Director: Pablo Berger, Sp/Den, 93min
Stars: Javier Cámara, Candela Peña, Juan Diego, Malena Alterio, Fernando Tejero
On general release
Appropriately, perhaps, this lightweight comedy, set in the world of 1970s amateur pornography, reaches its climax early and then goes rather limp for the final 30 minutes or so.
The writer/director Berger starts out with what could be an enjoyable premise. The encyclopaedia salesman Alfredo Lopez (Cámara, above) finds that earning a living is an uphill struggle in the economic uncertainty of Franco’s Spain. Which is why, when his boss at the publishing company invites Alfredo and his wife, Carmen, to participate in their latest business venture, they agree. The idea is that couples will film their sexual exploits to be sold to Scandinavia, purely for scientific interest of course.
It’s all very innocent and inoffensive for a film about porn, but it’s nicely made — Berger has a keen eye for the period details of the 1970s — and there are plenty of laughs.
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The film tails off when Alfredo decides that he will make an art house feature film inspired by the work of Ingmar Bergman. Joyfully uncoordinated sex scenes give way to stark black-and- white shots of people wearing cloaks. And the film turns into one long cinematic in-joke.
WI