Manuela Camacho
Entre lobos (Among Wolves) tells the remarkable story of a poor country boy named Marcos, who at the age of 7 is handed over to his father's employer, a rich landowner, who in turn delivers him to a life of labor with a hermetic goatherd in an isolated valley. The old man, who lives in a cave, is unused to human company and at first seems not very interested in having a live-in apprentice. The boy, who was abused by his parents, is frightened and equally aloof initially. Despite this, the shepherd begins teaching Marcos how to herd the goats, as well as how to care for himself and how to survive in the wilderness by trapping and fishing.
This 1985 Spanish film reveals one of the many terrible aspects of 16th century Spain, still plagued by the radical Christian Inquisition, one of a plethora of difficulties Spaniards faced at the time. Spanish super star Carmen Maura plays a nun who agrees to a selfless scam, a fake stigmata, only to avoid separation from her lover, another nun. It's a serious and passionate work, highlighting the theme of outspoken women-against-repression, seen in other good gay and lesbian films. This is not a lesbian "Nun sense" or another "Dark Habits" (by Almodovar, which also starred Carmen Maura, and also set in a Spanish convent, with some lesbian nuns). Perhaps, best of all, 'Extramuros' is realistic and frank. It isn't shy about its characters' sexuality. Their sexuality, and the film as a whole are genuine.
Almodovar's first film of life in Madrid during the punk era and not one for the squeamish. He covers everything from drugs and sexual violence, to female masochism.
Pedro Liniers, a literature teacher, comes back to Madrid after his wife has just left him. Meanwhile, Aurora Villalba, came to Spain from Argentina, running away from the militaries, she has a special way of living her own way. Pedro wants to get back the job as a teacher through an old friend, Bruno Baena, who is the head master of the school. Aurora starts going to Pedro's classes. Pedro will become "El hombre de moda", very soon.
Don Agustín, a school teacher, visit the family of his former student Paco. Paco's mother asks don Agustín to exert influence over her son to make him being successful. The old professor accepts the challenge pressured by his sister, eager to spend all her money playing bingo. But don Agustín soon begins to suspect that the mother of Paco holds the oldest profession in the world.
Juanito, a peaceful fan of bullfighting, has become picador's assistant to see from the same arena the show in which he brags he is one of the protagonists. Furthermore, he believes he has discovered in a neighbor a potential figure of bullfighting sphere.
