Sex & Lucia (2001/R-rated Edition/Palm
Pictures DVD)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras:
C+ Film: B
PLEASE NOTE: Palm has issued this release in
its uncut version on Blu-ray, which you can read more about at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10436/Home+(2009/Kino+Lorber+Blu-ray)
Lucia
(Paz Vega) is a waitress who receives a phone call leading her to believe that
her boyfriend Lorenzo (Tristan Ulloa) has been killed in an accident.
Distraught by this she flees to an island in the Mediterranean
to escape her sorrow. The relationship between Lucia and Lorenzo is a
beautiful one, lasting six or so years, they are madly in love with one
another, but their love has been fading ever since Lorenzo embarked on his
second novel. Sex & Lucia
is the follow up film from director Julio Medem, who made some splashes back in
1998 with his film The Lovers from the
North Pole (1998), which was a film that worked backwards from the
beginning and end only to meet in the middle.
It is
within this second novel that Lorenzo begins writing himself into the story,
which as viewers we become aware of. The story is quite jaded and
fragmented as we weave in and out of the past and the present. Not only
that, but we are also exposed to the constant blending of the films fantasy and
reality. We are absorbed by the characters and they bookmark us to the
plot as we are twisted around for two hours. The film does involve a
decent portion of sex, which in the R-rated version has been toned down to some
extent. In some ways this film works on the same level of David Lynch’s
erotic puzzler Mulholland Drive
(2001).
Palm
Pictures has released Sex and Lucia
onto DVD in two versions, R-rated and an unrated version as well, which
included more of the sexual nudity and explicit scenes. The film was shot
digitally using a Sony HDW-F900 camera (also used on Star Wars Episode II) and then transferred with a HDCAM (1080p)
(24p), with a 2.35:1 letterbox aspect ratio. For the DVD the scope ratio
has been anamorphically enhanced. The choice for digital for this film
was all wrong though especially considering the amount of outdoor light and the
sun scenes on the island. These scenes alone prove why film still works
better. The overall detail quality is not bad, but the color is what
suffers the most especially during certain over-exposed outdoor scenes.
Although this is one of the better digitally shot films in terms of its overall
presentation, it did not serve a film like this at it should have.
The 5.1
Dolby Digital Spanish audio track works well for this film presenting the film
with adequate ambience and directional sounds that give the viewer the enclosed
feel. The DVD also contains a ‘making of’ feature, which includes some
cast and crew interviews. The presentation of this film alone on DVD is
quite nice with some bonus material that allow for it to take advantage over
any VHS copy.
Sex and
Lucia offers a rather fresh look or even an updated look from the male/female
recollection of sex. Also take for example The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), the love triangle nature
of the relationship presented in that film, as well as the way in which ‘sex’
was the mediator between the couples. Without this act, some
relationships become actually set up in those terms.
-
Nate Goss
