Ants in the Mouth (Spanish: Hormigas en la boca) is a 2005 Spanish-Cuban thriller film directed by Mariano Barroso, who has also co-written the screenplay along with Alejandro Hernández and Tom Abrams, adapting the novel Amanecer con hormigas en la boca by Miguel Barroso. It stars Eduard Fernández, Ariadna Gil, Jorge Perugorría and José Luis Gómez.
| Ants in the Mouth | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Spanish | Hormigas en la boca |
| Directed by | Mariano Barroso |
| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Amanecer con hormigas en la boca by Miguel Barroso |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Javier Aguirresarobe |
| Edited by | Luisma del Valle |
| Music by | Xavier Capellas |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Filmax (es) |
Release dates |
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| Countries |
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| Language | Spanish |
Plot
editThe fiction is set in the late 1950s. Released from jail after spending 8 years in a Francoist prison, Martín moves to pre-revolutionary Havana, 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.[1][2][3]
Cast
edit- Eduard Fernández as Martín[4]
- Ariadna Gil as Julia[4]
- Jorge Perugorría as Freddy Navarro[3]
- José Luis Gómez as Dalmau[4]
- Samuel Claxton as Despanier[4]
Production
editPenned by Mariano Barroso and Alejandro Hernández with the collaboration of Tom Abrams, the screenplay is an adaptation of the novel Amanecer con hormigas en la boca by Miguel Barroso, Mariano Barroso's elder brother.[5][3] A Spanish-Cuban co-production, the film was produced by Drive Cine, Messidor Films and ICAIC with participation of TVE and Canal+.[2] Eduardo Campoy, Gerardo Herrero, and José Manuel Lorenzo were credited as producers.[5] Boasting a budget of around €4 million,[5] the film was shot in 2004 in locations of Cuba (including Havana) and Spain.[3][6]
Release
editAnts in the Mouth premiered as the opening film of the 8th Málaga Film Festival in April 2005.[5] Distributed by Filmax,[2] the film was theatrically released in Spain on 29 April 2005.[4]
Reception
editJonathan Holland of Variety 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 beauty into anything deeper".[2]
Accolades
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 8th Málaga Film Festival | Special Jury Prize | Won | [7] | |
| Silver Biznaga for Best Actor | Eduard Fernández | Won | |||
| 2006 | CEC Medals | Best Adapted Screenplay | Mariano Barroso, Antonio Hernández, Tom Abrams | Nominated | [8] |
| 20th Goya Awards | Best Costume Design | Sonia Grande | Nominated | [9] | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Hormigas en la boca". Granma. 8 (123). 2 May 2004.
- ^ a b c d Holland, Jonathan (4 May 2005). "Ants In The Mouth". Variety.
- ^ a b c d Calleja, Pedro (28 April 2005). "Bajas pasiones en La Habana". Metrópoli – via El Mundo.
- ^ a b c d e "Hormigas en la boca". elmundo.es. 1 January 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d "«Hormigas en la boca» abrió ayer el Festival de Málaga". La Voz de Galicia. 22 April 2005.
- ^ Vicent, Mauricio (7 May 2004). "El convulso amor entre Ariadna Gil y Eduard Fernández". El País.
- ^ "'Tapas', de José Corbacho y Juan Cruz, gana la Biznaga de Oro del Festival de Málaga". El País. 30 April 2005.
- ^ "Medallas del CEC a la producción española de 2005". Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos. Archived from the original on 2020-08-01. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
- ^ "Hormigas en la boca". premiosgoya.com. Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España. Retrieved 20 July 2022.