Aida Folch Movies
- 2006
A detective investigating a brutal rape and murder is drawn into the life of a suicidal woman whose husband he suspects of committing the heinous crime in director Antonio Chavarrías' tense psychological thriller. Depressed and suicidal at the end of a raucous street party, Celia attempts to take her own life by lying on the railroad tracks. When the body of a young rape victim is discovered not too far from the site where Celia attempted suicide, police inspector Miguel Ángel pays a visit to Celia and her husband, Agustín, in hopes that something they saw that night may lead to the identification of the killer. Later, when clues lead Ángel to Celia's sisters, Carmen and Ángela, the detective finally gains enough evidence to arrest Ángela's former boyfriend Pedro in connection with the crime. But something still isn't right, and as Ángel strikes up an amiable friendship with Carmen's ex-husband Jaime, he soon begins to suspect that it may in fact be Agustín who is the true killer. His judgment clouded at seeing his own mental instability reflected in the emotionally shattered Celia, Ángel soon begins to discover that beneath the suicidal girl's benign and peaceful existence there lies a horrifying, and potentially deadly, secret. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Najwa Nimri, Luis Tosar, (more)
- 2006
Director Manuel Huerga teams with screenwriter Lluis Arcarazo to explore the life and death of the last man executed by the garrote in this biopic following the life of leftist Spanish bank robber and revolutionary Salvador Puig. The product of a leftist bourgeois household, Salvador (Daniel Bruehl) railed against Franco's oppressive as a young student, and soon turned to bank robbery as a means of contributing to the radical labor movement. When a cop is killed during one of the robberies and Salvador is captured, the trial to determine the young activist's fate is swift. Though Salvador does put some hope into the chance for a reprieve, his grim fate is ultimately sealed when a bomb kills Franco's president. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Brühl, Tristan Ulloa, (more)
With the school year drawing to a close, all the hard-partying seniors want is to spend some time soaking up the sun and the women on Spain's notoriously wild beaches. The trouble is, the brainy kids want to go to Paris and visit museums while soaking up the local culture. When perpetual loser Jamie (Jordi Vilches) is forced to make the deciding vote, it first appears that his attraction to studious classmate Marta may prompt him to cast his ballot for Paris. But the bad kids can be fairly persuasive when they get their minds set on something, and when that something is beautiful women in the warm Spanish son they'll do whatever it takes to win Jamie's vote. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Fernando Trueba's El Embrujo de Shanghai (The Shanghai Spell) is a drama set just after the Spanish Civil War. Dani (Fernando Tielve) is a 14-year-old would-be artist who is hired to care for the elderly Captain Blay (Fernando Fernán Gómez). Blay convinces the young boy to paint Susanna (Aida Folch), a young woman from the local village. Susanna's father, Kim (Antonio Resines), is a rarely seen but beloved resistance figure, while her mother, Anita (Ariadna Gil), is considered the sexiest woman in town. One of Kim's associates shows up and begins an affair with Kim, while the two teenagers begin a tentative first romance with each other. The film is adapted from a novel by Juan Marse. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernando Tielve, Aida Folch, (more)
Set in the Spanish port city of Vigo, Fernando León de Aranoa's Mondays in the Sun is a touching drama about a group of working-class men who find themselves suddenly unemployed and unwanted in their middle age. Laid off from the local shipyard, the men spend their days at the town bar, where they reminisce, philosophize, and commiserate about their current state. Gruff Santa (a bearded Javier Bardem) puts up a tough front, refusing to sink into self-pity, and occasionally pricking his friends' hopes. Morose José (Luis Tosar) openly worries about his wife, whom he fears might leave him. That seems to have been the fate of Amador (Celso Bugallo), the oldest of the bunch, who keeps reassuring everyone that his wife will be back any day now from her trip. Meanwhile, Lino (José Ángel Egido) refuses to give up hope of employment, going to interview after interview for jobs being offered to applicants half his age. Presiding over the glum bunch is Rico (Joaquín Climent), the bar owner and the men's co-worker from the shipyard days. Despite its depressing subject and downbeat mood, Mondays in the Sun was a big winner at the 2003 Goya Awards, Spain's equivalent of the Oscars, winning Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Bardem. The film was also Spain's surprise representative for the 2003 Oscars' Foreign Language film category, nabbing the distinction over Pedro Almodóvar's critically lauded Talk to Her. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Javier Bardem, Luis Tosar, (more)
