Maribel Verdú Movies

Having previously explored the ways in which war robs children of their innocence in his 1999 drama The Butterfly's Tongue, director José Luis Cuerda once again turns his attentions towards the Spanish Civil War and its devastating aftermath with this period drama set in 1940 and following a family forced to live a lie in order to avoid death. To the outside world, Elena (Maribel Verdú) is a caring mother who lives alone with her son Lorenzo (Roger Príncep) and daughter Elenita (Irene Escolar). Unbeknownst to anyone except her immediate family, however, is the fact that her husband Ricardo (Javier Cámara), a Republican schoolteacher, is also hiding out in the family home. Meanwhile, Lorenzo's teacher Salvador (Raúl Arévalo) remains deeply shaken by the horrors he both witnessed and partook in as a soldier in the war. Salvador was still a wide-eyed seminary student when he was sent off to fight, his experiences on the battlefield casing him to question both his faith and his allegiance to the government. Later, when Salvador meets Elena, he begins to form a dangerous obsession with the beautiful woman that soon threatens to destroy her entire family. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Inspired by a series of brutal, true life murders that shocked citizens of Buenos Aires at the turn of the 20th Century, director/screenwriter Jorge Algora's horrific thriller centers on a ten year old boy suspected of being a sadistic killer. The year is 1912, and the town of Buenos Aires is being held in the icy cold grip of fear. Ten year-old Mateo (Juan Ciancio) has been experiencing a disturbing series of extremely vivid visions that would seem to suggest that he witnessed the killings firsthand. When word gets out about Mateo's strange case of second sight, many of the locals begin to suspect that it is actually he who is committing these unspeakable acts. Meanwhile, as the body count continues to rise, Mateo's mother Estela (Maribel Verdú) enlists the aid of forensics specialist Dr. Soria (Chete Lera) in finding a rational explanation for the visions and helping the skeptical Police Inspector Petrie (Daniel Freire) locate the real killer in hopes of proving her son's innocence. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

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

Based on a true story, much of this somber drama centers on Rafael, a kindly but emotionally-distant butcher who has avoided people after accidentally castrating himself while cutting meat several years before. He has since considered himself unmanned and therefore undesirable to women. One day he sees a young man beating up his lover and can't help but intervene. Taking pity on the girl, he takes her to his home. Her name is Marina and she tells Rafael how she and her boyfriend Daniel grew up in a terrible environment without parental guidance. She also tells him that she is pregnant. Rafael treats the troubled girl with kindness and she responds by proving that there is more than one way to be a man and to experience love. In this way, the two find healing and happiness raising Marina's daughter. Years later, their happiness is nearly destroyed by the sudden return of the ultra macho Daniel. Caring nothing for Marina, nor his child, he only wants a place to live. Though he knows that Marina has strong, unresolved feelings for Daniel, Rafael does not want to lose her and so allows Daniel to stay. With only lifetimes of strife in common, the three lonely, disaffected adults thus form an uneasy family which must cope with painful issues and choices. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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, All Movie Guide

This confusing and meandering mystery concerns a double crime committed in a rural village in 1956. Greedy land speculators, soldiers on leave, a house of prostitution, and a smuggler with a mentally challenged daughter are the focus of this crime drama that lacks suspense and suffers from being to disconnected. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

A hopeless, bleak mood hangs over this heavy drama about three teens in San Sebastian, a port city on the Bay of Biscay in the Basque country of Spain. Covert references are made to political issues like the miseries of shipyard workers and to the police as rather brusque and hard-nosed. Drugs are rampant in the lower orders of city life; one of the teens has dropped out of high school and is a user, as is his girlfriend. He survives by stealing and by handouts from his family, who nevertheless want nothing to do with him. No matter how much a third teen friend tries to get this couple to give up the habit, nothing works. The ultimate question, though not emphasized here, may be who is really responsible for what happens to this unfortunate young couple. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide