Fernando Guillén Movies
- 2009
This zany, Spanish-language teen sex comedy concerns a group of young social outcasts and misfits, including a blind boy, a wheelchair-confined metalhead and a shy, backward type who decide to "crash" Oxford University in England to win over a gorgeous girl. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Casas, Alberto Amarilla, (more)
- 2008
A woman losing her grip on her sanity discovers that the caring stranger who comes to her aid may ruin her life in this thriller. Fernanda Segovia (Cuca Escribano) and Enrique Gonzalvo (Fele Martinez) are a pair of editors and literary agents who have guided the career of writer Camila Ponte (Julieta Cardinali), transforming her into one of Europe's leading literary celebrities on the strength of her wildly successful first novel. Camila has been working on her second book, but stress, depression and writers' block have stalled the project, and Fernanda and Enrique fear Camila is on the verge of an emotional collapse. A benefactor arrives at Camila's doorstep in the form of Vera Galindo (Ana Torrent), a keen admirer of her work who offers to take her away from the pressure of life in the city. Vera escorts Camila to a beautiful hotel in a small country town, where innkeeper Palmira (Angela Molina) offers her customers peace, quiet and solitude. Camila thrives in her new surroundings, and Fernanda and Enrique are happy to hear that she's become newly productive since getting away from it all. But Fernanda and Enrique soon learn Vera is not as benevolent as she seemed -- she has evidence that proves Camila's first novel was actually the work of her father, and that the successful author is in fact a fraud. 14, Fabian Road was written and directed by Jaime de Arminan; it was his first feature film since El Palomo Cojo in 1995. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ana Torrent, Julieta Cardinali, (more)
- 2005
A divorced schoolteacher's life begins to unravel as her young daughter watches in horror. Alicia (Cecilia Roth) lives with her daughter Vega (Nadia de Santiago), and just can't seem to get her act together. Not only is she drinking too much, but her insomnia often finds her up at night and browsing internet chatrooms, where she strikes up a sexually charged relationship with seventeen year old Zak (Nacho Aldeguer). On the internet Alicia is uninhibited, but upon meeting Zak in person she immediately calls their relationship off. Later, Zak bursts into Alicia's classroom and threatens to kill himself unless she agrees to see him again. Meanwhile, Alicia's relationship with her Alzheimer's-stricken father is slowly deteriorating, and Vega does her best to console a close friend who has recently been disgnosed with cancer. Later, after Zak makes good on his grim promise, his grieving father Luis (Antonio Resines) struggles for answers. But fate works in mysterious ways, and before long Alicia and Luis' paths will cross under the most unusual of circumstances. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cecilia Roth, Antonio Resines, (more)
Laura Mana's psychological thriller Killing Words concerns a test of words and wills between a serial killer and the woman he is keeping as his prisoner. Laura is tied up in the killer's basement, but he agrees to release her if she can beat him at a word game. However, if she loses, she will never leave his private dungeon. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Darío Grandinetti, Goya Toledo, (more)
Religion has been called the opiate of the people, but one hapless soul finds his spiritual life turned upside down by too much marijuana in this comedy. Mariano (Karra Elejalde) is a traveling salesman who falls asleep while driving late at night, sending his car off the road and into a field -- which turns out to be part of an illicit marijuana farm. When Mariano awakes, he discovers that a team of policemen led by Sgt. Talavera (Manuel Manquina) has found the weed and set the field ablaze. The billows of fragrant smoke have a powerful effect on Mariano, and he imagines he's seeing an apparition of the Virgin Mary. Word of Mariano's "holy vision" travels to evangelist Sister Trini (Gloria Munoz) in a nearby town, and he soon attracts a number of her followers who want to hear about how the Virgin spoke to him (leaving out the drugs, of course). Con man and self-styled spiritual seeker Tony Towers (Fernando Guillen Cuervo) sees a potential gold mine in Mariano, and soon involves him in a scheme to build a "holy shrine" that will help him separate naive country folk from their cash. Karra Elejalde and Fernando Guillen Cuervo wrote and directed Ano Mariano as well as playing the leading roles; the film was a major box-office success in their native Spain. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karra Elejalde, Fernando Guillen-Cuervo, (more)
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cecilia Roth, Marisa Paredes, (more)
Alberto Lecchi's Spanish-language docudrama-cum-thriller Operación Fangio travels back to the 1958 Formula One Championship in Cuba, and dramatizes the events surrounding Argentine racecar driver Juan Manuel Fangio's (Dario Grandinetti) abduction by a cadre of violent guerillas. Laura Ramos and Ernesto Tapia co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
A Madrid police officer's dangerous obsession with a local murder known as "The Batiscafo Crime" sets him on a path that may lead to destruction in director Jesús R. Delgado's humorous crime thriller. When a trio of determined crooks mastermind what seems to be the perfect bank robbery, their bulletproof plan soon falls apart, leaving a devastating path of destruction that threatens to bring both the criminals and the fearless lawman down a dark path from which none may ever return. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernando Guillén, Natalia Verbeke, (more)
- 1997
Based on a popular novel by Spanish author Antonio Gala, this romantic melodrama centers on the struggles on a Seville rancher's dissatisfied wife. Poor Palmira; her husband Willy has not slept with her in ages, her teenaged son is sexually confused, her sister a lesbian, and her daughter is seeing a man on the sly. Matters worsen when Palmira finds out that her husband is having an affair, that her daughter is pregnant with a hemophiliac child and her son has died in a motorcycle accident. If that weren't enough, she learns of his homosexuality shortly after the funeral from his bisexual best friend, the one with whom Palmira had a brief affair. Overwhelmed, Palmira leaves the family to search for herself and for her long-lost first love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Oscar-winning Spanish director Jose Luis Garci (the 1982 To Begin Again) filmed this adaptation of the Josep Maria Sagarra novel, set during the '50s in a provincial town, about cardiologist Enrique Molinos (Fernando Guillen), highly regarded as both an academic and a doctor. At home, however, Molinos has a marriage gone sour. His daughter Maribel (Cayetana Guillen) entered a convent to become Sister Maria, and the father and daughter haven't spoke to each other for three years. Now she's about to embark on missionary service in Africa, but her heart arrhythmia and fainting spells prompt the Mother Superior (Julia Gutierrez Caba) to request an examination by the doctor. Molinos is in a happier mood when he trysts with his colleague Julia (Beatriz Santana), but his wife Isabel (Mercedes Sampietro) could create problems. Shown at the 1997 Montreal Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernando Guillén, Mercedes Sampietro, (more)
- 1996
A blind detective finds that a game show champion has a talent for deception in this Spanish suspense drama. Andreas (Jorge Monge) is a seemingly bright young man who has become an overnight star thanks to his appearances on a popular TV quiz show. However, the producers of the show begin to have their suspicions about Andreas's source of knowledge, and they bring in private eye Raul Gamboa (Fernando Guillen Cuervo) to do some investigating. Raul discovers Andreas's winning streak is the product of his friendship with "The Chip Pirates," a group of reckless computer hackers. Los Corsarios Del Chip also features Karra Elejalde and Cayetana Guillen Cuervo. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1996
In this Spanish art-film, which won a prize at the Valladolid Film Festival in 1996, is most notable for its daring cinematography and atmosphere than its actual narrative. The last of a succession of housekeepers who have gone mad working for a reclusive author (Fernando Guillen), Lola (Carmen Elias) tentatively investigates her employer and gradually becomes close to him. The author's old girlfriend (Andrea Ferreol) appears on the scene and Lola finds herself in competition with her. The author reveals that he is an identical twin, and that some time before this, he and his twin exchanged lives. One highlight of the film is its repeated and imaginative use of the image of a turtle. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
When a respected Native American chief is taken to trial for burning down a large multiplex adjacent to an ancient Mapuche burial ground, a seasoned lawyer comes to his defense in the courtroom. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
In this comedy from Spain, Manolo (Juanjo Puigcorbe) is a police lieutenant who has asked to speak to a group of law enforcement officials who will be having a meeting at a popular ski resort. Manolo's car breaks down en route, and while trying to hitch a ride, he gets a lift from a free spirited young woman (Laura del Sol) who is planning to spend a few days on the slopes. Manolo soons finds himself head over heels in love, but juggling his unexpected courtship with his duties to his fellow officers proves to be more taxing than he imagined. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1994
