Joseph Linuesa Movies
Directed by veteran Spanish helmer Vicente Aranda, Carmen revolves around a complex cast of characters, including Merimee (Jay Benedict), a writer and archeologist whose research in southern Spain circa 1830 brings him into contact with Jose (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a bandit. When Merimee meets the beautiful Carmen (Paz Vega) in a cathedral, Jose bursts in and orders Merimee to leave unless he wanted to be killed. Eventually, Jose reveals how he had met Carmen -- breaking up a fight between her and a co-worker who believed her to be a witch, and subsequently letting her off the hook rather than taking her to prison. When they next met, Carmen was working as a prostitute, which made Jose jealous enough to murder one of her clients. Afterwards, he dedicated his entire life to being with her, not caring who he killed along the way. The film also features Antonio Dechent, Joan Crosas, and Joe Mackay. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paz Vega, Leonardo Sbaraglia, (more)
Turf wars between Uruguayan hookers and Brazilian drag queens are just one of the highlights of Tricky Life, a serious but humorous look at women, poverty, and white slavery. When Elisa (Mariana Santángelo), a single mother of two, is kicked out of her mother's house in the middle of a rainstorm, she goes to her current lover, a married, middle-aged store keeper, for help. He finds her an apartment in Montevideo, where Elisa lives with her best friend Lulu. The two women want nothing more than to open their own hair salon, but can't find the necessary money to do so. Deciding prostitution is the easiest way to go for financing, they find a respectable brothel to call their workplace. Things go fairly smoothly until Elisa falls for Placido, an older, smooth-talking Spaniard who seduces her with his smooth manner and talk of riches to be had in Barcelona. Abandoning both her children and a good portion of her common sense, Elisa, with Lulu in tow, follows Placido to Barcelona, where she soon discovers that Placido is better at making promises than actually keeping them. Tricky Life was screened at the 2002 Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mariana Santangelo, Silvestre, (more)
