Manuel Morón Movies

A lawman must side with a gang of criminals if he's to save his own life in this action drama from Spanish director Daniel Monzon. Juan Oliver (Alberto Ammann) has accepted a job as a prison guard, and the day before he begins work he leaves his pregnant wife Elena (Marta Etura) at home and goes to the penitentiary for an orientation session. During a tour of the facilities, Juan is struck on the head in a freak accident; he passes out and is carried to a nearby cell. As the jailers wait for a doctor to arrive, a riot breaks out, and Juan is left behind. When he wakes up, all is in chaos, and Malamadre (Luis Tosar) and a band of fellow inmates have taken control of the prison. Malamadre thinks Juan is another prisoner, and for the sake of his own survival he plays along, throwing in his lot with fellow rebels Tachuela (Vicente Romero) and Releches (Luis Zahera). When Malamadre learns that a handful of Basque terrorists are confined to the same prison, he sees an opportunity to use them as a bargaining chip with the government, and Juan is caught between saving his own skin and helping Malamadre make a deal that could have grave nationwide implications. Celda 211 (aka Cell 211) received its North American premiere at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A soccer player-turned-con man and an aspiring artist strike up a passionate romance in writer/director Rafa Russo's slow burn romantic drama. Argentinean ex-soccer player Ruben (Gustavo Garzon) has forsaken his athletic career to travel Spain and make a dishonest living. Struggling artist and failed mother Adriana (Ana Fernandez) longs to re-connect with her estranged son Damian (Andres Gertrudix). When the two divorcees meet by chance in a hotel bar, they form a fast bond that soon turns serious when Ruben proposes marriage. Later, as Ruben leaves for a "business trip" and Adrianna embarks on a desperate search for her long-lost son, it becomes increasingly difficult to discern whether Ruben's aim is true or Adrianna is simply the latest in a long line of unsuspecting targets for the unrepentant scammer. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A series of strange incidents at a rooming house suggest that sinister forces are at work in this low-key thriller from writer and director Pablo Malo. Avelina (Maria Jesus Valdes) is an elderly woman who runs a boarding house in a town along the coast of Spain. Her daughter Julia (Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu) runs a school for girls that has been hit with a minor scandal after one of her students was found dead in a nearby swamp. Marco (Jose Luis Garcia Perez), a teacher whose life has hit a rough patch, has come to the town seeking rest and moves into Avelina's house, as does Monica (Andrea Villanueva), the former roommate of the dead student. When Monica attempts suicide by jumping from a tall building, she tells her rescuers that she's been hearing the voice of her late friend day and night, while Marco notices a photograph in the house has suddenly added another figure, that of a former student who died under traumatic circumstances. Avelina begins to suspect that evil spirits have made a home in her rooming house, and she brings in a pair of paranormal researchers, Sergio (Vicente Romero) and Noe (Andres Gertrudix), to investigate. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

One man gets a crash course in how clothes make the man in this comedy drama from Spain. Patricio (Eugenio Jose Roca) is an undocumented alien who is living in Spain with his buddy Roland (Mulie Jarju). One day, Patricio happens upon a man whose car is stuck with a flat tire; Patricio helps him change his spare, and after he learns that the driver is a successful professional athlete, he's given a brand new suit as a gesture of thanks. Unknown to either Patricio or his benefactor, an invitation for one of the year's glitziest social events is still in the jacket's pocket. While his friends wonder just what he did to get his flashy new duds, Patricio enjoys the new respect he gets when he's wearing his suit; however, he also gets a taste of how the other half lives when a small-time crook named Bread & Cheese (Manuel Moron) swipes Patricio's tiny bankroll after he and Roland are evicted from their flat. After finding out the truth about Patricio, Bread & Cheese invites him and his friend to stay with him at an old hotel where he's squatting, and as the three men bond, Patricio thinks they should all pay a visit to the upper crust's big celebration. El Traje received its North American premier at the 2002 San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi