Fernando León de Aranoa Movies

This gentle, thoughtful drama from director Fernando León de Aranoa stars Magaly Solier (The Milk of Sorrow) as Marcela, a Bolivian immigrant living in Spain with life partner Nelson (Pietro Sabille). The couple struggles to stay out of poverty, and Nelson barely scrapes through by selling flowers on the streets of Madrid, but the future grows even bleaker when the house refrigerator breaks - making it impossible for them to keep the fresh flowers at home. They obtain a replacement, but to make its monthly payments, Marcela must find a job, and winds up assisting an elderly, bedridden man, Amador (Celso Bugallo). With his family members away for the summer, caregiver and patient manage to overcome initial obstacles and form an enduring bond, though in time unforeseen events arise that threaten to topple the relationship. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

 

In early 2001, Spanish feature filmmaker Fernando Leon de Aranoa visited the Mexican village of Noria as it was preparing a final celebration to send off the Chiapas region's infamous Zapatista guerrillas on a protest march to the nation's capital of Mexico City. His resulting film, Caminantes (Walkers), documents the relationships and interactions between the Zapatistas and the indigenous people they protect and represent. As the villagers build a stage for the evening's festivities, director de Aranoa interviews a number of the town's celebrants, as well as the famed and revered Zapatista spokesman identified only as Subcomandante Marcos. Later, after the revelries and speeches have ended, the Zapatistas move on to Mexico City, bolstered by the enthusiasm and support from the scores of other peasants they encounter along the way. Caminantes was selected for inclusion at the 2002 Los Angeles Latino Film Festival, as well as that year's Sundance Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

A doctor's past comes back to haunt him in an unexpected way in this modern variation on the classic tale of Faust. Dr. Faust (Miguel Angel Sola) is a respected oncologist whose career has practically taken over his life; he has no wife or children, and he's barely aware of the fact his beautiful assistant Julia (Najwa Nimri) is obviously in love with him. One day, Faust finds himself so overwhelmed with his wildly stressful career that be begins pondering suicide as he waits for a train, only to be interrupted by Julia, who brings him the briefcase he left at his office. After boarding his train, the distraught Faust encounters Santos Vella (Eduard Fernandez), who introduces himself as one of Faust's former patients; after Faust removed his stomach and informed him that he had but three months to live, Vella opted to stop seeing doctors and ignore their advice -- and he says he's been feeling fine ever since. Despite Vella's contemptuous attitude towards modern medicine, he is both friendly and grateful to Faust, and insists on giving the doctor a ride after a taxi breakdown leaves Faust stranded. From then on, Faust finds he can't get rid of his new friend, no matter how hard he tries -- everywhere he goes, Vella is close behind, and when Faust declares that he needs female companionship instead, Vella arranges for Faust to spend the evening with Marta (Irene Montala), a prostitute who proves to be similarly unavoidable. Faustus 5.0 was the first motion picture directed and produced by members of La Fura, an acclaimed Spanish theater troupe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Following his award-winning Familia (1997), 30-year-old writer-director Fernando Leon de Aranoa set this Spanish drama in Madrid's grim working-class fringe neighborhood. Caught in the concrete jungle, 15-year-old friends Rai (Crispulo Cabezas), Manu (Eloi Yebra), and Javi (Timy) pass the summer dreaming of girls and sandy beaches. Javi is surprised by the sexual interest of his pals in his sister Susi (Marieta Orozco). Minus a vehicle, Manu struggles to keep his pizza delivery job. Entering a contest for an exotic vacation, Rai instead wins a jet ski -- which is stolen before he manages to profit by selling it. Manu and his father (Francisco Algora) lie about Manu's absent junkie brother, while Javi's mother (Alicia Sanchez) gets a court restraint to deal with Javi's violent father (Enrique Villen). The film features a soundtrack of Spanish rap and rock. At the 1998 San Sebastian Film Festival, Leon de Aranoa received a "Best Director" award plus two other awards for screenwriting. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Set in the Spanish port city of Vigo, Fernando León de Aranoa's Mondays in the Sun is a touching drama about a group of working-class men who find themselves suddenly unemployed and unwanted in their middle age. Laid off from the local shipyard, the men spend their days at the town bar, where they reminisce, philosophize, and commiserate about their current state. Gruff Santa (a bearded Javier Bardem) puts up a tough front, refusing to sink into self-pity, and occasionally pricking his friends' hopes. Morose José (Luis Tosar) openly worries about his wife, whom he fears might leave him. That seems to have been the fate of Amador (Celso Bugallo), the oldest of the bunch, who keeps reassuring everyone that his wife will be back any day now from her trip. Meanwhile, Lino (José Ángel Egido) refuses to give up hope of employment, going to interview after interview for jobs being offered to applicants half his age. Presiding over the glum bunch is Rico (Joaquín Climent), the bar owner and the men's co-worker from the shipyard days. Despite its depressing subject and downbeat mood, Mondays in the Sun was a big winner at the 2003 Goya Awards, Spain's equivalent of the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Bardem. The film was also Spain's surprise representative for the 2003 Oscars' Foreign Language film category, nabbing the distinction over Pedro Almodóvar's critically lauded Talk to Her. ~ Elbert Ventura, Rovi

Antonio Cuadri's La Gran Vida tells the story of a suicidal man who, after falling in love, decides not to end it all. Now he must survive the gangsters he owes money. If only he hadn't borrowed the money to give himself a memorable going-away trip. Salma Hayek co-stars in this film. La Gran Vida, originally released in Spanish, is presented here with a soundtrack dubbed into English. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

In this Spanish comedy-drama, yuppie Eva (Christina Marcos), employed in TV production, is kept awake by her baby. Real estate salesman Juan (Ernesto Alterio) is due to marry Isabel (Maria Pujalte), a compulsive shopper. Dropped by her boyfriend, Alba (Candela Pena) turns to alcohol and sex. The plot threads become interlinked as Eva befriends Juan and also hires Alba as a babysitter. Nerves grow taut as the wedding day approaches for Juan and Isabel. Not to be confused with several other works carrying this same title -- the 1994 German comedy; Stephen King's 1994 novel; the 1996 Steve Marshall movie with Monica Ford; or the 1997 Norwegian psychological thriller with Stellan Skarsgard. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi