Mario Zorilla
Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro returns to the phantasmagorical cinema that defined such early fare as Cronos and The Devil's Backbone with this haunting fantasy-drama set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and detailing the strange journeys of an imaginative young girl who may be the mythical princess of an underground kingdom. Her mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), recently remarried to sadistic army captain Vidal (Sergi López) and soon to bear the cruel military man's child, shy young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is forced to entertain herself as her recently-formed family settles into their new home nestled deep in the Spanish countryside. As Ofelia's bed-ridden mother lies immobilized in anticipation of her forthcoming child and her high-ranking stepfather remains determined to fulfill the orders of General Francisco Franco to crush a nearby guerilla uprising, the young girl soon ventures into an elaborate stone labyrinth presided over by the mythical faun Pan (Doug Jones). Convinced by Pan that she is the lost princess of legend and that in order to return to her underground home she must complete a trio of life-threatening tasks, Ofelia sets out to reclaim her kingdom and return to her grieving father as Vidal's housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdú) and doctor (Alex Angulo) plot secretly on the surface to keep the revolution alive. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ariadna Gil, Ivana Baquero, (more)
Directed by Cesar Herrada, Cuando Todo Este En Orden follows widower Ignacio (Santiago Ramos) on his return to his hometown. Things have changed since the last time he visited--now unemployed and poor, the clean house that he left two years ago is a mess, his moterbike has been sold by his son Pablo (Daniel Guzman) for drug money, and his spot in the local choir he had founded with his wife has been filled. Pablo, meanwhile, is returning home from a stint in rehab, and arrives on the same day as his father. Pablo's personal relationships are all on the rocks, from his wife and daughter to his father, and the now-sober young man decides to take whatever steps he can to repair them.
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Santiago Ramos, Daniel Guzman, (more)
- 1997
As it lays rusted and burning (thanks to the bored young punks who set it ablaze) in a grungy urban town square, a once-glorious white 1959 Chevrolet recounts its life story. Thus begins the film that marked the return of noted Spanish journalist, novelist and occasional filmmaker Javier Maqua to feature-film directing after a 17-year absence. Hard case drug dealer Brujas takes up residence in the lonely car. His only real friend is Gaspar, a former movie director for whom Brujas once worked. Gaspar suffers from similar hardships and works as a rat catcher at a nearby church. Together the two revere the Chevy as a symbol of their earlier affluence. Lucia is a middle-aged streetwalker who befriends the two and shares her dream of marrying an African immigrant who lives in the neighborhood. Trouble comes in the form of Turk, the local crime lord who wants to collect on a debt owed to him by Brujas. The first parts of the film are quite slow-paced, but matters become more exciting when a group of violent Neo Nazis show up and murder a friend of Lucia's. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Javier Albala, Manuel de Blas, (more)
