Drama

Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) is literally what its title suggests: a retelling of the "Orpheus and Eurydice" legend enacted by black performers. This time the setting is the annual Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Orpheus (Breno Mello) is a streetcar conductor; Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn) has just jilted her lover and is attempting to escape his wrath. Orpheus himself falls in love with Eurydice, whereupon her ex-lover, disguised as the Angel of Death shows up and kills Eurydice. To reclaim his lost love, Orpheus enters "Hell" (the Rio morgue) and uses supernatural methods to revive the dead girl. A multi-award winner on the international film scene, Black Orpheus features a samba musical score by Luiz Bonfa and Antonio Carlos Jobim. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fernando Duran's action film Juan Armenta El Repatriado concerns the title hero teaming up with his twin in order to defeats group of bad guys. Their relationship complicates when, after that adventure, he begins an affair with his twin's wife. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

In this interesting cinematic tour of a woman's memory (winner of the 1985 Cannes Camera d'Or Award), Marie (Daniela Silverio) is a young Venezuelan who has been living in France and returns back home to liquidate her late aunt Oriana's hacienda. As Marie moves at a slow pace through the rooms of the hacienda, closed doors to chambers of memory in her mind begin to open. She recalls her adolescence spent in this house with her reclusive aunt, a woman who never left the premises. As Marie begins to remember events from that era from the perspective of an adult, she realizes why her aunt shut herself away. Parents should be advised that incest is a part of this story. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

