Gael García Bernal Movies
An actor nearly all his life, the endearingly handsome Gael García Bernal began performing in stage productions with his parents in Guadalajara, Mexico, and later studied at the Central School for Speech and Drama back home in London. Bernal then appeared in several plays, soap operas, and short films before his major feature film debut in Amores Perros, which was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2000. He gained more attention for Alfonso Cuarón's Y Tu Mamá También, where he starred opposite his real-life close friend, Diego Luna. Appearing as Che Guevara in the TV miniseries Fidel, Bernal was cast to play the revolutionary leader again in the 2003 film The Motorcycle Diaries, and he again earned positive notices for his work. Bernal shored up his art-house cred playing a typically flamboyant leading role for Pedro Almodovar in Bad Education. In 2006 he teamed with Michel Gondry for his follow-up to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep. He joined up again with the director of Amoros Perros for the well-received drama Babel opposite Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Two of Spain's biggest female stars headline this offbeat comedy about the battle of wills between good and evil. Heaven is not getting its fair share of business for the afterlife, so Lola (Victoria Abril), an angel who sings in a nightclub located beyond the pearly gates, is sent to Earth to drum up business by her boss, Marina (Fanny Ardant). Her first prospect is Manny (Demián Bichir), a prizefighter with an injury that could take his life at any time. As Lola tries to claim Manny's soul for the Lord, the wicked Jack Davenport (Gael García Bernal) believes that the Devil deserves the boxer's soul, and he sends one of Hell's waitresses, Carmen (Penélope Cruz), to seal the deal. On Earth, Lola takes the form of Manny's former love and urges him to mend fences with his mother, while seductive Carmen tries to persuade Manny to return to the ring, knowing that another fight would mean his death. While Lola and Carmen wage war over Manny's soul, they maintain their cover by working at a grocery store, where they both learn a few lessons about the pitfalls of earthly capitalism. Meanwhile, Manny is dealing with financial problems of his own -- he owes money to the city's corrupt police commissioner (Emilio Gutiérrez Caba), who is using his strong-arm men to "persuade" Manny to pay up. Released in Europe as Sin Noticias de Dios (which translates as No News From God), Don't Tempt Me was a box-office success in Spain when it was released in late 2001, though it wouldn't reach American theaters until 2003. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victoria Abril, Penélope Cruz, (more)
Mexican-born, New York-based filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón directed this Mexican box-office smash hit about a pair of randy upper-class buddies that sparked some controversy for its frank depiction of drug use and sexual exploration. With their respective girlfriends away in Europe, Julio (Gael García Bernal) and his upper-class friend Tenoch (Diego Luna) are looking forward to a summer full of drink, drugs, and cheap meaningless sex. During a wedding, they meet Luisa (Maribel Verdú) -- the 28-year-old wife of Tenoch's scholarly cousin -- and try to convince her to go on a road trip to Heaven's Mouth, a made-up beach paradise the two claim is on the Oaxacan coast. To their surprise, Luisa -- who is looking to escape her troubled life for a spell -- agrees to go along. Two days into the trip, tension starts to build between the two friends: Luisa has had sex with each, and now both lads are not-so-quietly vying for her affection. Soon simmering jealousies boil over into savage arguments, threatening to completely destroy their friendship. After an enormously successful run in Mexico and Guatemala, this film was screened to much acclaim at the 2001 Venice, Toronto, and New York Film Festivals. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maribel Verdú, Gael García Bernal, (more)
When the father of a young woman with a dark past falls ill and needs her help to survive, she must learn to let go of the pain and forge on into the future in this harrowing and affecting drama from filmmaker Fito Paez. For years Carmen Uranga (Celia Roth) had suffered the torture inflicted upon her under the Argentinean dictatorship. Later moving to Madrid and making ends meet by offering her body for sale, Carmen soon receives word that her father has suffered a stroke and quickly returns to Argentina to be close to her family. As the past continues to haunt her and she attempts to learn how to love again, a shocking revelation threatens to consume everything that she has ever dreamed of and send her into an irreversible spiral of despair. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
