Antonia San Juan Movies

Pedro Almodóvar directed this story of a woman and her circle of friends who find themselves suffering a variety of emotional crises. Manuela (Cecilia Roth) is a single mother who has raised her son, Esteban (Eloy Azorín), to adulthood on her own and has come to emotionally depend on him. One night, Manuela and Esteban take in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire; after the show, Esteban is struck and killed by a passing motorist as he dashes into the street to get an autograph from Huma Rojo (Marisa Paredes), who played Blanche. Emotionally devastated, Manuela relocates to Barcelona in hopes of finding her ex-husband (and Esteban's father), who is now working as a female impersonator. Manuela becomes reacquainted with old friend La Agrado (Antonia San Juan), a transsexual, and is introduced to Sister Rosa (Penélope Cruz), a good-hearted nun who has to contend with her considerably more cynical mother (Rosa María Sardà). While looking for work, Manuela becomes acquainted with Huma Rojo. Huma, on the other hand, has troubles of her own, most involving her drug-addicted significant other, Nina (Candela Peña). Displaying Almodóvar's trademark visual style and a unusually strong sense of character-driven drama, Todo Sobre Mi Madre/All About My Mother received a highly anticipated theatrical run in Spain before winning the Best Director award at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival; in 2000, Almodóvar would receive the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Noted Basque-born director Daniel Calparsoro spins this high-octane crime thriller set in Madrid. The film opens with a violent car wreck witnessed by stunning Lucia (Najwa Nimri) and her thuggish boyfriend Chino (Gustavo Salmeron). Just before Chino, Lucia, and their buddy Charly (Juan Diego Botto) rob a wealthy Frenchman at gunpoint, the couple makes noisy love as their pal looks on. The rich man gets shot in the process of the robbery. Thinking that they killed him, the three promptly flee. Meanwhile, Chino's elder cop brother Antonio (Alfredo Villa) tries to steer his rebellious sibling toward the straight and narrow -- until Chino finally gives in and tips off the cops about a drug deal between Charley and a crime boss. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Basilio Martin Patino's drama Octavia is about a man who is coming home after a long time away. Rodrigo (Blanca Oteyza) arrives in his hometown to take part in a University symposium on espionage. He and his wife Elsa (Blanca Oteyza), meet former friends of his like his cousin Dona (Margarita Lozano). Rodrigo eventually meet Manuela (Antonia San Juan), who turns out to be Rodrigo's daughter. Manuela reveals that Rodrigo has a granddaughter, Octavia. The protagonist confronts this new information at the same time that he wrestles with his feelings about his past. Octavia was screened in competition at the San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Celebrated Spanish actress and author Antonia San Juan co-directed and stars in this gritty short drama set in the slums of Madrid. China (San Juan) and her friend Johnny (Luis Miguel Segui) are heroin addicts who are wandering the streets late at night, numbed by dope and begging passers-by for cigarettes. Once upon a time, China and Johnny were more than just friends, and as their buzz wears off they share some unpleasant memories about their past together. Directed by San Juan in collaboration with Diego Postigo, La China was screened in competition at the 2007 Slamdance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi