Law of Desire: Difference between revisions
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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Pablo Quintero |
Pablo Quintero is a successful gay film and theatrical director whose latest work, ''The Paradigms of the Mussel'', has just been released. At the opening night party, he discusses with his much younger lover, Juan, their summer plans. Pablo would stay in Madrid working on a new project, while Juan would leave for his hometown in the south to work in a bar and stay with his family. Pablo is in love with Juan, but he realizes that his love is not returned with the intensity he desires. |
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Pablo is very close to his transsexual sister Tina, a struggling actress. Tina has recently been abandoned by her lesbian lover, a model, who left her in charge of her ten year old daughter Ada. Frustrated in her relationship with men, Tina dedicates her time to Ada, being a loving surrogate mother. The precocious Ada does not miss her cold mother. She is happier living with Tina and spending time with Pablo, with whom she has a childish crush on. Tina, Ada and Pablo form an unusual family knit. Pablo looks after them both. For his next project, Pablo writes an adaptation of [[Jean Cocteau|Cocteau]]’s monologue-play ''[[The Human Voice]]'', to be performed by his sister. |
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Parallel to this is told the dramatic story of Pablo's sister Tina ([[Carmen Maura]]), a struggling actress who once was a boy and [[sex change|changed sex]] to build a sexual relationship with her father, who eventually left her for another woman. Because of this, she hates men so much it is rumoured that she might be a lesbian. She also must care for her niece Ada, whose mother (played by the famed Spanish transsexual actress and singer, [[Bibí Andersen]]) is not at home, and whom she loves like a daughter. |
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At the play's opening night, Pablo meets Antonio, a young man who has been obsessed with the director since he watched the gay theme film ''The Paradigms of the Mussel''. At the end of the evening they go home together and have sex. For Antonio this is his first homosexual experience, while Pablo considers it just a [[lust]]y episode. Pablo is still in love with his long-time lover Juan. Antonio misunderstands Pablo’s intentions and takes their encounter as a relationship. He soon reveals his [[possessive]] behavior as a lover. |
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The [[Thriller (genre)|thrills]] begin when a jealous Antonio tries to rape Juan and ends up throwing him off a cliff. After confronting Antonio about the death, a devastated Pablo has an accident that causes a loss of [[memory]]. The police suspect both Tina and Pablo of the murder – only a sympathetic doctor keeps them at bay. Tina decides to reveal to Pablo why she is a [[transsexual]], and announces she has found a lover, who Pablo finds out too late is actually Antonio. Antonio holds Tina hostage in order to demand an hour alone with Pablo. A stunned and limping Pablo agrees, and experiences some tender moments with Antonio before Antonio suddenly kills himself. |
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Antonio comes across a love letter addressed to Pablo, signed by Juan, but which in fact was written by Pablo to himself. The letter makes Antonio falls into a jealous rage, but he has to return to his native Andalusia where he lives with his domineering German mother. As he promised, Pablo sends Antonio a letter signed Laura P, the name of a character inspired but his sister in a script he is writing. In his letter, Pablo tells Antonio that he loves Juan and intends to join him. However, Antonio, who is jealous and wants to get rid of Juan, gets there first. Antonio wants to possess everything that belong to Pablo and tries to have sex with Juan. When Juan rebukes his advances, Antonio throws him off a cliff. After killing his rival, Antonio quickly heads up for his hometown. Pablo becomes a suspect of the crime because the police has found in Juan’s fist a piece of clothing that matches a distinctive shirt owned by Pablo. In fact, Antonio was wearing and exact replica when he killed Juan. |
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Pablo drives down to see his dead lover, he realizes that Antonio is responsible for the murder and confronts him about it. They have an argument and Pablo drives off pursued by the police. Blinded by tears, he crashes his car injuring his head. He awakes in a hospital suffering from amnesia. Antonio’s mother shows the police the letters her son received signed Laura P. The mysterious Laura P becomes the prime suspect, but the police cannot find her. Antonio returns to Madrid and, in order to get closer to Pablo who is still in the hospital, seduces Tina who believes his love to be genuine. |
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To help her brother recovering his memory, Tina tells him about their past. Born as a boy, in her adolescence she began an affair with their father. She runaway with him and had a sex change operation to please him, but he left her for another woman. When her incestuous relationship ended, Tina returned to Madrid, coinciding with the death of their mother, and got reunited with Pablo. Tina has been grateful with Pablo who did not judge her. Tina also tells him that she has found a lover. Pablo gradually begins to recover; he realizes that Tina’s new love is Antonio and that she is in danger. He goes with the police to Tina’s apartment where she is being held hostage by Antonio. Antonio threatens a bloodbath unless he can have an hour alone with Pablo. Pablo agrees and joins him. They make love and Antonio then commits suicide. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 20:14, 7 November 2016
| Law of Desire | |
|---|---|
 Original Spanish poster | |
| Directed by | Pedro Almodóvar |
| Written by | Pedro Almodóvar |
| Produced by | Agustín Almodóvar Miguel Ángel Pérez Campos |
| Starring | Antonio Banderas Carmen Maura Eusebio Poncela Miguel Molina Rossy de Palma Victoria Abril |
| Cinematography | Ángel Luis Fernández |
| Edited by | José Salcedo |
| Music by | Bernardo Bonezzi |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 Min |
| Language | Spanish |
Law of Desire or La ley del deseo (in original Spanish) is a 1987 film by Pedro Almodóvar. Considered to be Almodóvar's first explicitly gay film, it focuses on a complex love triangle between three men. It follows the more serious tone set by his film Matador, exploring the ways in which society represses an individual's true desires with tragic consequences.
