''Ants in the Mouth'' ( es, Hormigas en la boca, links=no) is a 2005 Spanish-Cuban thriller film directed by
Mariano Barroso
Mariano Barroso (born 26 December 1959) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He has directed more than 20 films since 1982. His 1996 film '' Éxtasis'' was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival.
Since 9 June 2018, he ...
consisting of an adaptation of the novel ''Amanecer con hormigas en la boca'' by Miguel Barroso. It stars
Eduard Fernández
Eduard Fernández Serrano (born 25 August 1964) is a Spanish screen and stage actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including three Goya Awards and four Gaudí Awards.
Biography
Eduard Fernández was born in Barcelona on 25 August ...
,
Ariadna Gil
Ariadna Gil Giner (; born 23 January 1969) is a Spanish actress. She is known for her performances in films such as ''Belle Époque'' (for which she won the Goya Award for Best Actress), ''Black Tears'' and ''Pan's Labyrinth''.
Career
Film dire ...
,
Jorge Perugorría
Jorge Perugorría Rodríguez (aka "Pichi," born 13 August 1965) is a Cuban actor, film director and painter. He is well known for his part as Diego in ''Strawberry and Chocolate'' (original title in Spanish ''Fresa y chocolate'' (co-directed by ...
and
José Luis Gómez José Luis Gómez may refer to:
* José Luis Gómez (actor) (born 1940), Spanish actor and director
* José Luis Gómez (footballer) (born 1993), Argentine footballer
* José Luis Gómez Martínez (born 1943), Spanish professor
* Joselu (footba ...
.
Plot
The fiction is set in the late 1950s. Released from jail after spending 8 years in a Francoist prison, Martín moves to pre-revolutionary
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. , Cuba, looking for his girlfriend Julia, and once there, he is told by Julia's uncle Dalmau that she is dead. He eventually finds out that she had married Freddy Navarro, a corrupt senator of the Batista regime.
Cast
Production
Penned by
Mariano Barroso
Mariano Barroso (born 26 December 1959) is a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He has directed more than 20 films since 1982. His 1996 film '' Éxtasis'' was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival.
Since 9 June 2018, he ...
and
Alejandro Hernández with the collaboration of
Tom Abrams
Tom Abrams (North Carolina, 1958) is an American screenwriter and director whose work has been recognized in both the United States and Europe.
Early life and education
Abrams was born and raised in North Carolina. His father was Richard Abr ...
, the screenplay is an adaptation of the novel ''Amanecer con hormigas en la boca'' by , Mariano Barroso's elder brother.
A Spanish-Cuban co-production, the film was produced by Drive Cine, Messidor Films and
ICAIC with participation of
TVE and
Canal+
Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...
.
Eduardo Campoy,
Gerardo Herrero
Gerardo Herrero Pérez-Gamir (born 28 January 1953) is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer. He is a prolific promoter of international coproductions and collaborations between Spain and Hispanic American countries.
From 1993 to ...
, and were credited as producers.
Boasting a budget of around €4 million,
the film was shot in 2004 in locations of Cuba (including
Havana
Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. ) and Spain.
Release
''Ants in the Mouth'' premiered as the opening film of the 8th
Málaga Film Festival
The Málaga Film Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since 2017, i ...
in April 2005.
Distributed by
Filmax
Filmax International is a Spanish motion picture production company and film distributor based in Barcelona, and one of Spain's largest integrated film and television groups. It produced the ''REC'' horror series, and owns the Nirvana Films an ...
,
the film was theatrically released in Spain on 29 April 2005.
Reception
Jonathan Holland of ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' deemed the film to be "a brooding, intense and shrewdly-plotted thriller set in 1950s Havana", featuring a "beautifully modulated" lead performance by Fernández, although, conversely, the reviewer assessed that Gil fails to turn "her ''
femme fatale
A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...
'' beauty into anything deeper".
Accolades
, -
, align = "center" rowspan = "2" , 2005 , , rowspan = "2" , 8th
Málaga Film Festival
The Málaga Film Festival, formerly Málaga Spanish Film Festival (FMCE), is an annual film festival held in Málaga, Spain. The festival was established to promote Spanish cinema and help disseminate information about Spanish films. Since 2017, i ...
, , colspan = "2" , Special Jury Prize , , , , rowspan = "2" ,
, -
, Silver Biznaga for Best Actor , , Eduard Fernández , ,
, -
, align = "center" rowspan = "2" , 2006 , ,
CEC Medals , , Best Adapted Screenplay , , Mariano Barroso, Antonio Hernández, Tom Abrams , , , , align = "center" ,
, -
,
20th Goya Awards , ,
Best Costume Design , , Sonia Grande , , , , align = "center" ,
See also
*
List of Spanish films of 2005
A list of Spanish-produced and co-produced feature films released in Spain in 2005. The theatrical release date is favoured.
Films
Box office
The ten highest-grossing Spanish films in 2005, by domestic box office gross revenue, are as fol ...
References
{{authority control
2005 thriller films
Films set in Havana
Films set in the 1950s
Films shot in Cuba
Films shot in Spain
Cuban thriller films
Spanish thriller films
2000s Spanish-language films
2000s Spanish films
Spanish neo-noir films
Films directed by Mariano Barroso