Chus Gutiérrez Movies
- 2008
Inspired by the countless news stories of African bodies washing up on Spanish shores, filmmaker Chus Gutiérrez crafts this affecting drama tracing the journey of a Spanish funeral home owner and a young African girl to deliver the body of her deceased brother back to their home village in Morocco. On the Strait of Gibraltar, in Algeciras, Spain, sits a struggling funeral home owned by a man named Martin (José Luis García Pérez). Lately Martin's been having a particularly difficult time paying the bills, so when Spanish authorities phone to request that he help them deal with an inordinately large amount of bodies discovered on a nearby shore, he readily accepts. Clutched in the hand of one of the deceased is a scrap of paper with a telephone number - the only clue to his mysterious origins. A telephone call is made, and soon thereafter Leila (Farah Hamed) arrives at the funeral home prepared to identify the corpse. The man was her younger brother, and now Leila is prepared to deliver his body back to their parents in Morocco. It's an expensive trip to be sure, though given the circumstances Leila is more than willing to travel back to the village with Martin and bring the clothing of the other dead in hopes that they will provide the families with a means of identifying their loved ones. But Leila is consumed with guilt over the fact that it was she who provided her brother with the money needed to make such a treacherous voyage, and over the course of their life-changing voyage she and Martin will come face to face with the plight of the African migrant. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Filmmaker Chus Gutiérrez directs this high-spirited comedy set in newly democratic Spain and detailing the adventures of a teenage virgin who flees to a decadent nightclub in order to escape her tyrannical mother. Sara (Verónica Sánchez) may be virginal, but as with most teens she's got a rebellious streak a mile wide. Upon discovering a Madrid club known as El Calentito, Sara finally finds a place where she can be her true self. Anything goes at El Calentito, and the vibe at the club is both pansexual and punk rock. Presiding over El Calentito is motherly transsexual Antonia (Nuria Gonzalez). One of the biggest bands on the local scene is Las Sioux, so when lesbian lead singer and Joan Jett lookalike Carmen (Ruth Diaz) and free-spirited Leo (Macarena Gomez) invite Sara to join the band, the eager adolescent jumps at the chance. But on the night of their performance for a hig-powered record executive, something astonishing happens -- the remaining members of Franco's fascist regime stage a daring coup d'état. Will El Calentito survive the ensuing chaos, and what will become of Las Sioux? With the future of the entire country suddenly thrown into doubt, the club is suddenly infused with a newfound sense of energy and urgency, and young, innocent Sara will experience sights and sounds that she could never have imagined. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Verónica Sánchez, Juan Sanz, (more)
- 2002
Spanish director Chus Gutierrez draws attention to illegal immigrants and the racism they are forced to endure in her 2002 social issue drama Poniente. Madrid-based schoolteacher Lucía (Cuca Escribano) returns to her birthplace in Southern Spain after her father passes away. Upon her arrival, Lucía reconnects with her hometown and decides to assume leadership of her father's greenhouse business -- a development that draws the ire of her cousin Miguel (Antonio Dechent), who would have taken over if Lucía hadn't. In due time, Lucía meets her father's business accountant, Curro (Jose Coronado), and promptly takes a keen personal interest in the attractive, sensitive man. As Curro and Lucía share a compassionate regard for the illegal immigrants they employ, both are forced to confront the outright racism coming from the surrounding community, as well as from some of their other non-immigrant employees. As tensions come to a head, Lucía is forced to make some business decisions that will have long lasting -- and quite disparate -- effects on her relationships with her employees and the surrounding community. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cuca Escribano, Jose Coronado, (more)
In this Spanish comedy-drama, yuppie Eva (Christina Marcos), employed in TV production, is kept awake by her baby. Real estate salesman Juan (Ernesto Alterio) is due to marry Isabel (Maria Pujalte), a compulsive shopper. Dropped by her boyfriend, Alba (Candela Pena) turns to alcohol and sex. The plot threads become interlinked as Eva befriends Juan and also hires Alba as a babysitter. Nerves grow taut as the wedding day approaches for Juan and Isabel. Not to be confused with several other works carrying this same title -- the 1994 German comedy; Stephen King's 1994 novel; the 1996 Steve Marshall movie with Monica Ford; or the 1997 Norwegian psychological thriller with Stellan Skarsgard. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cristina Marcos, Candela Peña, (more)
- 1996
This offbeat Spanish romance provides a fascinating look into modern gypsy life as it tells the off-beat tale of a romance between a confused payo (a non-gypsy man) looking for a gypsy soul and a real gypsy woman trying to find a happy medium between patriarchal cultural traditions and modern realities. Handsome womanizing waiter Antonio who entertains tourists by performing gypsy dances. Deeply traumatized in boyhood when he watched his parents die in a car wreck, he has grown up confused and aimless. His only real desire is to find the aforementioned soul. Lucia is the gypsy lass who falls in love Antonio. Her father, who owns the antique store in which she works, is outraged by the affair, but despite his protestations, the lovers struggle to stay together and to make others understand that their passion is real. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pedro Alonso, Amara Carmona, (more)
- 1993
Laura is a Spanish girl who has moved to New York city with the hope of making a new life for herself there. She lives in a junky building in a dangerous neighborhood, and is being hounded by her truly weird landlord to pay the rent of a neighbor of hers, for no discernible reason. Meanwhile, she is attempting to get to know and understand this fabled city, her new home. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Icíar Bollaín, John Kelly, (more)
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