Lina Mira
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)
- 2000
A guy with unusual romantic problems comes up with an even more unusual solution in this black comedy from Spain. Miguel (Alberto San Juan) is a man who can't bear to hurt a woman's feelings, which is how he ends up with three girlfriends at once -- Fina (Ana Risueno), who has a bad leg; Gloria (Balbina del Rosario), whose looks scare most men away; and Dori (Lina Mira), who needs to lose a lot of weight. Miguel is already having enough trouble juggling three improbable lovers when he meets Claudia (Patricia Velasquez), a lovely woman from France who is quite attracted to him. Miguel is very fond of Claudia, but he knows his three significant others would be heartbroken if he left them. So he comes up with what seems like a reasonable solution -- he'll simply kill his current girlfriends so he can start dating Claudia full time. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alberto San Juan, Patricia Velasquez, (more)
- 1991
- R
Written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almódovar, Tacones Lejanos is a murder mystery centering on flamboyant actress Becky del Paramo (Marisa Paredes) and her daughter Rebecca (Victoria Abril), a television anchorwoman. After being estranged for 15 years, Becky re-enters Rebecca's life when she comes to perform a concert. Rebecca, she finds, is now married to one of Becky's ex-lovers, Manuel (Feodor Atkine). As the mother and daughter begin making up for lost time, Manuel is suddenly murdered at his home. Unfortunately, which of the ladies is responsible for the homicide remains unclear, even after one of them confesses. Released in the U.S. under the title High Heels, Tacones Lejanos was nominated for several Goya Awards as well as the Best Foreign Language Film at the 1992 Golden Globes. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victoria Abril, Marisa Paredes, (more)