As violence and chaos sweeps across the Mexican landscape no one is safe from the destruction that threatens to wipe out everything in its path in a nail-biting thriller directed by Vicente Fernandez and starring Patricia Aspillaga. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Neighborhood pride runs deep in Echo Park, so when two lifelong friends join the local gang as a matter of course, they're handed down gang names from the previous generation of homegirls. Unfortunately, Sad Girl (Angel Aviles) and Mousie (Seidy Lopez) don't remain friends for long. When Mousie withdraws into herself to cope with the responsibilities of young motherhood after bearing the child of her one true love, Ernesto (Jacob Vargas), Sad Girl and Ernesto turn to each other for comfort. Soon, Sad Girl herself ends up pregnant, and warm sisterhood cools to an icy feud. Ernesto starts dealing drugs to support his two young families -- and to outfit the gussied-up low rider that he hides from both of his unsuspecting girlfriends. The economic and romantic entanglements of these three characters serve as the entry point into this multifaceted exploration of L.A. street life, but Mi Vida Loca rapidly expands in scope to take in other characters, most of them female. Bleach-blond Whisper (Nelida Lopez), for instance, learns the drug-dealing ropes from Ernesto and considers crossing gender lines to open her own operation. The slightly older Giggles (Marlo Marron), however, refuses to fall into old dependencies and habits after being imprisoned for four years for a crime her boyfriend committed. Sad Girl's sister, La Blue Eyes (Magali Alvarado), the only character to choose college over gang life, chances upon a poem written by a prison inmate and becomes hopelessly smitten, abandoning her books for a passionate jailhouse correspondence. The focus of Mi Vida Loca shifts freely between these and several other characters, many of whom take turns providing narration and context. The director's daughter, Tiffany Anders, has a small role in the film alongside many real-life Echo Park denizens; several musicians and film directors also make cameos, among them Spike Jonze, Kurt Voss, Kid Frost, and the members of Los Lobos. Salma Hayek got her SAG card by playing a tiny role. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Based on a novel by Colombian author Alvaro Mutis, this frothy adventure chronicles the exploits of an unlikely trio of wanderers trying to earn money in Panama City during the 1950s. As the film opens, the three have been separated. The dashing Marqroll is aboard a ship that gets confiscated in port. While marooned, he wanders the city and runs into his good friend, the vivacious Macedonian-Polish traveler Illona who lives a splendid life after having sold a lucrative South African nightclub. Upon learning that their Lebanese compatriot Abdul has been imprisoned for smuggling, the two conspire to spring him. Afterward, they decide to help Abdul buy the tramp steamer he has always wanted. To do this, they open up a brothel. It's a big success and their goal is in sight until they hire on the mysterious Larissa as their newest shady lady. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Sister Juana (Assumpta Serna) is a gentle poet and a none-too-pious nun, living in seventeenth-century Mexico. She is protected by the Governor and his wife from a ferociously misogynistic Archbishop, who some believe is using his hatred of women to hide from his very powerful lust for them. Indeed, it is possible that he is the actual father of Sister Juana. Regardless of that, her life becomes extremely grim when her loving patrons return to Spain, leaving her to the not-so-tender mercies of this harsh man. This difficult story is based on a novel by the award-winning poet and writer Octavio Paz. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Ismael ( Karra Elejalde) is a thief who, as this thriller opens, is robbing the home of a woman painter. When she unexpectedly returns while he is riffling through her possessions, he kills her without a second thought. At some point as he is escaping the scene, however, he discovers that the painter's daughter has witnessed the whole thing. Ten years later, he spies a young woman (Ana Alvarez) on the streets and feels certain that this is the one woman who could put him into prison. He kidnaps her, only to discover that she is permanently crazed, and has no capacity for doing much. Nonetheless, he keeps her tied up in a bed upstairs, much to the irritation of his girlfriend (Lio), who soon takes matters into her own hands. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Selena Quintanilla was a major figure in Tejano music, a Grammy-winning recording artist, a beloved star in the American Southwest and Mexico, and seemed poised to cross over into mainstream popularity on the U.S. pop charts when she was murdered on March 31, 1995 by the president of her fan club. Written and directed by Gregory Nava, this biopic concentrates on Selena's relationship with her family and her rise to fame, dealing only briefly with her tragic death. Abraham Quintanilla (Edward James Olmos) is a veteran musician who leads a family-based singing group, The Dinos. At a young age, he notices that his daughter Selena (played as a child by Becky Lee Meza) has a strong singing voice, and he works her into the act (her big number is a version of Over the Rainbow). However, as she grows older, Selena (played as an adult by Jennifer Lopez) wants to establish her own musical identity; while her heritage is Mexican-American, her primary language is English, and her favorite artists are American pop acts like Donna Summer. While Selena and Abraham sometimes argue about the musical direction of the group, he always respects and supports her talent, and her blend of Tejano roots music and danceable pop rhythms soon sparks a revolution in Latin music. Selena later earns the wrath of her father when she becomes romantically involved with Chris Perez (Jon Seda), a rebellious and long-haired guitarist hired to play with the group, but when they elope and Selena convinces Abraham that their love is sincere, Chris is welcomed into the family. After a long string of successes on the Latin charts and playing to a sellout crowd at the Houston Astrodome and a crowd of 100,000 at a stadium in Monterey, Mexico, Selena begins recording her first album in English, which is expected to make her a mainstream star on the level of Whitney Houston or Gloria Estefan. However, the fates decreed it was an album she would never complete. Selena was produced with the participation of the Quintanilla Family (Abraham was executive producer), and Selena's own recordings were used on the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Jackal of Nahueltoro was Jose del Carmen Valenzuela, the animalistic murderer of a mother and her five children. The superstitious Jose (Nelson Villagra) places stones on the chests and hands of his victims so their spirits would not follow him. He is jailed and sentenced to death, but before his demise, Jose learns to read and write, learns a trade and develops a belief in God. He is executed by a firing squad for his crimes, but he manages to become a compassionate human before his death, expressing remorse for his actions. Miguel Littin, in his directorial debut, took great care in interviewing witnesses and people who knew Valenzuela, researching the events of the murder and the life of the notorious butcher. He allows the story to be told as the events transpired, avoiding judgments and blame on crime, society and punishment. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

With a minimal budget ($50,000), 28-year-old Beto Gomez made his directorial debut with this portrait depicting the underside of life in Mexico. After decades of struggling in the United States, Pachuco (Robert Cobo) returns to his Mexican pueblo where he joins drinking pal Chavita (Jose Luis Pimentel) during the midst of preparations for the Day of the Dead. Thrown into jail, they meet other prisoners, and each explain the fateful turn of events that landed them behind bars. Includes documentary-style Day of the Dead footage. Shown at the 1997 San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi