Carlos Payan Movies

A child's reunion with his ne'er do well father is cut short in the midst of a dangerous journey in this drama from Mexico. Teo (Erick Caneta Guerrero) is a boy who was born and raised in Oaxaca, Mexico. Teo's father Wenceslao (Damian Alacazar) has been little more than a stranger to him; often on the wrong side of the law, Wenceslao has spent most of Teo's life in jail, and the boy has been raised primarily by his uncle. When Wenceslao is finally released from behind bars, it doesn't take him long to run afoul of the law again, and he decides to flee to the United States. However, he decides to take Teo with him, which alarms the youngster more than anything else. Chuy (Andres Marquez) is a "coyote" who helps Mexicans slip across the border into the United States for a price, and as he's guiding Wenceslao and Teo to their new home, they're attacked by a gang of thieves with a grudge against Wenceslao. With Teo once again alone after his father is abducted, Chuy helps him find the bandits as they make their way to America. El Viaje de Teo (aka Teo's Journey) was an official selection at the 2008 Guadalajara Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Mexican filmmaker Juan Carlos Martin makes his directorial debut with this documentary about Mexican conceptual artist Gabriel Orozco. Shot with various formats, including digital video, black-and-white 16 mm, and color film stocks, the film features Martin accompanying Orozco to several cities and galleries for exhibitions and philosophical conversation. They travel to Paris, Oaxaca, Frankfurt, and finally to his first solo show in Mexico City in 2000. The artist offers up plenty of opinion and insight on his background as a painter and his thoughts on the creative process. Martin captures some of his collection techniques with found objects and readymades, with special consideration given to the creation of his reconstructed Citroën automobile. Gabriel Orozco features interviews with curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and video artist Steve McQueen, along with original music from Manuel Rocha and the trance band Tosca Tango Orchestra. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

A gal gets a crash course in love as her wedding day draws near in this romantic comedy from Mexico. Alicia (Ana Claudia Talancon) is a pretty but eccentric young woman, who was powerfully effected by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland as a child, and who today makes her living as an artist, creating drawings that betray the influence of the classic fantasy tale. Alicia is engaged to marry Fabian (Fabian Corres), the publisher of a successful lifestyle magazine, but Alicia is rather naïve in the ways of love and is still a virgin. Alicia is also unaware that Fabian has been having an affair with Ana (Ana de la Reguera), an editor at the magazine who would love nothing more than to have Alicia out of the way and Fabian all to herself. Hoping to disrupt Alicia's bridal shower, Ana hires a hunky male stripper for the occasion, Rocco (Luis Roberto Guzmán), but while Alicia is embarrassed by his performance, she's also intrigued by him, and she finds herself striking up an unexpected friendship with Rocco that soon takes an unexpected turn. Ladies' Night was screened as part of the 2004 Los Angeles Latino Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi