Federico Luppi Movies
A group of motley math experts must solve problems at lightning speed to avoid being squashed into oblivion in writer-director Luis Piedrahita's mindbending thriller Fermat's Room. The story begins with a handsome, twentysomething intellectual, Galois (Alejo Sauras) banking off the success of solving an intimidating mathematical enigma known as Goldbach's theorem. Galois then receives an invitation from the mysterious stranger Fermat (Federico Luppi) who invites both him and several other intellectuals to a set location in a warehouse, with the stated intention of having them collectively solve a mathematical riddle. He instructs them to avoid bringing cell phones, which none do. Upon arrival, Fermat indeed greets them in the warehouse, but is soon summoned offsite and leaves his invitees alone. As soon as he departs, odd events begin to transpire: the members of the group begin receiving strange mathematical riddles on their PDAs which they must solve in under a minute; subsequently, hydraulic presses on the exterior of the warehouse kick on and the walls begin to close in, threatening the lives of the protagonists. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alejo Sauras, Santi Millan, (more)
Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro returns to the phantasmagorical cinema that defined such early fare as Cronos and The Devil's Backbone with this haunting fantasy-drama set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and detailing the strange journeys of an imaginative young girl who may be the mythical princess of an underground kingdom. Her mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), recently remarried to sadistic army captain Vidal (Sergi López) and soon to bear the cruel military man's child, shy young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is forced to entertain herself as her recently-formed family settles into their new home nestled deep in the Spanish countryside. As Ofelia's bed-ridden mother lies immobilized in anticipation of her forthcoming child and her high-ranking stepfather remains determined to fulfill the orders of General Francisco Franco to crush a nearby guerilla uprising, the young girl soon ventures into an elaborate stone labyrinth presided over by the mythical faun Pan (Doug Jones). Convinced by Pan that she is the lost princess of legend and that in order to return to her underground home she must complete a trio of life-threatening tasks, Ofelia sets out to reclaim her kingdom and return to her grieving father as Vidal's housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdú) and doctor (Alex Angulo) plot secretly on the surface to keep the revolution alive. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ariadna Gil, Ivana Baquero, (more)
- 2006
In first-time director Inaki Dorronsoro's explosive drama La Distancia (AKA The Distance, 2006), Miguel Angel Silvestre plays Daniel, and up-and-coming pugilist repeatedly on the verge of winning, but never quite able to cross the victory line. The frustrated Daniel commits a robbery that leads to incarceration. In jail, he meets Guillermo, a cop with suppressed gay urges and self-destructive impulses, who cons Daniel into committing a homicide in exchange for release. Daniel then emerges from confinement, ostensibly unscathed but racked and torn apart inside by guilt. He climbs back into the ring, but is horrified to discover that aggression and anger now guide his boxing maneuvers, and, to clear his conscience, decides to seek out the wife of the man he killed, who works as a prostitute in a local club. Meanwhile, a horrified Guillermo learns of Daniel's decision and does everything in his power to stop the young man from continuing down this path. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Miguel Angel Silvestre, Jose Coronado, (more)
Political unrest helps spawn and destroy a friendship between two schoolboys in this drama. In Chile in 1973, as the leadership of socialist president Salvador Allende was coming under fire from the nation's military leaders and the leaders of several powerful Western nations (including the United States), many in the country were inspired to address the issues of the vast gulf between Chile's rich and poor. Father McEnroe (Ernesto Malbran), one of the headmasters of an exclusive private school, decides to confront this matter by giving a handful of poor children a full scholarship. Pedro Machuca (Ariel Mateluna) is one of the new students, and while he and his fellows are picked on by the school's bullies, Pedro is a brave kid who stands his ground, and he's soon befriended by Gonzalo Infante (Matías Quer), whose rich parents live in Santiago's wealthy suburbs. Gonzalo's family is standing on shaky ground these days; his mother (Aline Küppenheim) is having an affair, and his father (Francisco Reyes) finds himself at odds with her increasingly right-wing political views. Gonzalo begins spending more time with Pedro and his family; he particularly likes Uncle Willi (Alejandro Trejo), who cheerfully sells flags to Chileans on both sides of the political fence, and develops a crush on Silvana (Manuela Martelli), Pedro's older cousin. But the political and economic differences that are dividing the country find their way into the school, leading to a rift between the two friends. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matías Quer, Ariel Mateluna, (more)