This action-filled Spanish melodrama takes dramatic license with the facts surrounding the illegal slave trade in early nineteenth century Cuba. It is 1820 and Amelia has recently been wed to Ton, a Cuban plantation owner whom she barely knows as part of a business contract. With Ton's sinister best friend as her chaperone, Amelia reluctantly leaves Spain. During the long sea voyage, Alfons leads a mutiny and the ship detours to Africa where they fill up the hold with slaves. In Havana, Amelia is appalled to find her husband has been sleeping with slaves and colonial wives. For revenge, Amelia attempts to expose Alfons' and Ton's illegal activities to the authorities and to their families. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Fernando Guillen Cuervo, (more)
- 1994
This historical drama, set in the '20s examines the strange, brief reign of a Latin American dictator. It was alternately shot in Havana and Mexico. The story is set in an unspecified Latin country and chronicles the daily life of the tyrannical dictator. One of his day's highlights is the signing of execution orders. His insane daughter must be physically restrained and is tied to her bed. Also included in the tale are a group of picked on Spaniards, a psychic woman, and effeminate Spanish ambassador, and a rebellious general. The film contains no violence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gian Maria Volontè, Ana Belén, (more)
- 1993
Waging war against all things glamorous and beautiful, crippled terrorists Accion Mutante plot a series of attacks on society's elite, gaining a fearsome reputation before their activities are stalled with the jailing of their leader and mastermind, Ramon. Soon reunited with their newly released leader, Accion Mutante plots the elaborate wedding reception kidnapping of Patricia, a wealthy socialite. Though many die in the botched kidnapping, the gang gets away with Patricia and jumps aboard their spaceship, destined for a distant planet and a healthy ransom. Celebration is short-lived as greed kicks in and Ramon plants the seeds of distrust among his fellow mutants shortly after take-off. With all of the mutants gone sans a vengeful Siamese twin (or at least half of him), Ramon takes his cash cow to the pay-off site, though a curious case of the Stockholm syndrome has thrown an unexpected wrench into Ramon's devious plan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Resines, Frederique Feder, (more)
- 1993
Ambiguous symbolism and minimalist storytelling imbue this pantomime-like film with some fine imagery. In the story, a medieval family group has traveled for quite some time when they arrive at a hut on the shores of a mysterious lake. Their arrival is accompanied with omens such as a swarm of drowning rats. They are attempting to protect the woman of the family from being ravished by the local feudal lord. Nothing is explained, and there is little dialog. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexander Kaidanovsky, Valentina Vargas, (more)
- 1990
In this crime drama, a jazz pianist working the summer at the exclusive Lady Bird Club in Portugal as an accompanist for legendary trumpet player (portrayed by Dizzy Gillespie!) has a passionate affair with an enigmatic, ultimately conniving woman, who turns out to be married to a brutal mobster who with his cohorts, smuggles guns in hopes of overthrowing Portugal's democratic government. A murder causes the woman's sudden departure. The pianist, by this time, is hopelessly in love with her and so journeys to Lisbon to find her. Once there, he ends up over his head and in mortal danger. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Vadim, Helene De St. Pere, (more)
- 1989
Pantheon filmmaker Carlos Saura bounced back from a handful of failures with 1989's La Noche Oscura (The Dark Night). Juan Diego stars as San Juan de la Cruz (St. John of the Cross), the legendary 16th-century poet-prophet. Galvanized into action by the spirit of Santa Teresa de Jesus, San Juan fought to install reforms in the Carmelite Order. Like many another visionary, he was regarded as a heretic, and promptly subjected to the most appalling of tortures. Writer-director Saura manages to draw several parallels between the religious persecution of the 1700s and the political despotism of Fascist Spain. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Juan Diego, Julie Delpy, (more)
- 1989
In this supernatural thriller, Eve is a woman whose nine-year old daughter gives every evidence of having strange occult powers. Within two days of giving birth to her, Eve hit a strange woman while driving, and at the same time lost her husband. Some have asserted that the movie's story bears some relation to the Biblical story of Lilith. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lydia Bosch, Fernando Guillén, (more)
