Chela Ruiz Movies
This Argentine drama begins with the suicide of respected judge Costa Makantasis (Hector Alterio). Each of his three adult sons confess to the murder of Ana (Leticia Bredice), and it's learned that her businessman father (Jorge Marrale) was being investigated by the judge. All three brothers and their father had an interest in Ana, whose story is revealed in flashbacks. An investigating judge, Dr. Beatriz Teller (Cecilia Roth) searches for the connection between the two deaths. Shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival, the alternate English title is Paradise Ashes. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Héctor Alterio, Cecilia Roth, (more)
- 1990
This melodrama begins with the death of a family patriarch. The man's children gather from all over to honor him at his funeral. His wife at first manages to get by on her own, but as time progresses, she is increasingly need of care and attention. Her children, however, have lives of their own, and her increased neediness (especially for attention) wreaks havoc on their relationship with her and with their own families. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chela Ruiz, Victor Laplace, (more)
This is an emotionally gripping, fictional look at a couple torn apart by the infamous Argentine campaign of killings and torture that sent thousands of accused terrorists to unmarked graves in the mid-and late-'70s. Alicia (Norma Aleandro) and Roberto (Hector Alterio) adopted a little girl (Analia Castro) during this period of governmental terror in Argentina. Alicia has always wondered about the parents of their little girl, a topic her husband has forced her into forgetting as a condition of the adoption -- he alone knows the full story. Thanks to censorship, Alicia -- like others -- is not fully aware of how much killing has gone on until her students at school start complaining that their textbook histories were written by murderers. Add to this a long conversation with a friend who had been in exile after she was tortured by the government, and Alicia starts to do some serious political and personal research on her own. The results reveal the identity of the little girl's dead parents and reveal that Alicia's husband has had a nasty hand in the government repression and dirty dealings with foreign businesses. She also learns the identity of the girl's grandmother. Her next decision will determine what to do with this information. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Héctor Alterio, Norma Aleandro, (more)
- 1980
An uneven love story with good acting that helps sustain interest, Mis Dias con Veronica features a September-May relationship in which the woman has more going for her than her younger lover. Veronica (Dora Baret) is forty-two and a sensible, forthright person who has a fairly good grip on the world around her. Her co-worker and eventual lover (Oscar Cruz) is thirty-two and has not yet had the time to develop her insight, if he ever will. The progress of their love affair occupies center stage, with the problems of their boss (Hector Bidonde) adding to the mix. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dora Baret, Susú Pecoraro, (more)
- 1970
This excellent comedy vehicle for Norman Briski finds the actor playing ten different characters in six separate stories. The first story concerns a poor young man who chases after a 1,000 peso note at a construction site of a new building. The final story has a young man reluctant to marry the daughter of his godfather until he realizes the man is a wealthy and successful butcher. The talented actor plays three women out of his ten character portrayals. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norman Briski
