Sex & Lucia - mini-review

[Dominic]

Sex & Lucia, Julio Medam, 2001



A few of us apparently would like to discuss this film...feel free to watch it and chime in!

I'm a big fan of director Medam's glorious, fate-driven, sometimes nonsensical work, and Sex & Lucia is probably his best film. Another one of his that's worth seeking out is Lovers of the Arctic Circle

It's about writer Lorenzo and his lover/muse, Lucia, and the coincidences, meetings, tragedies and magic that happens to them while Lorenzo is writing his new novel.

Sometimes we're seeing the lovers' life and sometimes we're seeing characters in Lorenzo's book, and sometimes we're seeing a melding of the two. Medam never really makes it clear who's who, either! His themes are always about fate, fate and more fate.

Even though the story is sometimes hard to follow, the emotion this film inspires never is. It's a truly lovely piece of film making - at times romantic, funny, tragic and poignant.

Naturally, a lot of the press this movie has gotten is on the nudity and sex scenes it contains; but while they are nothing less than enjoyable and beautiful to look at, those scenes are also integral to the story and characters and seem perfectly natural in that "European" way.

Medam's story-telling is at once accessible and confusing, as he likes to tell multiple tales at the same time as well as mixing fantasty and multiple viewpoints into the mix.

Sex & Lucia is a wonder to behold, shot on gorgeous high-definition video. The blown-out look of the island scenes are especially beautiful.


******SPOILERS******

I think what one has to remember when discussing this film is Lorenzo's story to his daughter - about how in the middle it falls through a hole and begins again. This is key to understanding the film, I think, because that's exactly what happens!

I've seen this movie at least 5 times now and I'm still not sure if what happens with the daughter and the dog is real, if it's only part of Lorenzo's story, if it's real and a normal tragedy that Lorenzo really has no part of, or if it's real and Lorenzo has put himself in the story fictionally, but not really!

I don't know about you guys, but that's what I love about this film - the questions it leaves unanswered.

Plus, I absolutely adore the character of Elena, retreating to her island house and being her healer to her guests while she tries to heal herself.

Anyway, what does everyone else think of this magical little movie?

[SL__72]

I think its kind of funny that you said the film is about Lorenzo and his lover muse. While obviously it is somewhat true, in the 2+ times I watched it, I got the feeling that his story was somehow made important by the fact that Lucia chose him for herself.

I got the feeling that the dog thing was supposed to be real, but now I'm not so sure. I also don't understand the last option you suggested.

And since I didn't mention it in my post in the other thread, I loved Elena's character too.

[Dominic]

well, the story is obviously about Lucia a little more than Lorenzo...but his writing is the catalyst, both for their love affair and the rest of the movie.

I think it's possible that Lorenzo does not really go over to Elana's house that night, have sex with Belan and experience the whole dog/Luna tragedy.

I think it's very possible that only parts of it are "true" and the more lurid, melodramatic parts (Belan's mom being a pron star, Luna being attacked by the dog, etc.) are just figments of his literary imagination. Yes, Lorenzo had an encounter with elana and that produced Luna, and yes the girl died tragically...but I think Lorenzo is taking those facts and making them fiction - and that's what we see.

Or, I'm completely wrong. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

But Medam does like messing with narrative so I think my interpretation has some merit.

By the way, the actress who plays Elana, Najwaw Nimri, is the star of Lovers of the Arctic Circle and also a big European recording artist.

And you could give me any three of these beauties and I'd be a happy man:



Paz Vega (Lucia)

Najwa Nimri (Elana)

Elena Anaya (Belan)

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
Medam's story-telling is at once accessible and confusing, as he likes to tell multiple tales at the same time as well as mixing fantasty and multiple viewpoints into the mix.

Sex & Lucia is a wonder to behold, shot on gorgeous high-definition video. The blown-out look of the island scenes are especially beautiful.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dom,

Thanks for starting the thread. I hope to get back online very late tonight after work and try to contribute a bit more. In the meantime I thought your quoted words above were especially apt.

This is going to be a movie I want to own and watch several times in my remaining years when the mood strikes (and no, it's not because it has nude, gorgeous women). The DVD I rented from Netflix was in at least 2.35 to 1 aspect ratio, i.e., it letter-boxed on my plasma and if anything looked three times as wide as it was tall. So I looked over on Amazon and it shows both an "unrated" and "rated" version in 1.33 to 1 (check the first and fourth link from my link above).

My questions:

Would Amazon be selling an inferior version in terms of aspect ratio or is their site often inaccurate in terms of this kind of info.

Is there a better site for buying hard to find DVDs or a site that at least does a good job of describing the different versions? Amazon is my go to for Christmas wish lists but I can change.

What is a rated and unrated version? I don't want anything cut out but I don't want "Apocalypse Now Redux" either (unless I can block out the redux [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img])

~ Rick

[katyseagull]

Dom, please please do not get offended at what I'm going to say. I'm just keeping it real. Here are my thoughts as best I can remember them. I have a pretty poor memory.


I thought the movie was very disappointing. Like mrbaseball, I was incredibly bored throughout much of it. It started to get better about 45 min. in but man the beginning is very tedious.

One of my biggest complaints about the film was the casting. I really didn't like the lead actress. She walks like a guy and she is always wearing that stupid leather jacket. Who wears a leather jacket on the beach? I found little about her to be endearing.

Also, I just could not get into the Lorenzo character. Horrible casting if you ask me.

As for Belen (the nanny?), at first I wanted to like her. She was mildly appealing. But once they were in Belen's house (or Elena's house) she really went down hill. All I could think was that her outfit, whatever that was, looked so stupid as did the expression in her eyes.

I'm trying to figure out if I would have liked the film better with different actors. I doubt it though.

Can we talk about the sex scenes for a second? These were some of the least erotic sex scenes I've ever had to sit through. The camera cut away just when things started to get juicy. I couldn't stand Lorenzo and was hoping we might get something more exciting from that Carlos character. But I can't recall getting anything from him either.

[jtr]

Dom, in many of your posts, I've really respected and sympathized with your opinions about film, but I am with Katy on this one. I find it a really tiresome film. I wanted to like it and had expected to like it, but it just lost me.

[Dominic]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Medam's story-telling is at once accessible and confusing, as he likes to tell multiple tales at the same time as well as mixing fantasty and multiple viewpoints into the mix.

Sex & Lucia is a wonder to behold, shot on gorgeous high-definition video. The blown-out look of the island scenes are especially beautiful.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dom,

Thanks for starting the thread. I hope to get back online very late tonight after work and try to contribute a bit more. In the meantime I thought your quoted words above were especially apt.

This is going to be a movie I want to own and watch several times in my remaining years when the mood strikes (and no, it's not because it has nude, gorgeous women). The DVD I rented from Netflix was in at least 2.35 to 1 aspect ratio, i.e., it letter-boxed on my plasma and if anything looked three times as wide as it was tall. So I looked over on Amazon and it shows both an "unrated" and "rated" version in 1.33 to 1 (check the first and fourth link from my link above).

My questions:

Would Amazon be selling an inferior version in terms of aspect ratio or is their site often inaccurate in terms of this kind of info.

Is there a better site for buying hard to find DVDs or a site that at least does a good job of describing the different versions? Amazon is my go to for Christmas wish lists but I can change.

What is a rated and unrated version? I don't want anything cut out but I don't want "Apocalypse Now Redux" either (unless I can block out the redux [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img])

~ Rick

[/ QUOTE ]


Glad you liked it! It's one of those films I can watch again and again...it's very novel-like i that regard...I'm always finding something new.


I really don't know anything about an "unrated" version, but if there's a rated version, I'd go for the other one! It won't be a director's cut, just what the film maker intended...I would bet the rated version has some of the graphic sex cut out.

Are you sure your aspect ratio problem wasn't with the settings on your TV?? I don't know what else that could be...one thing you might want to look for is the specs on the DVD - make sure it says 16:9 wide screen on it...if your image is squeezing it, then its definitely your television settings.

[Dominic]

hey, sometimes a movie just doesn't grab you, you know? It was pure magic for me, and never boring.

As for the sex scenes I really don't think they're supposed to turn you on - it's all part of the story-telling. Sex is an integral part of Lucia's life (hence the title), and sex causes almost all of the plot points in the movie, good and bad. I think that's one of the director's main themes: life is sex and sex is life.

While I was never all that enamored of the actor who plays Lorenzo, I think he was fine. It's a tough role. The women are fantastic, in my book. Especially Paz Vega. You're the first person who I've run into who didn't like her in this!

Glad you watched it, sorry you didn't like it...

[Pontuan21]

[ QUOTE ]
As for the sex scenes I really don't think they're supposed to turn you on

[/ QUOTE ]

I failed then. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] Elena Anaya

[Rick Nebiolo]

[ QUOTE ]
Also, I just could not get into the Lorenzo character. Horrible casting if you ask me.

[/ QUOTE ]
I wondered about this too. If I was a woman I don't think I'd find him all that sexy. But part of it may have been (if memory serves) he left his socks on and then took off his pants for the striptease scene. A basic rule of male sexiness (I would think) is to always take your sox off before your pants.


[ QUOTE ]
I'm trying to figure out if I would have liked the film better with different actors. I doubt it though.

[/ QUOTE ]
How about Jude Law (assuming he could speek Spanish)? He already has the Eurotrash look down pat.


[ QUOTE ]
Can we talk about the sex scenes for a second? These were some of the least erotic sex scenes I've ever had to sit through. The camera cut away just when things started to get juicy.

[/ QUOTE ]
I think the juicy "money shot" is reserved for real porn; always thought/assumed women hated that anyway. Maybe I'm wrong.


[ QUOTE ]
I couldn't stand Lorenzo and was hoping we might get something more exciting from that Carlos character. But I can't recall getting anything from him either.

[/ QUOTE ]
With all that talk about Carlos's size you would think he would have taken his pants off.


Just kidding Katy (mostly/sort of) [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

~ Rick