Nacho is a cattle vet in his 40s in present-day Spain. He inseminates the cows at his father-in-law’s  ranch. Life is dull. So when he hears of a plan involving rustling some cows and selling them across the border in Portugal, he jumps at the chance. He doesn’t like his wife’s father and could use the extra cash. But something goes wrong, that could wind up with him in jail. Nacho needs help and money. So he turns for advice to the women in his life — all the women.

All The Women, (Todas las Mujeres) is also the name of a new comedy/drama.  Adapted from a Spanish TV series, the movie  is a collection of short scenes of Nacho talking with the women in  his life: his wife, his mother, a lover, an ex-girlfriend,  his sister-in-law and a psychiatrist. This movie’s a big hit in Spain and won a Goya prize — the Spain’s Oscars.

I spoke with Spanish director Mariano Barroso in Madrid by telephone. He talks about Nacho’s character– both mean and loveable,  reactions to the movie by women and men at festivals around the world, what he changed from the TV,  why this movie is like an “internal” road movies, the nature of  the dialogue, the “cruelty” of the script, the most difficult female character to portray, the film’s rural setting, his cinematic influences (Coppola, Scorcese), theatrical influences (Tennessee Williams, Eugene O’Neill) and the director’s visit to Toronto.

His film ALL THE WOMEN is having its Toronto debut this Saturday at 6 pm, at Toronto’s EU Film Festival.