Marta Esteban Movies
- 2009
Director Joaquin Oristrell's earthy, passionate drama Mediterranean Food opens on June 6, 1968, the day of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination. That same day, a little girl christened Sofia is born prematurely in an Italian barbershop, and grows up into an idiosyncratic, impulsive, yet intelligent and diligent young woman (Sofia Molina), raised in the kitchen and dining room of her parents' celebrated restaurant. As she reaches the age of 15, Sofia falls in love with two men simultaneously and finds herself torn between their embraces. She marries one, Toni (Paco Leon) - seemingly the perfect husband and father, who provides anything a young woman could want (including two children) - and she takes the second suitor, Frank (Alfonso Bassave), as an extramarital lover. A young man employed as an agent, Frank takes Sofia not only into his bed but under his wing, teaching her the ins and outs of preparing five-star European haute cuisine. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Olivia Molina, Paco Léon, (more)
- 2009
A pair of relationships play out in real life as well as one writer's imagination in this comedy/drama from director Cesc Gay. Clara (Agata Roca) shares a house with her close friend Manu (Paul Berrondo); however, after one of the rare moments where their platonic relationship gave way to passion, Clara finds she's expecting a baby. Clara and Manu are pals with Vicky (Vicente Ndongo) and Anders (Andres Herrera); she's an educator who runs an experimental teaching facility, and he's a writer working on a screenplay. Anders' script is about the interaction between two couples dealing with their problematic relationships, and as the four friends try to work out their differences, the principle characters in Anders' movie wrestle with their own problems as a camera crew shuffles around them, capturing their story on film. The title V.O.S. comes from a Spanish phrase meaning "Original Version with Subtitles," common shorthand for imported art films in Spain; the movie was adapted from a play by Carol Lopez. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Agata Roca, Paul Berrondo, (more)
- 2006
An artist looking for inspiration finds something else when he meets a beautiful woman in this drama from Spanish filmmaker Cesc Gay. Alex is a film director edging into middle age and suffering from a creative block. Needing some fresh ideas for his next screenplay, Alex leaves his wife in Barcelona to visit his friend Santi (Javier Camara) in the countryside for a few days. Alex is surprised to learn Santi has other guests -- Judith (Carme Pla) and her musician friend Monica (Montse German). As Alex and Santi join Judith and Monica for dinner, they discuss their lives and careers and Alex begins to relax; life in the mountains proves to be a tremendous tonic for him, and he feels rested and confident. But the idyllic surroundings aren't making it any easier for him to write, and he feels a growing attraction to Monica which he suspects may be mutual -- not a simple matter for a man with a wife who is planning to adopt a daughter soon. Ficcion (aka Fiction received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eduard Fernández, Javier Camára, (more)
When a trio of lifelong buddies living in Barcelona read an obituary for a man they believe to be an old friend, they soon set out to pay their respects in director Maria Ripoll's quirky tale of mistaken identity. Dani (Javier Periera), Francisco (Marc Rodriguez), and Ignacio (Oriol Vila) are soaking in the sun when Francisco stumbles across a death notice that appears to be for their old friend Alberto. Upon arriving to bid their old friend farewell, Dani bumps into his ex-girlfriend Carmen (Nuria Gago) and falls hard for Alberto's sister Cristina (Tamara Arias). When the trio realizes that the recently deceased Alberto is not the same man they grew up with, the complications that follow leads them to reconsider the role that death plays in everyday life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Javier Pereira, Marc Rodriguez, (more)
- 2005
At once a sufferer of dyslexia and one famous for courting political controversy, Argentina native Lupe Pérez Garcia shares her intimate life story with the audience in this candid biographical portrait. The film - which is said to exist halfway between narrative fiction and vérité - finds Garcia at a point-of-no-return, when she must choose between remaining in her new home of Barcelona and returning to her childhood home of Argentina. As the cameras roll, she undergoes a difficult and emotionally-challenging reunion with her mom and stepdad, then attempts to work out the complexities in her mind and toys with the reality presented onscreen, hence complicating the view presented to the audience. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
After languishing in a Barcelona prison for nearly a decade, a busted bank robber attempts to find the girl who made off with the cash in this suspenseful tale of revenge and betrayal starring Adriana Gil and Eduard Fernández. Ex-con Martin Losada is out of prison and on the hunt. When he and his band of anti-Franco bank robbers were busted after a botched heist ten years ago, the only member of their team never caught by police was his long-gone ex-girlfriend Julia. Now, on the eve of the 1958 revolution, the recently released ex-con sets his sights on Havana in a determined bid to find Julia, and stake his claim on his rightful share of the take. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eduard Fernández, Adriana Gil, (more)
