La Ley del deseo (1987) - film review

Pablo Quintero is a gay filmmaker whose erotic films become something of an obsession for Antonio Benítez.  Pablo is considering ending an affair with his boyfriend Juan, who has left Madrid to return to his home village in southern Spain, when the hitherto religiously straight Antonio offers him a one-night stand.  Meanwhile, Pablo’s sister Tina, an actress, is outraged when she learns that the director has used her real-life experiences as the basis of his next film. She isn’t the only one to have the knives out for Pablo. When Antonio learns that his new-found lover still has feelings for Juan, he becomes consumed with jealousy...

Although Pedro Almodóvar had, by the mid 1980s, built something of a cult following for himself in his native Spain with his subversive, highly stylised brand of cinema, it wasn’t until his seventh film, Law of Desire, that he began to win a wide international audience.  Whilst restrained compared with the excesses of some of Almodóvar’s earlier work, this was a pretty daring film for its time – thanks to its direct and honest portrayal of gay relationships and stylishly homoerotic love scenes.

By today’s standards, Almodóvar’s portrayal of gay men, lesbians and transsexuals at this time looks somewhat dated, with the result that many of the characters in his films come across as rather shallow caricatures.   Law of Desire is not immune from this, but the robust performances - particularly those of Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas – maintain a sense of realism and an emotional intensity which prevent the film from slipping into unintended self-parody.  It’s by no means Almodóvar’s best work, but the seductively composed mix of romantic intrigue, suspense thriller and cheeky black comedy works surprisingly well, making this one of his most entertaining and unpredictable films.

© James Travers 2008

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