BARRANCO, MARÍA

(1961- )

María Barranco's hilarious Candela, a supporting character inPedroAlmodóvar'sMujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios(Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, 1988), was an overnight sensation among audiences. She played a tense, naive, talkative model from Andalucía who had been led astray by a group of terrorists and was in trouble with the police. The combination of sexiness and innocence proved irresistible. It is one of the great comedy performances in Spanish cinema, and it made Barranco, who had interrupted her studies of medicine to turn to acting, into a hugely popular actress.Although she continued to exploit her Andalusian accent and her Candela persona (in, for instance, inLas cosas del querer[Jaime Chávarri,The Things of Love, 1989 ] andRosa Rosae,Fernando Colomo, 1993), very early on she showed signs of being a very committed, versatile performer who could take on a range of roles, and who could project pain, wit, and sensitivity.

Barranco chose her projects wisely throughout the 1990s, punctuated with her collaborations with her long-term partnerImanol Uribe(who appeared briefly next to her in Almodóvar's film as a bridegroom). She took supporting roles inBigasLuna'sLas edades de Lulú(The Ages of Lulu, 1990) as a transsexual prostitute and again in a popular register as the maid to a high-class prostitute, in Uribe's costume filmEl rey pasmado(The Baffled King, 1991). Her greatest part of the decade was Azucena inEnriqueUrbizu'sTodo por la pasta(Everything for the Dough, 1991), where she played a nervous striptease dancer who gets involved in a murky robbery and murder plot and becomes friends with ruthless manager Kitti Manver. Barranco's comic persona was crucial to balancing the thriller and comedy aspects of the film: she was intent on getting the money, but at the same time fearful and needing the support offered by her friend. Her central role inBwana(Imanol Uribe, 1996), as the wife of a taxi driver who is forced to reconsider her racist prejudices, remains her best work. As the film progresses, audiences can see her fear of the black man the couple meets on a beach turn into sympathy.

In spite of substantial appearances in art films likeJulioMedem'sLa ardilla roja(The Red Squirrel, 1993), comedy remained the genre in which she was most comfortable. She starred in Urbizu'sCuernos de mujer(1995), inJoaquínOristrell'sNovios(Fiancées, 1999), and inFernandoColomo'sEl efecto mariposa(1995), and she had important supporting roles inManuel GómezPereira'sBoca a boca(Mouth to Mouth, 1995), in the internationalTardes de Gaudi/Gaudy Afternoon(Susan Seidelman, 2001), and inEl oro de Moscú(Moscow Gold, Jesús Bonilla, 2003). Her pace has slowed in recent years, and she has turned totelevisionsitcoms. Her best film performances of the period were inEl viaje de Carol(Carol's Journey, Imanol Uribe, 2002), the disturbed wife inTiempo de tormenta(Stormy Weather,Pedro Olea, 2003), and inEl carnaval de Sodoma(Sodom Carnival, Arturo Ripstein, 2006).