An expectant, ultra-modern mother living in 1913 Barcelona is thrust into a complex and labyrinthine mystery when her psychiatrist husband goes missing and she is forced to seek the help of her conservative brother-in-law in locating her missing spouse in director Joaquin Oristrell's Freudian period comedy. Alma is a modern woman of very modern means; her father Spain's foremost neurosurgeon and her husband, Leon, a devoted follower of controversial Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud. After arriving home one summer afternoon to find her tearful husband mumbling incoherent words of woe, Alma's life is turned upside down when Leon suddenly disappears. With no one else to turn to than her lovelorn brother-in-law Salvador -- likewise a psychiatrist who secretly pines for Alma despite being married to her sister -- Alma's discovery of a strange manuscript on hysteria and female sexuality proves the launching point for a tireless quest to locate her missing husband and discover the true meaning behind his inexplicable disappearance. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leonor Watling, Luis Tosar, (more)
Daniel (Roberto Enríquez), Ana (Natalia Millán), and their little boy, Manuel (Kevin Almodóvar), travel from Madrid to a resort on the Costa Brava for the summer. Ana runs into Marta (Irene Montalà of L'Auberge Espagnole), a local shopgirl whom she's met on previous visits. Marta introduces Ana to her cousin, Robert (David Selvas), who runs an antique shop. Robert is immediately attracted to Ana. Marta tells him that Ana is happily married, and confesses that she has a crush on Ana's husband, Daniel. Robert, intrigued, makes a pact with Marta. Robert will help Marta seduce Daniel if she will help Robert seduce Ana. One night, the cousins cunningly arrange to separate the couple, and some serious flirtation ensues. While Marta, casually dates a local surfer, Tomás (Roger Casamajor), begins to have second thoughts, Robert grows more obsessed with the couple. He befriends Daniel and peppers him with questions about the strength of his nine-year marriage. Robert also asks if Daniel is attracted to Marta. "Fidelity's another word for laziness," he tells Daniel. He visits Ana and surprises her with a goodbye kiss. As the summer wears on, his machinations begin to have an effect on the couple's stability. Summer Clouds, directed by Felipe Vega, was shown by the Film Society of Lincoln Center in 2004 as part of the series, Spanish Cinema Now. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roberto Enríquez, Natalia Millán, (more)
A web of romantic entanglements covers a growing circle of friends in this romantic comedy drama from Spain. Tomás (Alex Brendemühl) is a college instructor who has been secretly dating one of his students, Ana (Miranda Makaroff). Making the matter more complicated is the fact that Ana's uncle is Mario (Eduard Fernández), one of Tomás' best friends. Mario has long been involved with Sara (Vicenta N'dongo), but he has reason to believe she is having an affair, and he's desperate to hold on to her. At the same time, Mario has met Cristina, and is trying to fight his interest in her. Irene (Mònica López) and Manu (Chisco Amado) are another seemingly happy couple fighting infidelity when she begins having second thoughts about their relationship. And Andres has fallen for Sofia (María Pujalte), a clerk at his favorite bookstore, but he learns she's still pining for Eric, who talked her into bed one night but has yet to come back to her. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mònica López, Eduard Fernández, (more)
- 1993
Lady M (Myriam Mezieres) sings in some of the less well-known Paris clubs. She's a gifted performer and is quite beautiful, but her work is not the sort that invites popular acclaim. Despite the fact that she is unlikely to become famous, she enjoys her life as a performer who lives just outside the mainstream. Awaiting her backstage one evening is a Spanish painter who has seen her show and wants to make her acquaintance. They walk around Paris getting to know one another, and then the painter returns to Spain. Something about the man has moved Lady M to passion: she flies to meet him in Barcelona and he shows her his beloved Catalonia. This time, however, their relationship is as much about passionate lovemaking as it is about compatibility. So smitten is Lady M with her new man that when she discovers that the painter has a negro wife and child, she is only a little bit taken aback; she invites his whole family to join her in Paris. Surprisingly, they do, and the number of people sharing their love and sexual appetites changes from two to three. This story is allegedly based on the personal diaries of Myriam Mezieres, who narrates. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Myriam Mezieres, Felicite Wouassi, (more)
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