Mateo Gil
- 2009
A fourth century slave (Max Minghella) is confronted with his love for his intellectual alchemist master, Hypatia of Alexandria (Rachel Weisz), and the temptations of freedom spurred by the rise of Christianity in this historical epic from acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, (more)
- 2006
Nearly a decade after making his feature directorial debut with the stylish psychological thriller Nobody Knows Anybody, Open Your Eyes's screenwriter Mateo Gil returns to frighten film lovers with this installment of the Six Films to Keep You Awake horror series concerning an ageing writer confronted by a lingering childhood obsession. Upon returning to the quaint coastal village where he was born and discovering that it has long since been turned into a tacky tourist resort, elderly writer Alejandro suddenly finds his thoughts drifting back to a painful experience from his past. As a young boy Alejandro met a mysterious woman he could never forget, no matter how hard he tried. Her beauty was hypnotic, and she was married to a local sailor. When rumors began to spread that she was seeing another man behind her husband's back, however, the community aligned themselves against her. Yet despite the fact that she was a virtual outcast in the village, Alejandro still remains under her captivating spell to this very day. One day, while walking through town, Alejandro catches a glimpse of a woman who is the spitting image of that beautiful pariah. But could it really be her? After all these years, she doesn't appear to have aged a day. A cauldron of pent up emotions boiling up within him, the elderly writer somehow summons the courage to follow the woman to her destination. But it isn't mere chance that brought Alejandro back into contact with woman he has tried for decades to forget; she's been patiently awaiting his return all along, and only by giving in to his overwhelming desire for her will he finally find out why. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Juan José Ballesta
The question as to how far a corporate drone would go to land a high-level position at a multinational corporation is explored in Argentinian director Marcelo Piñeyro's back-stabbing boardroom drama that takes its name from a mysterious human-resources strategy imported from the United States as a means of choosing the best man for the job. As the time for a decision draws near, the streets of Madrid are awash with anti-globalization protesters; and the tension between job applicants Carlos (Eduardo Noriega), Nieves (Najwa Nimri), Fernando (Eduard Fernández), Ana (Adriana Ozores), and Enrique (Ernesto Alterio) comes to a head. As the corporate lackeys engage in an increasingly dehumanizing series of psychological games and scorching betrayals, the choice of who will ultimately take the reins of the coveted position will ultimately depend on which applicant is willing to employ the most diabolical techniques of manipulation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eduardo Noriega, Najwa Nimri, (more)
Two of the most talented figures in contemporary Spanish cinema -- actor Javier Bardem and director Alejandro Amenábar -- collaborate for this powerful drama, based on a true story. Ramón Sampedro (Javier Bardem) was a fisherman and part-time poet who, at the age of 26, suffered an accident while diving that left him a bedridden quadriplegic. Now 54, Ramón must depend on his family to survive -- his macho brother José (Celso Bugallo), José's wife, Manuela (Mabel Rivera), and their son, Javi (Tamar Novas). While grateful to his family and friends for their help, Ramón was always an active person, and as the years wore on, he has come to see his life as frustrating and pointless and wishes to die with what remains of his dignity. José, however, is bitterly opposed to the notion of assisted suicide, and Spanish laws would implicate anyone who helped Ramón end his own life, which is something Ramón does not want to do. Through Gené (Carla Segura), a friend who works with a "Right to Die" organization, Ramón is introduced to Julia (Belen Rueda), a lawyer he hopes will help him persuade the courts to let him end his own life. Julia is dealing with her own mortality issues since being diagnosed with a degenerative disease, and Ramón hopes her condition will make her arguments more persuasive. As Ramón and Julia work together on his case and help to prepare a book of his poems for publication, Ramón finds himself falling in love with his attorney, who happens to be married, but while his infatuation gives Julia second thoughts about the case, Ramón remains convinced that the greatest gift to him would be an end to his life. Javier Bardem's performance in The Sea Inside (aka Mar Adentro) earned him the Best Actor award at the 2004 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, (more)
A remake of the Spanish film Open Your Eyes (1997), this thriller from director Cameron Crowe bears one of several discarded titles for his previous, Oscar-winning film Almost Famous (2000). Tom Cruise stars as David Ames, a womanizing playboy who finds romantic redemption when he falls in love with his best friend's girlfriend Sofia (Penelope Cruz, reprising her role from the original film). Before that relationship can begin, however, David is coaxed into a car driven by an ex-lover, Julie (Cameron Diaz), who turns out to be suicidal. Driving her car off a bridge, Julie kills herself and horribly disfigures David. Reconstructive surgery and the loving support of Sofia seem to reverse David's luck, but eerie incidents are soon making him question the reality of his existence and his control over his life, even while he is suspected of complicity in Julie's death. Vanilla Sky (2001) bears the expected Crowe trademark of an obsession with recent pop culture and particularly rock music, a more important element of the remake than the original film. That project's writer/director, Alejandro Amenabar, crafted his own supernatural hit the same year with The Others (2001), starring Nicole Kidman, the soon-to-be-ex-wife of Cruise. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, (more)
Mateo Gil, screenwriter of the acclaimed Spanish work Open Your Eyes (1997) directs this flashy, bizarre psychological thriller set during the stunning spectacle of Seville's Holy Week. Fledging novelist Simon (Eduardo Noriega) makes a living by writing crossword puzzles for the local newspaper and lives with spoiled rich kid weirdo Sapo (Jordi Molla). One day, Simon gets an ominous phone call informing him that if he does not include the word "adversary" in his next crossword there will be hell to pay. Meanwhile, a local leading figure is mysteriously killed when poison gas is released from a Virgin Mary statue. From there, the film spirals into a dazzling parade of nightmarish images such as a naked priest cozying up to another Virgin Mary and a legion of hooded penitents shooting toy guns at trapped and frightened Simon. Noted Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar provides the music. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eduardo Noriega, Jordi Mollà, (more)
The line between dreams and reality become increasingly blurred after a womanizing playboy is nearly killed by a jilted lover in Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar's masterful sophomore effort Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes). It would seem as if Cesar (Eduardo Noriega) has it all. Handsome, charming, and with money to burn, he can get any girl he wants, and usually does so on a nightly basis. Following a birthday party in which he chats up Sofia (Penelope Cruz), the date of his best friend Pelayo (Fele Martinez), Cesar is plunged headfirst into a nightmare world when jealous former lover Nuria (Najwa Nimri) swallows a handful of pills and sends her car careening into a cement wall with the terrified playboy as her hapless passenger. With his formerly strikingly handsome face now twisted into a hideous mass of scarred flesh, Cesar's ugly emotions are now externalized for all to see. Pining for a plastic-surgery miracle to return him to his former glory so that he can seek out Sofia and take a chance at real love, he is pleasantly surprised when the doctors make a breakthrough and Sofia accepts him back into her life. Although all seems perfect for the moment, the formerly soulless player finds that this is only the beginning of his increasingly disturbing journey. Why is Sofia changing appearance and turning into Nuria periodically? And why won't the police and his psychiatrist believe Cesar's desperate attempts to rationalize a world that is growing increasingly surreal? Could it have something to do with a doctor Cesar has seen on television who keeps appearing and attempting to help him out of his nightmare? Peeling away at the layers of his subconscious, Cesar begins to realize that reality is no more than a state of mind, and that in order to get his life back he may be forced to take unthinkable measures. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eduardo Noriega, Penélope Cruz, (more)
