Juan Diego Botto Movies
This complex and confusing Spanish feature intercuts stories from 1936, 1940, 1970 and 1988, and has Victoria Abril play three different parts in them. The lives of many people are shown to be tangled together in nearly incomprehensible ways, and many of the characters are prone to engage in unsavory sexual acts involving fetishism and sadomasochism. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victoria Abril, Jorge Sanz, (more)
- 1986
This is an enigmatic tale of a man's attempt to regain a lost period of youthful happiness. Peter (Bruno Ganz) and his somewhat broken-down wife arrive at a friend's house for an extended visit. Peter has been attracted to the woman of the house; he also once spent an idyllic summer here. He takes up with the couples' three children and engages them in games and child's play, partly as an attempt to regain the joy of that one summer. As the relationships between Peter and the other three adults shift around, his own objective for this visit remains well-hidden from view. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ángela Molina, Bruno Ganz, (more)
- 1986
The depth of bonding between young Santiago (Juan Diego Botto) and his dying grandfather, as well as his grandfather's foreman Teo, underlies this interesting drama. After Santiago and his family arrive at his grandfather's farm, the elderly gentleman dies but not before telling his grandson a secret. On the one hand, Santiago is the heir to his grandfather's farm, and on the other, he may just have a special relationship to Teo (Alvaro de Luna), his grandfather's foreman. The little boy has a few playmates in his cousins who live on the farm with their parents, and he follows his idol Teo around with a child's admiration for his strength and unique personality. But when tragedy steps into the picture, Santiago's faith in Teo is put to the test. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alvaro de Luna, Juan Diego Botto, (more)
- 1985
Berta is a young teen experiencing all the changes that occur when childhood is left behind and life as an adult woman begins to dawn. This first film by novice director Jose Luis Guerin is excellently structured around action and events, gestures and facial expressions, that subtly reveal the differences in Berta's expanding life. In black and white with a soundtrack that enhances the simple story, the movie is minimalist, but effective.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arielle Dombasle, Inaki Aierra, (more)
