Maribel Verdú Movies

Veteran gigolo Manuel (Alberto San Juan) learns that reclaiming your innocence isn't as easy as he anticipated when he returns home and attempts to win the affections of his old flame, and his many deceptions come bubbling to the surface. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

At a time when the growing chasm between the rich and the poor appears to be slowly tearing Mexico - and many other Latin countries - apart, first time filmmaker Rodrigo Plá highlights just how isolationism breeds fear in many wealthy communities. Alejandro (Daniel Tovar) lives with his father Daniel (Daniel Giménez Cacho) and his mother Mariana Maribel Verdú) in an isolated community known as La Zona. La Zona is home to the most privileged citizens in Mexico, but with all of the gates and closed circuit cameras it feels more like a million dollar prison than a typical neighborhood. Eventually, a group of disadvantaged teenagers manage to break into La Zona. As the members of the community scramble to protect their families at any cost, one of the teenaged burglars, a frightened boy named Miguel (Alan Chávez), seeks cover in the basement of Alejandro's home as his friends scatter. Later, when Alejandro discovers the young fugitive, the privileged boy's growing empathy for the petty thief and murder suspect leads him to question the values imposed on him by his father as well as the many other isolationists who have taught him to fear his fellow countrymen. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director Garcia Querejeta helms this lighthearted family drama concerning a mother and wife who is suddenly forced to make some important decisions in rebuilding her life. Angela and her son Guille were on their way to visit Angela's father Leo in the city when the kindly grandfather unexpectedly falls ill and dies. While Charo, the former mistress of the dearly departed, explains that Leo's pool hall containing seven billiards tables must be sold off to pay his mounting debts, Angela soon becomes convinced that there is another solution. Upon learning that her husband has just vanished under suspicious circumstances, Angela decides that the only option at this point in her life is to start from scratch, and that the first order of business is to parlay all of her savings into the restoration of the pool hall so that she and her son have some source of steady income. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Convinced that she has found a means of escaping her miserable existence after a million stolen euros landed in her lap, Julia discovers that money can sometimes cause more problems than it solves when the criminals who stole the cash in the first place come gunning for the fruits of their unlawful labor. But Julia is determined to reap the rewards of her windfall even if it kills her. Now, as her life becomes a deadly game of deception, murder, and treachery, it begins to look as if Julia's greed will lead her directly to the grave. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Alberto Sciamma's psychological thriller Jericho Mansions stars James Caan as Leonard Gray, the superintendent of the apartment building that gives the film its title. He has devoted his life to the building and to its many tenants; however, the denizens of the building begin to turn on him. A murder in the building leads to the police believing Leonard committed the crime. Leonard must figure out the conspiracy attempting to bring him down before it is too late. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Mexican-born, New York-based filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón directed this Mexican box-office smash hit about a pair of randy upper-class buddies that sparked some controversy for its frank depiction of drug use and sexual exploration. With their respective girlfriends away in Europe, Julio (Gael García Bernal) and his upper-class friend Tenoch (Diego Luna) are looking forward to a summer full of drink, drugs, and cheap meaningless sex. During a wedding, they meet Luisa (Maribel Verdú) -- the 28-year-old wife of Tenoch's scholarly cousin -- and try to convince her to go on a road trip to Heaven's Mouth, a made-up beach paradise the two claim is on the Oaxacan coast. To their surprise, Luisa -- who is looking to escape her troubled life for a spell -- agrees to go along. Two days into the trip, tension starts to build between the two friends: Luisa has had sex with each, and now both lads are not-so-quietly vying for her affection. Soon simmering jealousies boil over into savage arguments, threatening to completely destroy their friendship. After an enormously successful run in Mexico and Guatemala, this film was screened to much acclaim at the 2001 Venice, Toronto, and New York Film Festivals. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

A former football star finds himself weighing difficult options in this period drama from Spain. Ramiro Forteza (Carmelo Gomez) was once the goalie for a championship soccer team in Madrid, but as Spain struggles to get back on its feet following the Civil War, he's reduced to traveling the countryside, hustling money from strangers who think they can get a penalty kick past him. Ramiro finds himself in a small Asturian town, where he becomes infatuated with Manuella (Maribel Verdu), a single mother who watches over her young son Tito (Adrian Ramirez) and her brother Nardo (Eduard Fernandez), who is still nursing wounds he suffered as a soldier with the Resistance. Manuella also has to contend with Lopez (Julio Velez), a member of the Civil Guard who makes no secret of his sexual interest. Ramiro decides he'd like to stick around for a while, so he takes a job doing chores for Don Constantino (Roberto Alvarez), a rough-hewn but good-natured Catholic priest; soon, though, Ramiro gets a troubling offer from Sgt. Andrade (Antonio Resines), leader of the local branch of the Civil Guard. Andrade would like Ramiro to represent the Civil Guard in a local penalty kick competition, and while he's in no position to refuse, he's also not sure he wants to accept. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Carlos Saura, one of the finest and most distinctive filmmakers in the Spanish cinema, wrote and directed this biographical epic concerning one of Spain's greatest artists, the painter Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. On his deathbed, Goya (Francisco Rabal), attended by his mistress, Leocadia (Eulalia Ramon) and their daughter, Rosario (Dafne Fernandez), is plagued by hallucinations and frequent visions of the beautiful Cayetana (Maribel Verdu) as his mind reels through the events of his life. As a young man, Goya (played in his younger days by Jose Coronado) became the court painter to King Charles and the Royal Family, where he created technically skillful but uninteresting portraits and was invited to a number of royal functions. At one such affair, Goya first met Cayetana, the Duchess of Alba, and he was immediately smitten; they became lovers, and she was both the subject and inspiration of several major works, including "Desnuda" and "La Maja Vestida." Goya's work developed a dark undercurrent after Napoleon invaded Spain and he took up with Leocadia, creating disturbing images that alienated his patrons and frightened his children. In time, the decline of the court and a changing political climate forced Goya to seek exile in France in 1824, where he would die four years later. Goya In Bordeaux was a project that Saura had dreamed of filming for years, and he was ably assisted in recreating the look of Goya's paintings by master cinematographer Vittorio Storaro. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Near the end of the Franco dictatorship in 1974, impoverished yet optimistic salesman Lozano (Antonio Resines) travels the Spanish coast in a Citroen with his rebellious teenage son Felipe (Fernando Ramallo), a fan of Patty Hearst. After Lozano makes love to attractive vocalist wannabe Estrella (Miriam Diaz Aroca), both father and son make moves on pleasant Paquita (Maribel Verdu), a local villager. They finally settle down at an American Army base where Lozano goes to work selling imported cars and Felipe finds happiness with black-girl Miranda (Tania Adam). Shown at the 1997 Vallodolid Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

This is a film of the dramatic Spanish language novel Celestina, written in 1499. In many ways, it resembles Romeo and Juliet, particularly in the need for secrecy in the wooing of a beloved and the troubles resulting from that secrecy. Callisto (Juan Diego Botto) enlists the aid of his roguish servants and the mature woman Celestina (Terele Pavez) to help him win the heart of Melibea (Penelope Cruz). In gratitude for Celestina's efforts, he rewards her with a sentimentally valuable article of clothing. When Callisto's two jealous servants hear of this, they try to get Celestina to give them what they feel is their "share" for their efforts on Callisto's behalf. Failing in this, they kill Celestina. Her friends discover her corpse and vow to get revenge for her murder, but it is Callisto whom they blame for it, not his miserable servants. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This uplifting film, set in a 19th-century Spanish convent, quietly comments upon the limitations of leading the spiritual and isolated life of a nun. The peaceful routine of the nuns is interrupted by the sudden arrival of an abandoned baby girl. The girl, whom they named Teresa after the Mother Superior, is formally adopted by the town doctor, but is actually raised by the loving hands of the nuns. The film follows their experiences as they learn a more earthly form of love. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi