Mercè Pons Movies
Spanish filmmaker Juan Luis Iborra directs the backstage comedy drama Valentín. In a countryside resort, an all-male theater troupe gets together to perform highlights of Othello and other various works of Shakespeare. Director Ricardo (Lluís Homar) suddenly finds himself attracted to the troupe's newest member, Valentín (Iñaki Font), while assistant director Lola (Elisa Matilla) pines for Ricardo. When Valentín starts getting all the good female roles, troupe veteran Jaime (Armando del Rio) gets bitterly jealous, leading the troupe to a tragic conclusion. Valentin was shown at the 2003 New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lluís Homar, Iñaki Font, (more)
Located in Madrid's Plaza del Sol, Km. 0 is the point from which all distances in Spain are measured from the capital. In Km. 0, it is also the meeting point for a gallery of characters. Bored, affluent housewife Marga (Concha Velasco) meets up with gigolo Miguel (Jesus Cabrero), who co-habitates with gay Benjamin (Miquel Garcia). Sergio, a soon-to-be-married office clerk who can't wait to lose his virginity, makes the acquaintance of prostitute Tatiana (Elisa Matilla), while gay dancer Bruno (Victor Ullate Jr.) meets Maximo (Armando delRio). Meanwhile, wannabe director Pedro (Carlos Fuentes) arranges to meet up with Silvia (Merce Pons), an actress who wants to work in musicals directed by Gerardo (George Corraface), and bartender Mario (Tristan Ulloa) is caught between Amor (Silke), who wants to marry him, and her little sister Roma (Cora Tiedra), who is truly in love with him. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Concha Velasco, Georges Corraface, (more)
Noted Spanish director Ventura Pons closes his "minimalist trilogy" with this morbid meditation on the frailty of life, told in seven vignettes depicting the final moments of seven very different people. A filmmaker (Lluis Homar) overcomes his writer's block just as he has a heart attack, a junkie (Marc Martinez) is confronted by his concerned sister (Anna Azcona) and later overdoses, a young girl (Carlota Bantula) chokes to death on a chicken bone in front of her horrified mother, a hospital patient (Mingo Rafols) can't reach the panic button during a fatal coughing fit, a youth on a motorbike is knocked over by a pair of cops, and finally, a deeply religious middle-aged businessman (Francesc Orella) is executed by a hitman. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carmen Elias, Roger Coma, (more)
Scripter Sergi Belbel and director Ventura Pons based this film on Belbel's 1991 play, structured in a fashion similar to Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde (1900) and Richard Linklater's Slacker (1991): Two character set-ups feature one character from each scene turning up in the next scene, and so on, as a variety of people parade through diverse romantic and sexual situations. Cars careen about via an altered camera speed to provide the linkages between the 11 interlocking scenes. Shown at the 1998 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Selvas, Laura Conejero, (more)
- 1997
In order to prepare for her role as a certain well-known actress, a young woman has lengthy conversations with three different actresses who were good friends with the famous star. Emerging from these conversations are three equally different versions of the past and the events that shaped their lives and careers. This cinematic adaptation of a theatrical work is true to the original, but does not stray far from a theatrical rendering of the story. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosa María Sardà, Nuria Espert, (more)
- 1994
Yoshio (Futoshi Kasagawa) is on his first trip outside of Japan, on the way to Spain. He takes a fancy to his stewardess, Rita (Emma Suarez), and has her pose with him for a photograph before picking up his luggage. It turns out that the luggage he and Rita carry is identical, and a mix-up happens immediately. Before he can straighten it out, he is hit by a car and loses his memory except for the name, Rita. He is taken in charge by a woman who proves to be Rita's mother, and circumstances conspire to bring him and Rita together again. That's quite an adventure for a mild man who won this trip as a contestant on a Japanese game show. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
This lively Spanish anthology, based on a series of short stories by Catalan writer Quim Monzo, is comprised of 15 short vignettes that contain a series of comments concerning those human relationships based on love, emotions and sex. Each segment is introduced by a one word title card that is spoken by the players. Included are short conversations, monologues, mini-plays, two fantasy segments, and a one-sided telephone conversation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ana Lizaran, Jordi Bosch, (more)
