My favorite Spanish movies

Original Title: 'Mar adentro'

Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar

With: Javier Bardem

Plot: The real-life story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 30 year campaign in favor of euthanasia and his own right to die.

Note: I know Javier Bardem got his oscar for "No country for Old men" but I think this movie and his perfomance in this movie was actually much better. Of course, you can't really compare a banana and an apple... Anyway, it is a riveting story and Bardem gives his best perfomance (until now).

Original Title: 'Hable con ella'

Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar

With: Paz Vega, Elena Anaya

Plot: Two men share an odd friendship while they care for their girlfriends who are both in deep comas.

Note: It is easily my favorite movie directed by Almodovar. The story is really spellbinding and for once, the whole thing doesn't go way over the top, something that usually bothers me with Almodovar's flicks. It is a fascinating and heartbreaking drama.

Original Title: 'Lucía y el sexo'

Directed by: Julio Medem

With: Paz Vega, Elena Anaya

Plot: Various lives converge on an isolated island, all connected by an author whose novel has become inextricably entwined with his own life.

Note: It is one of the first movie starring Paz Vega and after this flick, her career really took off. Anyway, it is a very profound and emotional drama and I really loved it.

Original Title: 'Carne trémula'

Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar

With: Francesca Neri, Javier Bardem

Plot: After leaving jail, Víctor is still in love with Elena, but she's married to the former cop -now basketball player- who became paralysed by a shot from Víctor's gun...

Note: It is not one of the most famous movies directed by Almodóvar but it is actually one of my favorite. It still is a bit over the top but it didn't bother me much. The story is pretty awesome and so are all the actors involved.

Original Title: 'Pedro Almodóvar'

Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar

With: Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes

Plot: A brilliant plastic surgeon, haunted by past tragedies, creates a type of synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.

Note: It was easily Almodovar's best movie in years. Indeed, it was a fascinating tale and the Spanish master delivered here a really strong thriller. On top of that, after 20 long years, he was working again with Antonio Banderas who gave here one of his best performances.

Original Title: 'Viridiana'

Directed by: Luis Buñuel

Plot: Viridiana, a young nun about to take her final vows, pays a visit to her widowed uncle at the request of her Mother Superior.

Note: It is difficult to imagine how shocking this movie must have been when it came out at the beginning of the 60's. It is completely unrespectful towards the Church or any conventions and it is just rather anarchic. It is a great and inspiring flick and I loved it.

Original Title: 'La mala educación'

Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar

With: Gael García Bernal

Plot: An examination on the effect of Franco-era religious schooling and sexual abuse on the lives of two longtime friends.

Note: I was fascinated by this movie, above all, at the beginning but then, as usual with Almodovar, the story kind of lost focus, dealing with weird charaters with eccentric behaviors. Still, the acting, especially Gael García Bernal is quite amazing and Almodovar definitely kwnows how to direct a movie.

Original Title: 'Jamón, jamón'

Directed by: Bigas Luna

With: Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem

Plot: Jose Luis is an executive at his parents underwear factory where his girlfriend Sylvia works on the shop floor. When Sylvia falls pregnant, Jose Luis promises her that he will marry her, most likely against the wishes of his parents.

Note: This is the first movie starring Penélope Cruz and, if I'm not wrong, she was just about 18 years old. Bardem was also starring in this movie and they will eventually get romantically involved 15 years later. Back to the movie, it is an erotic drama with some rather spellbinding story.

Original Title: 'Abre los ojos'

Directed by: Alejandro Amenábar

With: Penélope Cruz

Plot: A very handsome man finds the love of his life, but he suffers an accident and needs to have his face rebuilt by surgery after it is severely disfigured.

Note: It is difficult to choose between this one and the remake which one is the best. I think it still prefer the original version because it focuses more on the story and there is no Hollywood influence here.

Original Title: '[Rec]'

Directed by: Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza

Plot: The film follows a Spanish late-night television reporter,Ángela Vidal, through the lens of her cameraman, Pablo. During one report of the happenings in a local fire station in Barcelona, the duo follow a team of firefighters who get a call from an apartment building nearby about a trapped woman. When they arrive, they find the apartment's residents huddled in the lobby. They go upstairs to find a woman who is obviously distressed.

Note: Honestly, I have a weak spot for this genre and, not like many other viewers, I don't really mind the shaky-cam. This flick starts out like a very boring TV show but then, thanks to the filming style and the total lack of music, the whole thing becomes spellbinding to watch and you get a few surprises and shocking scenes along the road.

Original Title: 'Huevos de oro'

Directed by: Bigas Luna

With: Javier Bardem, Maria de Medeiros

Plot: Benito González works construction in Melilla and dreams big - of building the tallest building in Benidorm, a great phallic symbol of power, González Towers. Over several years, we see Benito's rise and fall, much like the construction of his tower.

Note: By the same director, it is not as good as 'Jamón, jamón' but it is still pretty good and it features another amazing perfomance by Javier Bardem, the Spanish Marlon Brando.

Original Title: 'Los sin nombre'

Directed by: Jaume Balagueró

Plot: The mutilated body of a six year old girl is found in a water hole. The girl is identified as the missing daughter of Claudia. However, only two pieces of evidence could be used to identify her; a bracelet with her name on it near the crime scene, and the fact that her right leg was three inches longer than her left. All other methods of identification were removed from her body.

Note: Since there are (almost) only dramas on this list, I try here to finish with something drastically different. It is not a really original horror flick but it is very well made and very entertaining and definitely worth a look.