Alex Casanovas Movies
- 2006
A detective investigating a brutal rape and murder is drawn into the life of a suicidal woman whose husband he suspects of committing the heinous crime in director Antonio Chavarrías' tense psychological thriller. Depressed and suicidal at the end of a raucous street party, Celia attempts to take her own life by lying on the railroad tracks. When the body of a young rape victim is discovered not too far from the site where Celia attempted suicide, police inspector Miguel Ángel pays a visit to Celia and her husband, Agustín, in hopes that something they saw that night may lead to the identification of the killer. Later, when clues lead Ángel to Celia's sisters, Carmen and Ángela, the detective finally gains enough evidence to arrest Ángela's former boyfriend Pedro in connection with the crime. But something still isn't right, and as Ángel strikes up an amiable friendship with Carmen's ex-husband Jaime, he soon begins to suspect that it may in fact be Agustín who is the true killer. His judgment clouded at seeing his own mental instability reflected in the emotionally shattered Celia, Ángel soon begins to discover that beneath the suicidal girl's benign and peaceful existence there lies a horrifying, and potentially deadly, secret. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Najwa Nimri, Luis Tosar, (more)
Max (Fernando Fernán Gómez), the wealthy family patriarch and head of a pharmaceuticals business, is dying of cancer and has relocated from Madrid to a Paris hospital for treatment. The members of his family, including his wife, Marie (Geraldine Chaplin), have gathered around him there. Victor (Leonardo Sbaraglia), the youngest son and last to arrive in Paris, lives in Argentina and has no ties to the family business. He sees Max, who is becoming incoherent and confused, secretly throwing away his medicine, pretending to sleep, and attempting to escape from the hospital. Victor notices that Max appears to be afraid of something, but he can't tell if his fear is well founded or if he is just delusional. In the midst of family conflict and questions about the inheritance, Victor helps Max search for answers about a mysterious figure from his past who may or may not exist, while encountering opposition from other family members. ~ Todd Kristel, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leonardo Sbaraglia, Fernando Fernán Gómez, (more)
- 2000
Ramon (Jorge Alcazar), a shy and overweight 15-year-old, invites a school friend and the pal's girlfriend over one day to watch a video of Natural Born Killers. As luck and a heavy dose of irony would have it, Ramon accidentally slashes his friend's throat while tearing open a can of nuts, causing the girlfriend to flee in terror and a concerned neighbor to intervene, whom Ramon unwittingly knocks down the stairs to his death. Soon the unfortunate teen has been placed in a halfway house for troubled youths while his case awaits a full inquiry. Enter Marcelo (Alex Casanovas), a successful lawyer who has taken on Ramon's case as a favor to the teen's sister Gloria (Pepa Pedroche), who happens to be an old friend. Slowly Ramon begins to trust Marcelo and a friendly social worker (Guillermo Toledo), and forms a friendship with his ailing roommate, Anibal (Alberto Ferreiro). Ramon's emotional development is mirrored by that of Marcelo, whose involvement with the case forces him to come to grips with issues in his own life. El Otro Barrio is the second feature of writer/director Salvador Garcia Ruiz, who made a splash on the international festival circuit with his 1998 debut Mensaka. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alex Casanovas
- 1996
Gritty and realistic, this Spanish crime drama chronicles the events that led to the murder of a young Barcelona beauty. Before her brutal death, Susanna had been engaged to marry Moroccan immigrant Said. Before that, the confused recovering drug-addict had been involved with wine salesman Alex, an arrangement set up by her boss to repay a debt to him. After one night with Susanna, Alex falls passionately in love. But trouble comes when Alex gets caught embezzling, loses his job and gets a new job in a bar owned by his friends, most of whom are small-time hoods. It is about this time that Susanna agrees to marry Said and starts immersing herself in his culture. When Alex finds out, he becomes insanely jealous and asks his friend Suso to arrange for the murder of Said. But when things don't go exactly as planned, tragedy ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The thriller Asuntos Internos concerns a doctor who must go on the run after the assassination of a politician who he physically resembles. The doctor finds that he has a list of numerous politicians who are on the take, and his life is endangered because of it. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Three French women in their 20s wrestle with their feelings about the nature of romance in this drama that chronicles their love lives over a 6 month period. The film opens with scenes that not only introduce the women, they also tell the viewer what is to become of two of them. Marie, who likes having sex with different partners, is a stockbroker. She is first seen climbing a huge tree to tell a portly office messenger of her love for him. Jeanne is married and works as a waitress. She finds her estranged husband in a restaurant. Alice, an art history student, is frigid and has low self-esteem because her father was domineering. She is first seen lying nude on a canvas. An artist pours paint upon her body. The film jumps back six months. The three women are at a local pool engaging in some post work-out girl talk. It is frank, graphic and quite sexual. Sex scenes illustrate their stories. Marie keeps sleeping around while Jeanne becomes a part-time hooker. Alice considers giving herself to a painter who creates tableaux of ecstatic naked women covered in paint. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marine Delterme, Florence Thomassin, (more)
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)
- 1993
Spanish director Pedro Almodovar returns to his recurring framework of offbeat sexuality and death with this colorful comedy. Kika (Veronica Forque) is a Madrid makeup artist who falls in love with Ramon (Alex Casanovas), a dead man whose face Kika is hired to prepare for a funeral. Kika's attraction resurrects Ramon, and the two begin cohabiting. Kika becomes embroiled in a pair of criminal schemes, one involving her maid Juana (Rossy De Palma) and Juana's amorous, retarded brother Pablo (Santiago Lajusticia), the other involving Ramon's father, Nicholas (Peter Coyote). After Kika is raped by Pablo, she learns the incident was videotaped by Ramon, the footage ending up on a tabloid television program hosted by Andrea Scarface (Victoria Abril). Kika and Ramon split, but the latter discovers his father's complicity in the demise of his mother, leading to a violent confrontation. Because of Almodovar's humorous treatment of the film's rape, Kika was his third feature in a row that resulted in critical accusations of misogyny and exploitation. His subsequent material became more dramatic and less tinged with black humor. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Verónica Forqué, Peter Coyote, (more)
