Miguel Ángel Solá Movies

Directed by Patri Ferreira, Alquimista Impaciente ("The Impatient Alchemist") follows the efforts of two men and their investigation of a mysterious death. When Vila (Roberto Enriquez), a disillusioned pyschologist-turned-cop, accompanied by his partner Chamorro (Ingrid Rubio), find a bound-and-gagged body of a nuclear plant worker in a motel room, the pair head off to interview the plant worker and the victim's wife. Though the case is closed fairly quickly, the body of a woman who had been partially devoured by wolves is found and believed to be connected to a mob boss named Vasili (Nacho Vidal). The first case is re-opened when the detectives discover that the employers of the victims were two dubiously run companies vying for dominance. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Veteran Spanish filmmaker Mario Camus directed La Playa De Los Galgos (The Beach of the Greyhounds) from his own script. Pablo (Gustavo Salmeron) tends to his elderly mother and is forever taking steps to find his missing brother. One day he meets Berta (Claudia Gerini), whom he becomes involved with. They seek out a psychiatrist named Dubbini (Miguel Angel Sola), as he may possess information on Pablo's brother. Both men fall madly in love with Berta, but her violent past will haunt everyone in the film. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

A doctor's past comes back to haunt him in an unexpected way in this modern variation on the classic tale of Faust. Dr. Fausto (Miguel Angel Sola) is a respected oncologist whose career has practically taken over his life; he has no wife or children, and he's barely aware of the fact his beautiful assistant Julia (Najwa Nimri) is obviously in love with him. One day, Fausto finds himself so overwhelmed with his wildly stressful career that be begins pondering suicide as he waits for a train, only to be interrupted by Julia, who brings him the briefcase he left at his office. After boarding his train, the distraught Faust encounters Santos Vella (Eduard Fernandez), who introduces himself as one of Fausto's former patients; after Fausto removed his stomach and informed him that he had but three months to live, Vella opted to stop seeing doctors and ignore their advice -- and he says he's been feeling fine ever since. Despite Vella's contemptuous attitude towards modern medicine, he is both friendly and grateful to Fausto, and insists on giving the doctor a ride after a taxi breakdown leaves Fausto stranded. From then on, Fausto finds he can't get rid of his new friend, no matter how hard he tries -- everywhere he goes, Vella is close behind, and when Faust declares that he needs female companionship instead, Vella arranges for Fausto to spend the evening with Marta (Irene Montala), a prostitute who proves to be similarly unavoidable. Fausto 5.0 was the first motion picture directed and produced by members of La Fura, an acclaimed Spanish theater troupe. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Juan Carlos de Sanzo's offbeat, fantasy-tinged drama El Amor y el Espanto constructs an apocryphal episode from the life of famed magic realist writer Jorge Luis Borges (Miguel Ángel Solá), in which the belletrist drifts into an imaginary realm populated by his own literary creations. Blanca Oteyza co-stars. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Hector Babenco injected autobiographical details into this tale of an Argentine teen's first romance. Living with his parents, 17-year-old Juan (Walter Quiroz) hangs out with several intellectuals who would like to photograph the human soul. The girlfriend of the group's financier is Ana (Maria Luisa Mendonca), and Juan is attracted to her, despite the knowledge that she spent two years at a clinic because she was "crazy." Juan sees Ana when he can and trains as a door-to-door salesman, but when the German photographer on the soul project gives him a viewfinder, it changes his life, putting him on the path to his later success as a Hollywood director. Shown in competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

When a respected Native American chief is taken to trial for burning down a large multiplex adjacent to an ancient Mapuche burial ground, a seasoned lawyer comes to his defense in the courtroom. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This film follows the exploits of middle aged man as he wanders through Argentina. It is set in the early 80's following the end of Argentina's long military dictatorship and is based on a 1990 novel by Osvaldo Soriano. Only recently returned from European exile, with no family and friends to welcome him home, "the engineer" travels the lonely southern Pampas of Argentina on the way to a job. He is periodically joined by other strange wanderers such as Nadia, the gun slinging psychic, Lem, a strange travelling millionaire, Barante, the hobo, and Coluccini, a bankrupt circus owner who involves "the engineer" in a rigged card game.. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Despite regulations that prohibit male and female inmates from communicating, the dangerous mental patient Pedro and his beloved Esperanza, a woman who is prone to setting houses on fire, somehow manage to communicate their love for one another. Difficult and tragic conditions in Venezuela's mental health facilities are clearly illuminated in this well-regarded drama. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Like Solanas' previous film Tangos (1985), South is a film about a forced exile (in the form of imprisonment) and a painful reunion in the midst of political turmoil. It is also a story about the healing power of nostalgia. The story is set in 1983 just after the fall of the military dictatorship and the restoration of the democracy. For the past five years, Floreal has been a political prisoner. He is released in the evening, but rather than returning straight home to his wife Rosi, he decides to wander around to gather his thoughts and sort through his mixed emotions concerning not only the deaths of his closest friends, but also the lonely, long-suffering Rosi's affair with Floreal's best friend Roberto. Everything in his old neighborhood has changed dramatically and as Floreal aimlessly wanders, a dense fog blankets the political pamphlet covered streets, lending a dreamlike atmosphere to the night. Occasionally, he is visited by the ghosts of former friends and co-workers. Meanwhile, Rosi nervously waits in her bedroom for Floreal to return. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This politically charged black comedy from Argentina centers on a middle-aged married couple who desperately need a place to stay after the fall of the military government. They end up staying with a self-absorbed sculptor who basically locks them into a Spartan little room. At first the couple accepts the oppressive situation, but in time they rebel and suddenly the sculptor finds himself getting a dose of his own medicine. Unfortunately, the couple's anger gets the best of them and violence ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this low-budget but violent action-adventure, the DEA decides to send its top agent undercover as a drug-smuggling flier in South America. The assignment becomes personal after the kingpin behind the drug-ring murders the agent's partner. The agent's own life is jeopardized after he refuses to perform a hit for the drug lord. On video the film is titled Vice Wars. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi