Eduard Fernández Movies

Pedro Almodovar's The Skin I Live In finds him joining forces with Antonio Banderas for the first time in over 20 years. Banderas plays Dr. Robert Ledgard, a plastic surgeon who has invented a type of fake skin that is more durable than real skin. But he achieves this breakthrough with the assistance of Vera (Elena Anaya), a young woman he's keeping locked up in his mansion. The only person who knows about this unusual arrangement is his maid, Marilia (Marisa Paredes). But his secret, as well as additional sins of the past he's desperate to keep hidden, bubble to the surface when Marila's criminal son shows up with a gun, forces his way into Vera's room, and attempts to rape her. The Skin I Live In played at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

A young woman returns to the arms of her kin but encounters severe dysfunction and fracture, in this moody ensemble drama from Spain. Nausicaa Bonin stars as co-ed Lea, whose paternal grandfather dies, prompting her to return from Bordeaux, France to her childhood home in Catalan, Spain for the funeral, wake and burial. Lea's parents, Joelle (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) and Josep Maria (Eduard Fernandez) are separated, but put on airs for the sake of the familial appearances. Meanwhile, although Lea's two brothers, Pere (Ramon Fontsere) and Toni) (Francesc Orella) turn up for the funeral, her sister Virginia (Amalia Sancho) fails to show; as it turns out, she's just penned a not so subtle autobiographical novel that unearths many of the family's skeletons, to Pere's utter chagrin. Meanwhile, as the men struggle in vain to come to terms with their emotions, Joelle and Virginia contend with their exclusions from the family. This outing marked director and co-writer Mar Coll's premier feature. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Part 1 of Steven Soderbergh's Che Guevara saga stars Benicio Del Toro as the legendary Argentine revolutionary. The film opens with Che as one of the important figures in the growing Cuban rebellion led by Fidel Castro (Demián Bichir). The movie charts how the two successfully built an underground army large enough to successfully overthrow the government of Fulgencio Batista. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

An artist looking for inspiration finds something else when he meets a beautiful woman in this drama from Spanish filmmaker Cesc Gay. Alex is a film director edging into middle age and suffering from a creative block. Needing some fresh ideas for his next screenplay, Alex leaves his wife in Barcelona to visit his friend Santi (Javier Camara) in the countryside for a few days. Alex is surprised to learn Santi has other guests -- Judith (Carme Pla) and her musician friend Monica (Montse German). As Alex and Santi join Judith and Monica for dinner, they discuss their lives and careers and Alex begins to relax; life in the mountains proves to be a tremendous tonic for him, and he feels rested and confident. But the idyllic surroundings aren't making it any easier for him to write, and he feels a growing attraction to Monica which he suspects may be mutual -- not a simple matter for a man with a wife who is planning to adopt a daughter soon. Ficcion (aka Fiction received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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, Rovi

Gerardo Herrero's political drama El Misterio Galíndez (The Galindez File) uses the real life 1956 disappearance of Spanish political refugee Jesus de Galindez as its subject. Saffron Burrows plays a privileged college girl named Muriel who travels to Spain in order to finish her doctoral thesis about political rebellion; Galindez is the main focus of her work. With the help of a pair of locals (Guillermo Toledo and Txema Blasco), she learns that Galindez was publicly critical of the Dominican Republic's political leaders who may have been responsible for his death. Muriel eventually travels to Miami in order to uncover the truth. She is opposed throughout her search by an FBI agent (Harvey Keitel) who wants keep the truth hidden as it would reveal unpleasant facts about the United States' role in his disappearance. The film was screened at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Heated office politics boil quickly to the surface as a tobacco-loving employee make a desperate plea for a smoking room in this observant comedy from writer/directors Julio Wallovits and Roger Gual. Working his days away in a Spanish branch of a large U.S.-based company, salary-man Ramirez (Eduard Fernandez) is enraged when a no-smoking ordinance goes into effect, leaving him no place to light up while on the clock. Though his bid for nicotine bliss initially divides employees' loyalties based solely on the subject at hand, petty grievances soon erupt into all-out war concerning twisted office politics. With employees going back on their initial support for the smoking room and paranoia soon giving way to shifting loyalties, it seems that everyone has their own agenda when it comes the how the company is being run. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Directed by J.J. Bigas Luna, Son De Mar (Sound of the Sea) follows Ulises, a young man who moved to a small coastal city just as summer was coming to an end. Though he arrived in order to teach literature at a local academic institution, he finds himself with much more than he had bargained for, including a newfound appreciation for the smells, sounds, tastes, and women of the Mediterranean. Eventually, he falls in love with Martina, one of his students. Enchanted by his stories and historical know-how, Martina returns his feelings, and is crushed when he mysteriously disappears. The film features Jordi Mollà, Leonor Watling, and Eduard Fernández. ~ Tracie Cooper, 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. Fausto (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, Fausto 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 Fausto's former patients; after Fausto 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 Fausto, and insists on giving the doctor a ride after a taxi breakdown leaves Fausto stranded. From then on, Fausto 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 Fausto to spend the evening with Marta (Irene Montala), a prostitute who proves to be similarly unavoidable. Fausto 5.0 was the first motion picture directed and produced by members of La Fura, an acclaimed Spanish theater troupe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Mixing thrills with satirical humor, this Spanish film looks at the power of television and how it affects people in their daily lives. On the outs with his former girlfriend Ana Maria (Natalia Dicenta), Alberto (Alberto San Juan) is living with his friend Elvira (Paz Vega); though she doesn't want him back, Ana Maria is quite jealous of Alberto's new situation. Ramiro (Eduard Fernandez), Elvira's former lover, sneaks into the flat where Elvira and Alberto are staying, hiding there without the couple's knowledge as they watch a television news broadcast. As fate would have it, Ramiro is the top story of the moment; he's a violent lunatic who has just escaped from custody and is believed to be looking for revenge against his former girlfriend, as Ramiro's identical twin brother Ramon leads a manhunt. Although Zapped was not well-received in its native Spain, most reviewers conceded that it has an exciting first act and shows an interesting, energetic visual style. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi