Dominique Abel Movies

Fate starts making trouble for a high-spirited young couple in this wildly offbeat French comedy. Dom (Dominique Abel) and Fiona (Fiona Gordon) spend their days as teachers at a grade school in a small town, and by night they motor off to the big city and dazzle the crowds at dance contests with their moves on the floor. After picking up a trophy at a competition one evening, Dom and Fiona are driving home when a man with a death wish dashes into the road. They manage to avoid hitting him, but lose control of their car and end up in a serious accident. The next morning, Fiona discovers she's lost one of her legs, while Dom has suffered brain damage that's causes his powers of memory to go haywire. Plucky Dom and Fiona try to go on with their lives as if nothing has changed, but despite their high spirits and can-do attitude, reality has a habit of getting in the way -- Fiona has a hard time leaning to use crutches and accidentally sets her artificial limb on fire, while Dom's attempts at cooking are hampered by his inability to remember what ingredients he's already put into the mix. Stars Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon also wrote and directed Rumba in collaboration with Bruno Romy. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This upbeat adventure tells a lively tale -- devoid of sex and violence -- that the whole family can enjoy. The fairy-tale begins as the beautiful Ana abruptly changes her mind about marriage while standing at the alter of a Caracas church, and boards a flight to Paris carrying only a small suitcase and her favorite poster of Maria Callas. She ends up in a tiny apartment filled with other illegal South American immigrants, one of whom is the strong-willed, self-absorbed video artist Celeste. Ana, who dreams of becoming a famous singer like Callas, soon begins studying voice with an aged Russian gentleman. In another part of town, a filmmaker searches the city for a singer to assume the lead in his forthcoming film version of Rossini's "Cinderella." Ana is at a cafe one day when a gay waiter uses his psychic powers to predict that great things will happen to her. Ana then makes friends with a moody psychiatrist. Behind it all, an African sorcerer works potent magic of his own. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Also known as Baroque, this Spanish-Cuban-Mexican film stars Francisco Rabal and Angela Molina. An exercise in allegory and symbolism, the film traces the history of Spain, from the days of the conquistadors onward. Somehow, all this logically concludes in a modern disco. Adapted from a novel by Alejo Carpenter Barroco is told in prismatic form without dialogue, a neat trick if you can pull it off -- which filmmaker Paul Leduc does, and with assurance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi