Manuel Alexandre Movies

Director Silvia Munt teams with screenwriter Eva Baeza for this drama that interweaves two parallel tales - one concerning a theater director making preparations for the premiere of her latest play, and the other concerning her husband's experiences as an employee in a nearby geriatric hospital. Viena (Munt) and her husband Daniel (Ramon Madaula) have just had a major row over Daniel's refusal to attend the opening of Viena's latest stage play, entitled "Pretexts." As a result of the argument, Viena is driven deeper into the arms of neurotic lead actor Ricardo (Francesc Garrido), who stars opposite the equally hysterical Marta (Merce Llorens). Meanwhile, at the hospital where Daniel works, meek night nurse Eva (Laia Marull) tends lovingly to her elderly patients, lending an especially gentle touch to the frail Claudio (Manuel Alexandre). Though it's plain to see that Eva's patients adore her, the quiet nurse still suffers from a crippling case of low self-esteem. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A rare ailment literally takes a young man on a journey of the unexpected in this off-kilter comedy from Spanish filmmaker Santo Amodeo. Samuel (Juan Jose Ballesta) is a seemingly ordinary nineteen-year-old with an unusual problem. Samuel suffers from an uncommon brain disorder that causes him to have periodic spells where he goes into a trance, making it impossible for him to interact with people or things around him. While Samuel tries to live a normal life, his difficulties become apparent when he attends a funeral and bumps into his cousin Eduardo (Julian Villagran) for the first time in years. Eduardo invites Samuel to spend a few days with him and he agrees; that night, they go out to a club, but after a few hours of partying, Samuel feels an attack coming on and needs to take a nap. Samuel heads outside and crawls into the back of a van; the next morning, he wakes up to find the driver of the van took an overnight trip, and he’s now in Madrid, hundreds of miles away from Eduardo’s place. Samuel now had to find the owner of the van and persuade them to take him back home; as he scours Madrid, he encounters a handful of local eccentrics, including seductive Rosa (Ana Wagener), scatterbrained Consuelo (Adriana Ugarte) and Angelito (Manuel Alexandre), an elderly gentleman living with Alzheimer’s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A con man finds himself up against an adversary he hasn't the strength to challenge in this crime drama from Spain. Ernesto (Ernesto Alterio) is a man who grew up learning the easier way to get out of trouble was to lie, and over the years, he's built a career out of his gift for twisting the truth as a con man. Teaming up with two experienced grifters, Manco (Manuel Alexandre) and Federico (Federico Luppi), Ernesto is able to pull off a major scam involving the Spanish Army that scores the three a major payday. This should put Ernesto and his partners on Easy Street, but things begin to go sour when Ernesto is reunited with a former girlfriend, Pilar (Victoria Abril). Ernesto is a soft touch for anything that Pilar might suggest, and when she plots a big con for him and his partners, he offers no objections. However, when Manco dies under hazy circumstances and Ernesto's childhood pal Gipsy (Alejandro Casaseca) conveniently appears wanting to take his place, Ernesto begins to suspect that he may be the one being scammed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The infamous man from La Mancha and his devoted sidekick embark on a new quest in this slightly off-kilter version of author Miguel de Cervantes' classic novel Don Quixote, as envisioned by director and screenwriter Manuel Gutierrez Aragon in his 2002 adaptation entitled Don Quixote, Knight Errant. Around the year 1615, Don Quixote (Juan Luis Galiardo) and Sancho Panza (Carlos Iglesias) enjoy the lives of celebrities, as the public was made well aware of their exploits thanks to the writings of De Cervantes. Now well into the twilight of his life, the eccentric nobleman gets the notion that a horde of angry Turks are about to launch a naval attack and Quixote decides it is once again time to suit up in the name of honor. As Quixote and Panza head out to meet their "foes," the anachronistic duo draws the attention and derision of their fellow countrymen. But no matter, Panza is perfectly content to let Quixote do his own thing -- even going so far as to instigate the knight's sense of daring-do, as the men head out to for what may be their final adventure together. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

Jose Antonio Quiros directs this understated comedy about a guy who just wants to get a job. After the mine he had been working at closes, Fidel (Antonio Resines), who remembers that the Spanish constitution guarantees everyone a job, decides to walk the 370 miles to Madrid to ask the king for work. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Veteran Spanish director Luis Garcia Berlanga created this anarchic black comedy about sexual impotence and millennial anxiety. Though a Paris-based plastic surgeon spends much of his time and wealth on prostitutes, he is plagued by impotence. Despondent, he plans to commit suicide. After happening upon a bike with "Paris-Timbuktu" painted on it, he decides to bike from France to Africa and kill himself there on New Year's Eve. But when his plans are thwarted in Spain by a painful boil on his bottom, he is forced to room with a pair of sisters in a remote village. Through them, he finds himself increasingly immersed in the local community, populated by the likes of a clergyman suspected of murder, a nudist garage mechanic, and a bizarre champion cyclist. Paris-Timbuktu was screened at the 1999 Montreal Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

This Spanish comedy set in a Valencia prison, contains political overtones. A promoter decides to organize a gala dinner to pay tribute to the political prisoners. Naturally the media is invited to the event. Every one at the dinner comes with his or her own agenda and it isn't long before anything that can go wrong does go wrong. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Behind the peaceful walls of an impoverished medieval Spanish convent lies a teeming hotbed of ambition, lies and double-crossing as can be seen in this powerful, thought-provoking drama that is based upon Jesus Fernandez Santos' novel. The convent is set in an arid area and sole support comes from the local duke. The plague has been ravaging the surrounding town and panicky residents who are not yet afflicted flee. Sister Angela becomes ill and is nursed by her devoted friend Sister Ana. Angela slowly gets stronger and as she does, she begins reading about the lives of the saints. She begins to believe that the only way to save the decimated village from further chaos is to host a miracle. Sister Angela then has Sister Ana make deep slices into her palms to look like stigmata. The townsfolk believe that Angela's hands are bleeding spontaneously, but the mother superior isn't so sure and sets out to prove the miracle a fake. She can't and the villagers begin to revere Sister Angela as a saint. The mother superior can't bear this, and when Sister Angela is elected the new prioress, she goes over the edge with her desire for revenge. Things get even worse when the duke shows up and promises to give the convent enough support to make them one of the most powerful in Spain if they will host his daughter, who is thinking about joining the nunnery. Unfortunately, the haughty young woman is more interested in running things her own way. The deposed mother superior conspires with her at every opportunity, and when Sister Angela's palms suddenly becoming dangerously infected, the prioress finally gets her chance for revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The name of mystery writer Edgar Neville may be relatively unknown in the U.S., but his novels have been the source for quite a number of films made in Europe. In this humorous story, set in Madrid, a woman (Angela Molina) standing in the rain is offered rides from two different cars. Either ride she takes will change her life significantly. At this point, the movie backs up and a narrator explains that from here on, the movie will explore both possible fates. The first car is being driven by a wealthy goofball (Imanol Arias) who is considerably older than the woman. If she gets in his car, she will marry him. The second car is being driven by an artist (Antonio Banderas) whom she is attracted to. Oddly, she still winds up marrying the rich guy, but when he dies of a heart attack, she can now look up the artist. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide