Vicente Romero Movies

A young man who has grown up on the streets wants to do right by his mother -- even as he lives outside the law -- in this stylish action drama from Spain. Ricky (Mario Casas) was only 12 years old when he was left to fend for himself after his mother Pura (Angela Molina) ended up in jail on prostitution charges. Even though she let him down, Ricky is still devoted to his mom as he pedals goods on the street to support himself and lives with a makeshift family that includes Angelito (Vicente Romero), a low-rent pimp; his half-bright sidekick The Kid (Luciano Caceres); Angelito's drug-addicted lover Scrag (Macarena Gomez); and Princess (Damaso Conde), an eccentric cross-dresser convinced she's descended from royalty. Eager to give his mother a better life, Ricky wants to open a brothel that she can run when she's released from prison, and with some help from Angelito and The Kid, he's nearly gotten the illegal business off the ground when he discovers Pura's growing senility would make it impossible for her to run the establishment. Even worse, local gangster El Chino (Dario Grandinetti) doesn't like Ricky giving him competition and demands a huge protection payment if the business is to stay open. Ricky doesn't have the sort of bankroll El Chino demands, so he and his partners make a desperate attempt to raise the cash by kidnapping Veronica (Blanca Suarez), whose father is a powerful but dishonest police detective (Antonio de la Torre). Carne de Néon (aka Neon Flesh) was written and directed by Paco Cabezas, who adapted the story from a short subject he made in 2005. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo's Goya-nominated rural film noir employs a Rashomon-like storytelling technique to detail the journey of a Speleologist and an experienced potholer who emerge from a cave expedition to make a horrifying discovery. Castilla-León is a dying rural village in the middle of nowhere. When cave explorer Esteban (Judith Carmelo Gómez) learns of a newly discovers cavern in the area, she sets out with her experienced assistant (Walter Vidarte Alameda) to make an official document of it. Upon emerging the pair learns that Esteban's girlfriend has been assaulted, and sets out on a violent revenge mission that sets into motion a tragic series of events in the impoverished local communities. Told from six different perspectives, The Night of the Sunflowers explores the notion that the truth is never as simple as black and white. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The plight of marginalized youth who inhabits a small town in southern Spain is explored in the sophomore effort from El Traje director Alberto Rodríguez. Granted a weekend furlough from the juvenile detention center for the express purpose of attending his older brother Santacana's (Vicente Romero) wedding, aimless 16-year-old Tano (Juan José Ballesta) plans to join his best friend, Richi (Jesús Carroza), in a marathon session of boozing, getting stoned, and bedding every available female in sight. Though Tano still has the familiar urge to party hardy with his friends, gone in him are the thuggish instincts that drive his mates to rape, rob, and beat up anyone and everyone who stands in his way. As the events of the weekend unfold to reveal a town tiring of being victimized by the aggressive crowd that Tano used to run with, the revelation of where his life of crime is truly leading him forces Tano to reevaluate his violent past and take control of his future. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This award-winning psychological drama was the first directorial effort from filmmaker Jaime Rosales and tells the story of a young man who snaps under the weight of his monotonous life. Alex Brendemuhl plays Abel, a seemingly mild-mannered fellow. Abel's days are virtually indistiguishable from one another, with much of his time spent tending to his family's business. Eventually, the lack of change wears away at Abel and he reacts with viciousness and brutality. Las Horas del Dia is also known under the title The Hours of the Day. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi