Sex and Lucia (2001)
Directed by Julio Medem
Written by Julio Medem
Starring Paz Vega, Tristan Ulloa
Release Date August 24th, 2001
Published December 12th, 2002
In this day and age, it takes a great deal of courage to make a film purely for adults. You must assuage the elements of marketability that make a film appeal to the typical demographic of teenagers and commit to making a film of allegedly limited box office appeal. You're not going to get much support from Hollywood studios for such a film. That is why most films that appeal solely to adults are made in Europe where the adult moviegoer is still respected.
Sex & Lucia, for instance, comes from Spain, a hotbed for adult, intellectual appealing films from directors like Pedro Almodovar and the masterful Luis Bunuel. While Julio Medem's Sex & Lucia isn't as good as the recent works of Almodovar or the genuine classics of Bunuel, it's appeal to the intelligence of the adult moviegoer is commendable and the film as a whole is not bad.
The luscious Paz Vega stars as Lucia who, in the film's opening scene, is searching for her boyfriend. In a strange phone conversation, he sounds suicidal. After returning home from work Lucia receives a phone call from the police that leads her to believe her boyfriend Lorenzo (Tristan Ulloa) is dead. Naturally, there is far more to this story.
Flashback to years earlier and Lorenzo is in the ocean in the moonlight with a beautiful naked woman and the two agree not to exchange names but just enjoy each other's company. Years later as Lorenzo sits in a café with a friend he is approached by a woman he has never met and the stranger tells him about having read his novel and that she is in love with him. The stranger is Lucia and this was how they first met. The two go back to his place to make love for days.
Soon, Lorenzo finds out that the woman he met on the beach years ago is now living in the same city as him. A coincidence that tests credibility but is well handled. She is in town and Lorenzo learns she has a small child who doesn't have a father and who may be his daughter. Lorenzo begins to follow the mother and daughter at a distance and even begins a relationship with the daughter's babysitter Belan (Elena Anaya) in order to get closer to his daughter.
All the while he is still with Lucia and writing a book about his daughter, her mother Elena (Najwa Nimri), and Belan. Lucia is reading the manuscript but doesn't suspect that the book is based in reality. Then a tragedy strikes the daughter and sends Lorenzo on his suicidal bent. Whether he commits suicide or not, you will have to see the film to find out.
The film culminates on the island where Lorenzo had his tryst with Elena. Lucia goes there to find the place Lorenzo described in the book to see if she can find the answers to why Lorenzo may have committed suicide. From there the film relies on coincidences that test credibility and though they are explained by the film's unique structure, they tend to either be clever or annoying, depending on your perspective.
From my perspective, I found the film's many coincidences a little too convenient and the many flashbacks that may or may not have happened to be overbearing. The film teases the audience one too many times, for my taste. Still, the direction is artful and the performances are strong enough that I am willing to look past a lot of the flaws of Sex and Lucia. Not all of the flaws, but some.
Actress Paz Vega is a real knockout, it helps that she spends most of the film naked, but she is a very good actress on top of that. The scene where she and Lorenzo meet for the first time shows a star power and charisma that is off the charts. She reminded me a little of Audrey Tautou in Amelie. Vega has a self-possession on screen that is incredibly appealing, it makes her performance feel confident and natural at once.
On the other hand, I didn't care for Tristan Ulloa as Lorenzo. I just never liked him. From beginning to end, his character never seems to have life or vitality. He is wooden and uninteresting and is one of the reasons I have a hard time recommending Sex and Lucia. Given how much of this story turns on the idea that Lorenzo is this magnetic and adventurous lover, I expected a lot more from the male lead in Sex and Lucia.
Director Julio Medem is very talented, though he needs to be a little more careful with his camera as many of his outdoor shots are extremely washed out. I dig that he was trying something unique and different and I liked his attempt to break from formula filmmaking but he also, far too often, relies on outlandish coincidence for his story to work and that tested my patience a great deal during Sex and Lucia.
That said, the female characters of Sex and Lucia, especially Paz Vega's lead, are engaging and alive. They are sexy, smart, and exciting. Paz Vega is so good in Sex and Lucia that I can't help but give the film a modest recommendation, even with my many, many reservations.