Plot
Pablo Quintero is a successful gay film and theatrical director whose latest work, The Paradigms of the Mussel, has just been released. At the opening night party, he discusses with his much younger lover, Juan, their summer plans. Pablo would stay in Madrid working on a new project, while Juan would leave for his hometown in the south to work in a bar and stay with his family. Pablo is in love with Juan, but he realizes that his love is not returned with the intensity he desires.
Pablo is very close to his transsexual sister Tina, a struggling actress. Tina has recently been abandoned by her lesbian lover, a model, who left her in charge of her ten year old daughter Ada. Frustrated in her relationship with men, Tina dedicates her time to Ada, being a loving surrogate mother. The precocious Ada does not miss her cold mother. She is happier living with Tina and spending time with Pablo, with whom she has a childish crush on. Tina, Ada and Pablo form an unusual family knit. Pablo looks after them both. For his next project, Pablo writes an adaptation of Cocteau’s monologue-play The Human Voice, to be performed by his sister.
At the play's opening night, Pablo meets Antonio, a young man who has been obsessed with the director since he watched the gay theme film The Paradigms of the Mussel. At the end of the evening they go home together and have sex. For Antonio this is his first homosexual experience, while Pablo considers it just a lusty episode. Pablo is still in love with his long-time lover Juan. Antonio misunderstands Pablo’s intentions and takes their encounter as a relationship. He soon reveals his possessive behavior as a lover.
Antonio comes across a love letter addressed to Pablo, signed by Juan, but which in fact was written by Pablo to himself. The letter makes Antonio falls into a jealous rage, but he has to return to his native Andalusia where he lives with his domineering German mother. As he promised, Pablo sends Antonio a letter signed Laura P, the name of a character inspired but his sister in a script he is writing. In his letter, Pablo tells Antonio that he loves Juan and intends to join him. However, Antonio, who is jealous and wants to get rid of Juan, gets there first. Antonio wants to possess everything that belong to Pablo and tries to have sex with Juan. When Juan rebukes his advances, Antonio throws him off a cliff. After killing his rival, Antonio quickly heads up for his hometown. Pablo becomes a suspect of the crime because the police has found in Juan’s fist a piece of clothing that matches a distinctive shirt owned by Pablo. In fact, Antonio was wearing and exact replica when he killed Juan.
Pablo drives down to see his dead lover, he realizes that Antonio is responsible for the murder and confronts him about it. They have an argument and Pablo drives off pursued by the police. Blinded by tears, he crashes his car injuring his head. He awakes in a hospital suffering from amnesia. Antonio’s mother shows the police the letters her son received signed Laura P. The mysterious Laura P becomes the prime suspect, but the police cannot find her. Antonio returns to Madrid and, in order to get closer to Pablo who is still in the hospital, seduces Tina who believes his love to be genuine.
To help her brother recovering his memory, Tina tells him about their past. Born as a boy, in her adolescence she began an affair with their father. She runaway with him and had a sex change operation to please him, but he left her for another woman. When her incestuous relationship ended, Tina returned to Madrid, coinciding with the death of their mother, and got reunited with Pablo. Tina has been grateful with Pablo who did not judge her. Tina also tells him that she has found a lover. Pablo gradually begins to recover; he realizes that Tina’s new love is Antonio and that she is in danger. He goes with the police to Tina’s apartment where she is being held hostage by Antonio. Antonio threatens a bloodbath unless he can have an hour alone with Pablo. Pablo agrees and joins him. They make love and Antonio then commits suicide.
See also
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- Use dmy dates from February 2012
- 1987 films
- Films directed by Pedro Almodóvar
- Films shot in Madrid
- 1980s LGBT-related films
- 1980s comedy-drama films
- 1980s romantic comedy films
- Spanish-language films
- Spanish films
- Transgender in film
- Spain in fiction
- Madrid in fiction
- Andalusia in fiction
- Spanish LGBT-related films