Carmen Balague Movies
- 2009
Director Joaquin Oristrell's earthy, passionate drama Mediterranean Food opens on June 6, 1968, the day of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination. That same day, a little girl christened Sofia is born prematurely in an Italian barbershop, and grows up into an idiosyncratic, impulsive, yet intelligent and diligent young woman (Sofia Molina), raised in the kitchen and dining room of her parents' celebrated restaurant. As she reaches the age of 15, Sofia falls in love with two men simultaneously and finds herself torn between their embraces. She marries one, Toni (Paco Leon) - seemingly the perfect husband and father, who provides anything a young woman could want (including two children) - and she takes the second suitor, Frank (Alfonso Bassave), as an extramarital lover. A young man employed as an agent, Frank takes Sofia not only into his bed but under his wing, teaching her the ins and outs of preparing five-star European haute cuisine. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Olivia Molina, Paco Léon, (more)
- 2000
A disparate group of women deal with the foibles presented to them in contemporary society in this episodic comedy from Spain. The stories include Magdalena (Julieta Serrano) lecturing her daughter Teresa (Cristina Baeza) on why she can't hold on to a man; Neli (Carmen Balague) offering council to her friend Sofia (Laura Cepeda) on keeping her marriage from falling apart; Andrea (Mercedes Sampietro) explaining to her analyst her relationship with her supremely macho (and unfaithful) husband Emilio (Emilio Guiterrez Caba); Emilio's relationship with Reme (Eva Santolaria), a prostitute who wants him to leave Andrea and move in with her; close friends Mireia (Marina Gatell) and Eva (Anna Casas) battling over the same man; businesswoman Leo (Laura Conejero) struggling to hold on to her femininity in a masculine environment; and Paca (Eulalia Ramon) struggling to raise the money to buy a special pair of shoes for her son. Nosotras was the first feature from director Judith Colell. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mercedes Sampietro, Eulalia Ramon, (more)
Writer-directors Felix Sabroso and Dunia Ayaso made this Spanish comedy-drama with an "inside television" angle. TV host Miranda Vega (Maria Conchita Alonso) heads a variety talk-show format. Confronted with plummeting ratings, she is forced to try a different approach that brings singing hookers, drug addicts, and other no-talents into the studio. Miranda feuds with lesbian actress Marta Pena (Loles Leon), prompting Marta's companion Soraya (Malena Gustierrez), a "karate artiste," to participate in the variety show. Chaos reigns when the show goes on the air live. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maria Conchita Alonso, Loles Leon, (more)
Following the death of her philandering husband Carlos in an automobile accident, Luci and her sisters Graci and Mari decide to go to a seaside resort to have some badly needed fun. Their riotous, romantic summer is recounted by Luci's 15-year-old son Domingo. Before the accident, his mother and her siblings were popular comediennes known as the Three Graces. While at Benidorm, the resort, Luci is periodically haunted by the specter of Carlos who by and by lets her know that he was with 34 women during their marriage. Knowing that, she doesn't feel so guilty about becoming involved with the shy and handsome Italian Salvatore, whom Domingo suspects is responsible for the accident that killed his father. While the youth wrestles with those issues, his aunts are busily involved with their new lovers. The ever-insecure aspiring actress Graci gets involved with Victor, a delivery man moonlighting as a thief. The brassy, blonde Mari gets involved with the oily Claudio, an adulterous married man who nearly has a breakdown when he discovers that his wife has been unfaithful too. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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