A con man finds himself up against an adversary he hasn't the strength to challenge in this crime drama from Spain. Ernesto (Ernesto Alterio) is a man who grew up learning the easier way to get out of trouble was to lie, and over the years, he's built a career out of his gift for twisting the truth as a con man. Teaming up with two experienced grifters, Manco (Manuel Alexandre) and Federico (Federico Luppi), Ernesto is able to pull off a major scam involving the Spanish Army that scores the three a major payday. This should put Ernesto and his partners on Easy Street, but things begin to go sour when Ernesto is reunited with a former girlfriend, Pilar (Victoria Abril). Ernesto is a soft touch for anything that Pilar might suggest, and when she plots a big con for him and his partners, he offers no objections. However, when Manco dies under hazy circumstances and Ernesto's childhood pal Gipsy (Alejandro Casaseca) conveniently appears wanting to take his place, Ernesto begins to suspect that he may be the one being scammed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Based on Lorenzo F. Aristarian's novel Rebirth and directed by Adolfo Aristarian, Common Places is a family drama from Argentina. College professor Fernando (Federico Luppi) and his devoted social worker wife Liliana (Mercedes Sampietro) live in a modest apartment in Buenos Aires. When he is forced into retirement and she is at risk of losing her job due to poor funding, they decide to visit their son, Pedro (Carlos Santamaria), who has a comfortable bourgoise lifestyle in Spain. After the father and son express their differences, Liliana and Fernando sell their apartment and buy a house in rural Cordoba. The middle-aged couple enjoy their new setting until Fernando develops pneumonia. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Federico Luppi, Mercedes Sampietro, (more)
Five strangers from various parts of the Iberian Peninsula experience an outbreak of seemingly unrelated supernatural phenomena that only later take on greater significance in veteran director George Sluizer's 2002 seriocomic fantasy The Stoneraft. Joana (Ana Padrao), Jose (Gabino Diego), Maria (Iciar Bollain), and Joaquim (Diogo Infante) are all experiencing events they cannot logically explain: A flock of starlings follows Jose everywhere he goes, while Joana creates small fault lines with her walking stick; Joaquim not only raises an impossibly large stone with only his hands but also throws it out to sea; while unraveling one sock, Maria discovers the thread has no end. Pedro's (Federico Luppi) -- the fifth stranger -- experience is the most significant, as he alone feels a bizarre tremor that eventually leads to the entirety of Iberia dislodging itself from the rest of the European continent. As the new island begins to drift toward North America and a catastrophic collision appears imminent, the majority of the Spanish and Portuguese populations begin to abandon the renegade land mass. The five prophets, however, seek an answer to all of these puzzling events and are thus drawn together on their mutual quest for truth while preparing for what seems to be an approaching apocalypse. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Federico Luppi, Icíar Bollaín, (more)
An abandoned Uruguay community rails against Hollywood's purchase of an antique locomotive in this comedy drama from sophomore director Diego Arsuaga. Despite the locals' joy over the sale of the train, the Friends of the Railroad Association views the purchase as the selling of an important part of the town's rich history. In a last-ditch effort to sabotage the sale and keep their beloved locomotive, the group hijacks the train and attempts a daring escape to Brazil. With the police in hot pursuit, the daring feat inspires new hope in a town who lost their connection with the outside world when the train stopped running years ago. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Federico Luppi, Héctor Alterio, (more)
The Argentinean drama The Lost Steps takes a fictionalized look at actual crimes committed by the government. The main character is a young woman who learns she may have been taken away from her birth parents just after she was born. Her story starts to come out after she meets a man who claims to be her actual grandfather. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Visedo
