindly invites the lonely Espinosa to join him in the forests of southern Argentina for a brief hunting getaway. Soon after checking into their hotel, Sontag and Espinosa take to nature in hopes of bagging a buck, but their voyage takes a dark turn when, in the grip of another seizure, Espinosa accidentally shoots and kills hotel owner Dietrich (Manuel Rodal). Though his suspicions that Dietrich was involved with some shady dealings seem little more than a means for justifying the tragic turn of events, Espinosa soon realizes that he may be onto something when a pair of thugs named Sosa (Pablo Cedron) and Montero (Walter Reyno) come searching for the missing proprietor. As all of the elements quickly fall into place, it begins to appear as if Espinosa may finally be prepared to execute the crime he has always dreamt about. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

After languishing in a Barcelona prison for nearly a decade, a busted bank robber attempts to find the girl who made off with the cash in this suspenseful tale of revenge and betrayal starring Adriana Gil and Eduard Fernández. Ex-con Martin Losada is out of prison and on the hunt. When he and his band of anti-Franco bank robbers were busted after a botched heist ten years ago, the only member of their team never caught by police was his long-gone ex-girlfriend Julia. Now, on the eve of the 1958 revolution, the recently released ex-con sets his sights on Havana in a determined bid to find Julia, and stake his claim on his rightful share of the take. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Daniel (Roberto Enríquez), Ana (Natalia Millán), and their little boy, Manuel (Kevin Almodóvar), travel from Madrid to a resort on the Costa Brava for the summer. Ana runs into Marta (Irene Montalà of L'Auberge Espagnole), a local shopgirl whom she's met on previous visits. Marta introduces Ana to her cousin, Robert (David Selvas), who runs an antique shop. Robert is immediately attracted to Ana. Marta tells him that Ana is happily married, and confesses that she has a crush on Ana's husband, Daniel. Robert, intrigued, makes a pact with Marta. Robert will help Marta seduce Daniel if she will help Robert seduce Ana. One night, the cousins cunningly arrange to separate the couple, and some serious flirtation ensues. While Marta, who is casually dating a local surfer, Tomás (Roger Casamajor), begins to have second thoughts, Robert grows more obsessed with the couple. He befriends Daniel and peppers him with questions about the strength of his nine-year marriage. Robert also asks if Daniel is attracted to Marta. "Fidelity's another word for laziness," he tells Daniel. He visits Ana and surprises her with a goodbye kiss. As the summer wears on, his machinations begin to have an effect on the couple's stability. Summer Clouds, directed by Felipe Vega, was shown by the Film Society of Lincoln Center in 2004 as part of the series, Spanish Cinema Now. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide