Spanish & Portuguese Cinema
Undoubtedly the backbone of Alice's Spanish collection are the films of Pedro Almodovar. Since the 1980s this unique film maker has been bringing us such gems as 'Laws of Desire', 'Women on the Verge...' and 'Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down' and nurturing the talents of actors such as Antonio Banderas, Victoria Abril and Penelope Cruz.
But there is more to Spanish film than the talented Mr Almodovar. Everything from the beautiful and haunting works of Carlos Saura to the off-beat and darkly humourous tales of Alex de Iglesia.
Pictured right: One-of-a-kind helmer, Pedro Almodovar.
The Orphanage (2007)
7.5/10
Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Starring: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Geraldine Chaplin, Roger Princep, Mabel Rivera
A gothic chiller featuring a woman returning to the now-closed orphanage where she was raised. Laura and her husband plan to reopen it as a home for d... Read more
The Ferpect Crime (2004)
7.1/10
Director: Alex De La Iglesia
Starring: Guillermo Toledo, Monica Cervera, Luis Varela
Aka 'The Ferpect Crime.' While working in the women's clothing section of a fashionable Madrid department store, a suave salesman makes money while pu... Read more
Viridiana (1961)
8.2/10
Director: Luis Bunuel
Starring: Francisco Rabal, Silvia Pinal, Fernando Rey
A powerful psychological study of a novice nun (Silvia Pinal) who loses her innocence when forced by her Mother Superior to visit nasty uncle Fernando... Read more
Tabu (2012)
7.3/10
Director: Miguel Gomes
Starring: Teresa Madruga, Laura Soveral, Ana Moreira, Carloto Cotta, Isabel Cardoso, Henri...
Acclaimed director Miguel Gomes delivers a sumptuous, eccentric two-part tale centered on Aurora, shown first as an impulsive, cantankerous elderly wo... Read more
[ Rec ] (2007)
7.5/10
Director: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza
Starring: Ferran Terraza, Manuela Velasco, David Vert
A barnstorming, cinema verite horror experience that pulls few punches, fears no genre taboo, and reaches for the throat. While filming segments for a... Read more
All About My Mother (1999)
7.9/10
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Cecilia Roth, Penelope Cruz, Antonia San Juan
When her teenage son is killed, Madrid nurse Cecilia Roth sets out to fulfill the boy's wish to find the father he never knew. Roth's quest to locate... Read more
Basque Ball (2004)
7.1/10
Director: Julio Medem
This fascinating and thought-provoking documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Julio Medem (Sex and Lucia) explores the unique language and traditions of... Read more
Tasting Menu (2013)
5.7/10
Director: Roger Gual
Starring: Fionnula Flanagan, Stephen Rea, Togo Igawa, Jan Cornet, Vicenta Noongo, Andrew T...
Set in the idyllic cove of Costa Brava in the Mediterranean, this Spanish culinary romantic comedy tells the story of a broken-up couple who decide to... Read more
Broken Embraces (2009)
7.2/10
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Penelope Cruz, Jose Luis Gomez, Tamar Novas, Blanca Portillo, Lluis Homar, Ruben...
Pedro Almodovar's acclaimed tale of sex, secrets and cinema centers on Mateo Blanco (Lluis Homar), a blind writer and filmmaker who now goes by the mo... Read more
Kathmandu Lullaby (2011)
Director: Iciar Bollain
Starring: Veronica Echegui, Norbu Tsering Gurung, Saumyata Bhattarai
When Laia, a young teacher, leaves a troubled past in Barcelona and moves to Kathmandu to work at a local school, she is appalled by the extreme priva... Read more