Guillermo del Toro, who quickly became one of the most talked-about directors in contemporary horror films with his first two features, Chronos and Mimic, takes on a more subtle tale of terror with this psychological suspense piece. Casares (Federico Luppi) and Carmen (Marisa Paredes) operate a small home for orphans in a remote part of Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Helping the couple mind the orphanage are Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega), the groundskeeper, and Conchita (Irene Visedo), a teacher who is also involved with Jacinto. Casares and Carmen are aligned with the Republican loyalists, and are hiding a large cache of gold that's used to back the Republican treasury; perhaps not coincidentally, the orphanage has also been subject to attacks from Franco's troops, and an unexploded bomb waits to be defused in the home's courtyard. One day, a boy named Carlos (Fernando Tielve) arrives at the home, looking for a place to stay after being left behind by his parents. Casares and Carmen take him in, and the boy soon strikes up an unlikely friendship with Jaime (Inigo Garces), a boy with a reputation for tormenting other kids. But Carlos soon begins having visions of a mysterious apparition he can't identify, and hears strange stories about a child named Santi who went missing the day the bomb appeared near the orphanage. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, (more)
Two lifelong prison buddies cope with life outside the big house in this award-winning Argentinean production. Federico Luppi and Ulises Dumont play Tito and Castor, two robbers whose failed scheme has landed them in Rosario prison for 30 years. Before being jailed, however, the duo stashed a sum of money in a river, and plan on retrieving it as soon as they're released. When the fateful day comes, however, their petty insecurities and the pressures of being re-adjusted to society threaten to ruin their perfect scheme. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Federico Luppi, Ulises Dumont, (more)
- 2000
A rivalry between two actors proves to have dangerous consequences in this drama from Spain. Daniel (Federico Luppi) is the star of a popular television series who is interested in more prestigious work. and longs to appear on the legitimate stage. Daniel is lobbying for the leading role in Divertimento, a well-known play that made a star of leading man Bernardo Gabler (Francisco Rabal). When Daniel pays a visit to the theater where the play is being staged, he discovers to his surprise that Bernardo is waiting for him. Bernardo is not at all eager to turn over his signature role to another actor and insists on putting Daniel through a punishing audition, which turns out to be the least of Daniel's problems when Bernardo forces him to help hide a corpse, implicating him in a murder Bernardo claims to have committed. Divertimento also features Sonia Castelo and Pastor Rodriguez Feal. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francisco Rabal, Federico Luppi, (more)
- 1999
A man tries to reconcile with his past before it disappears in the allegorical drama Las Huellas Borradas. Manuel (Federico Luppi) is a writer who journeys from Argentina, where he lives, to the Spanish village where he was born; word has reached him that the town will soon literally vanish, as the area is being turned into a giant reservoir. Manuel hopes to tie up some loose ends from his past, and hopes to rekindle his relationship with Virginia (Mercedes Sampietro), whom he loved as a young man. With the village's days numbered, many long-dormant rivalries have been brought back to life, as a number of people hope to settle old scores before progress eliminates their home town. Virginia also has to deal with her daughter Rosa (Elena Anaya) and her sudden rebellious streak -- she's now pregnant, and has decided to move in with her boyfriend Delfin (Sergi Calleja). Meanwhile, Manuel spends some time with his old friend Don Jose (Hector Alterio), with whom he discusses philosophy and the secrets of a town that will soon cease to exist. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Federico Luppi, Mercedes Sampietro, (more)
A salesman offers a ride to a sexy woman and soon finds himself deep in trouble in the thriller Lisboa. Joao (Segi Lopez) is a traveling salesman from Portugal who is somewhere outside of Madrid when he stops to offer a lift to Berta (Carmen Maura), an attractive hitch-hiker. Sparks soon fly between them, and moments later they're having sex in a public restroom. Joao starts to wonder what he's gotten himself into when he discovers Berta is carrying a gun, but despite this he agrees to drive her to Lisbon. She claims to be going there to clear up some financial misdoings committed by her husband; however, Joao soon finds Berta's son, daughter and father are all following their trail, and the situation becomes all the more complicated when Berta's husband (Federico Luppi) shows up. This (along with Las Huellas Borradas) was one of two films featuring Federico Luppi to be shown at the 1999 Malaga Film Festival in Spain. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carmen Maura, Federico Luppi, (more)
- 1998
Gerardo Herrero directed this Spanish-Argentine-German-French period fantasy drama set in turn-of-the century Buenos Aires. After widowed Roque (Jose Coronado) killed a man in Spain, he emigrated to Argentina with his young son Ramon (Francisco Corbalan). With his friend Hermann (Peter Lohmeyer), Roque works for a tobacco distributor. A ghost, Maidana (Federico Luppi), murdered by a "cutthroat and philosopher," reveals himself to only two people -- Roque and brothel-owner Teresa, aka Piera (Maribel Verdu) -- a situation which brings Roque and Piera together romantically. Shown in competition at the 1998 San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jose Coronado, Peter Lohmeyer, (more)
A powerful political allegory set in an unnamed Latin American country, Men With Guns concerns Dr. Fuentes (Federico Luppi), an elderly physician long involved with a group that trains young people to provide health care for the poverty-stricken citizens of the outlying hill country, where small agricultural communities struggle to survive under primitive living conditions. The doctor has heard rumors that many of his former students are lost and feared dead, so he goes into the hills to investigate. The deeper he digs into the jungle, the more Fuentes finds that the people are menaced by "men with guns'" -- military forces who use torture and execution to intimidate the people, and guerillas from opposition groups whose agenda is only marginally more benign. Accumulating several travelling companions -- a defrocked priest, a deserter from the Army, a boy who survives by stealing, and a woman who has turned mute since she was raped -- Fuentes finds that his journey becomes more revealing but also more perilous the deeper he ventures into the hills. American writer and director John Sayles filmed most of Men With Guns in Spanish (an language he speaks fluently), as well as several indigenous dialects; he claims to have based most of the film's incidents on actual events that have occurred in a number of different Third World nations. Mandy Patinkin has a brief role as an American tourist Fuentes encounters in his travels. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Federico Luppi, Damian Delgado, (more)
Upon learning that his estranged son in Buenos Aires may have attempted suicide by mixing dog tranquilizers with booze, expatriate Argentine film director Martin immediately leaves Madrid. Upon his arrival in Argentina, he learns that his ex-wife has given up on the aimless, depressive 19-year-old and wants him to contend with the youth back in Spain. Martin agrees, and his son, who is also named Martin, returns with him. Martin, Sr. lives with his cocaine-addicted, much-younger girlfriend Alicia and their mutual friend Dante, a homosexual actor. Though at some level, he cares for both, he is just too emotionally removed to ever show it. It is the same with his son, whom he calls H (pronounced "hache"), meaning hijo or son. Still, each member in the strange family attempts to reach the zombie-like boy, whose only interests seem to be the pursuit of sex and drugs. Essentially an internal drama centered around numerous intense and challenging conversations, this entry from Argentine filmmaker Adolfo Aristarain will most likely appeal to those who love intellectual cinema. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Federico Luppi, Juan Diego Botto, (more)
- 1996
Though outwardly at peace being middle-aged and single, a Jewish woman still places a personal ad in a local newspaper requesting the company of an older Jewish man. This warm, tender romantic drama follows what happens when her best respondent turns out to be a gentile. Until she discovered his religious affiliation, Clara was quite taken with Raul. Though she at first spurns him, she realizes she needs him. Her brother is about to visit her from Boston and she has been lying to him about being in a relationship. Fortunately, Raul goes along with the ruse that it soon ceases to be a ruse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Three aimless, unemployed and penniless youths hatch a devious plot in order to escape their nowhere lives in this lively Spanish thriller that begins as Rober and Max rob a supermarket owned by their cohort Ona's parents. Their next target is Daniel Peligro, the biological father of Max. Peligro, a prominent, wealthy theater director, has never seen his own son, nor does he even acknowledge his existence. The trio are committing these crimes to quickly earn the cash Rober needs to start his dream restaurant. Fearing that Max will be too emotional seeing his celebrated father for the first time, the three decide that Rober should change the color of one of his eyes (Peligro has one blue and one brown eye) and masquerade as Max. It turns out that the director welcomes his estranged off-spring into his home and even offers him the lead in his latest play. Meanwhile Rober makes hay with Peligro's beautiful girl friend. Not wanting to leave such a luxurious new life, Rober lies to the patiently waiting Max and Ona, telling them he needs more time to plan the crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Javier Bardem, Federico Luppi, (more)
- 1995
This lively western from Spain centers on the exploits of a wealthy young troublemaker who escapes from a Franciscan monastery and teams up with a handsome country boy who has run away from the Army. Together the two try to become outlaws and pose as gang members under the notorious El Argentino, an outlaw who plies his trade upon the border of Portugal and Galicia in northern Spain. The two "bandidos" steal horses and rob a taxman as they flee for the border. Along the way another fellow joins them. Much to their surprise, the fellow turns out to be a female reporter for the New York Times, hoping to interview El Argentino. Unfortunately, the outlaws have never met him. They meet him soon enough when he captures them. Proving to be a vain but basically good-hearted outlaw, he spares them and together they all take off with the Civil Guard hot on their trail. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This stylish, taut and unpredictable Spanish thriller is laced with black comedy and social consciousness as it tells the convoluted tale centering on alcoholic, unlucky Gloria Duque, an impoverished Mexico City prostitute. She is first seen performing fellatio on several crooks as they make another drug deal. Something goes awry and violence erupts and two corrupt drug agents and a local gangster die. Eduardo, an Argentine hit man survives and he does not kill Gloria. Just before one of the agents died, he handed Gloria a list of international money-laundering businesses and when things settle down she flies to Madrid, her hometown. There she sees her husband, a bullfighter in an irreversible coma, and begins living off of her mother-in-law's money. Doña Julia cares about her daughter-in-law and tries to get her to give up the booze, go to school and earn a respectable living, but Gloria is stubborn and insists on making it her own way. Unfortunately, her way is to rob a furrier, a front for one of the illicit businesses. Meanwhile, back in Mexico, Eduardo prepares to fly to Spain and complete his latest assignment: to kill Gloria and bring back the valuable list. Fortunately for her, just before Eduardo gets to her, Eduardo sees the light and turns to God instead of killing, but in the end, it is Doña Julia who holds the key to Gloria's final salvation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
An unlikely pair of outlaws take to the highway and become criminal folk heroes in this satiric comedy. Jose (Hector Alterio) is a 70-year-old anarchist who deposited $15,000 in a bank 20 years ago and wants to withdraw the money; however, he doesn't have the paperwork, and the bank staff keeps giving him the runaround. So he takes drastic measures: he arrives at the bank one day with a gun, and, pointing the pistol at his head, he announces that he'll blow his brains out if he doesn't get his money. Pedro (Leonardo Sbaraglia), a 23-year-old clerk working at the bank, is unhappy with his job and his life, and he impulsively announces that Jose has taken him hostage; they end up leaving the bank with $500,000, and they hit the road with both cops and reporters following their trail. Jose and Pedro seem like an odd team at first, but friendship and respect grow between them as they travel the backroads, spending some of the money, handing some of it out to poor people along the way, and sending occasional videotaped messages to the media. They also pick up a woman named Ana (Cecilia Dopazo), whose tough demeanor is intimidating but fits the situation perfectly; Pedro soon finds himself attracted to her as she joins in their low-level crime spree. Caballos Salvajes was the debut feature from Argentinean director Marcelo Pineyro, who became one of the most acclaimed young directors in South America on the basis of this and his second film, Cenizas del Paraiso. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Héctor Alterio
- 1994
Adolfo Aristarain and Alberto Lecchi wrote this South American western in which sheep-herders battle a ruthless landowner. ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- José M. Sacristán, Federico Luppi, (more)
