Jose Luis Alcobendas Movies

His childhood pal Suso having recently died from a drug overdose, likeable dolt Cundo returns to the Asturian village where the pair grew up intending simply to attend the funeral, but gradually delving into a larger mission after discovering an odd collection of Suso's sketches. It's been nearly a decade since Asturian native Cundo (Javier Camara) moved away to Argentina, but upon receiving word that his old pal has passed he decides to venture back home and pay his respects. Later, after touching base with the old gang, Cundo happens across a series of Suso's drawings. It seems that Cundo's old friend had a serious obsession with towers, a revelation that leads the well-intending mourner to plan a memorial tower in memory of his old friend. As all the old gang gradually comes on board, Cundo begins to feel as if Suso engineered the plan to help his old friends out of their current rut. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

One dysfunctional family's problems hold up a mirror to larger issues of racism and misplaced patriotism in this Spanish drama. Berta (Marisa Paredes) is a nurse who is edging into middle age and looking for a husband; she also looks after the three teenage children of her recently deceased sister. Eduardo (Imanol Arias) is a hard-drinking police investigator who encounters Berta during a trip to the hospital; they hit it off and begin dating. But Berta's new romance could pose a problem for her niece, Lucia (Maria Isasi), whose boyfriend, Fausto (Jose Luis Alcobendas), has a lucrative illegal business smuggling illegal aliens from North Africa into Spain. Adding to tensions around the house, Lucia's brothers, Raul (Alberto Ferreiro) and Guillermo (Roger Casamajor), are members of an extreme right-wing group who have been implicated in the murder of an illegal immigrant from Senegal (Emilio Buale). Berta tries to ignore the ugly truth about the youngsters in her care, but when Eduardo is assigned to investigate the case of the murdered immigrant, she is forced to face the reality of her family's actions. Salvajes was the first feature film from director Carlos Molinero. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi