Tesis
Encyclopedia
Tesis is a 1996
Spanish film
. It is the feature debut of director Alejandro Amenábar
, and was written by him and Mateo Gil
. The movie won seven 1996 Goya Awards
(and was nominated for an eighth), including the award for Best Film. It stars Ana Torrent
, Fele Martínez
and Eduardo Noriega
. The 1999 film 8mm
was loosely based on this movie.
's University Complutense
. Searching for research material for her thesis
(hence the film's title) on audio-visual violence, she attains the friendship of Chema (Martínez), a fellow student and introvert with an encyclopedic collection of violent and pornographic films.
After her professor
dies while watching a film she steals the videotape, discovering that it is a snuff film
featuring a girl whom Chema recognizes as a former student at the university - and a former associate of current student Bosco (Noriega). Investigating the origins of the tape, they are drawn into the operations of a chilling snuff ring.
116 million - equal to about €
696,000.
1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
Spanish film
Cinema of Spain
The art of motion-picture making within the nation of Spain or by Spanish filmmakers abroad is collectively known as Spanish Cinema.In recent years, Spanish cinema has achieved high marks of recognition as a result of its creative and technical excellence...
. It is the feature debut of director Alejandro Amenábar
Alejandro Amenábar
Alejandro Fernando Amenábar Cantos is a Spanish- Chilean film director. Amenábar was born in Santiago, Chile to a Spanish mother and Chilean father, but the family moved to Spain just one year after his birth...
, and was written by him and Mateo Gil
Mateo Gil
Mateo Gil Rodríguez is a Spanish screenplay writer and director.-Writer:*Agora *Mar adentro *Vanilla Sky...
. The movie won seven 1996 Goya Awards
Goya Awards
The Goya Awards, known in Spanish as los Premios Goya, are Spain's main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards....
(and was nominated for an eighth), including the award for Best Film. It stars Ana Torrent
Ana Torrent
Ana Torrent Bertrán de Lis is a Spanish film actress.Torrent's debut came in 1973 with the starring role as "Ana" in the film El espíritu de la colmena directed by Víctor Erice, when she was seven years old...
, Fele Martínez
Fele Martínez
Fele Martínez is a Goya Award-winning Spanish actor.-Early years:Martínez was born in Alicante, Spain. A product of the Escuela Superior de Arte Dramático in Madrid, he began to act and direct theater at an early age...
and Eduardo Noriega
Eduardo Noriega (Spanish actor)
Eduardo Noriega Gómez is a Spanish film actor, perhaps best known for his roles in two Alejandro Amenábar films, the multiple Goya Award-winning Tesis and Open Your Eyes . He also starred in The Wolf...
. The 1999 film 8mm
8mm (film)
8mm is a 1999 mystery/thriller film, directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It stars Nicolas Cage as a private investigator who delves into the world of snuff films.-Plot:...
was loosely based on this movie.
Plot synopsis
Ángela (Torrent) is a film student at the MadridMadrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
's University Complutense
Complutense University of Madrid
The Complutense University of Madrid is a university in Madrid, and one of the oldest universities in the world. It is located on a sprawling campus that occupies the entirety of the Ciudad Universitaria district of Madrid, with annexes in the district of Somosaguas in the neighboring city of...
. Searching for research material for her thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
(hence the film's title) on audio-visual violence, she attains the friendship of Chema (Martínez), a fellow student and introvert with an encyclopedic collection of violent and pornographic films.
After her professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
dies while watching a film she steals the videotape, discovering that it is a snuff film
Snuff film
A snuff film is a motion picture genre that depicts the actual death or murder of a person or people, without the aid of special effects, for the express purpose of distribution and entertainment or financial exploitation. For-profit snuff films are generally regarded as an urban legend, whose...
featuring a girl whom Chema recognizes as a former student at the university - and a former associate of current student Bosco (Noriega). Investigating the origins of the tape, they are drawn into the operations of a chilling snuff ring.
Production notes
The film was shot quickly, in five and a half weeks, preceded by a month of rehearsals, on a very low budget: PtsSpanish peseta
The peseta was the currency of Spain between 1869 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra .- Etymology :...
116 million - equal to about €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
696,000.