Lucía y el sexo (2001)

Director:

Julio Medem

Writer:

Julio Medem (writer)

Release Date:

24 August 2001 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Various lives converge on an isolated island, all connected by an author whose novel has become inextricably entwined with his own life.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Writer | Waitress | Novel | Underwater Sex

Awards:

9 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Paz Vega	...	Lucía
Tristán Ulloa	...	Lorenzo
Najwa Nimri	...	Elena
Daniel Freire	...	Carlos / Antonio
Elena Anaya	...	Belén
Silvia Llanos	...	Luna
Diana Suárez	...	Madre de Belén
Javier Cámara	...	Pepe
Juan Fernández	...	Jefe
Charo Zapardiel	...	Comadrona
María Álvarez	...	Enfermera (as María Alvarez)
Javier Coromina	...	Camarero Chiringuito (as Javier Corominas)
Arsenio León	...	Futbolista
Alesandra Alvarez	...	Luna 1 año
David Bulnes	...	Actor porno

Also Known As:

Sex and Lucia (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Lucia et le sexe (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content and language. (edited version)

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

Spain | France

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Italy:VM14 (re-rating) (2005) | Italy:VM18 (original rating) | USA:TV-MA (TV rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | UK:18 | USA:R (cut) | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Formentera, Balearic Islands, Spain

Company:

Alicia Produce

Trivia:

The movie is divided in two chapters: "Lucía" and "El Sexo" which gives its title to the movie.

Quotes:

Lucía: Which do you prefer? Wild sex with a stranger? Or sex with someone you know, someone you love, but also wild?
Lorenzo: What?
Lucía: You have to choose. Wild sex with a stranger, or wild sex with someone who's crazy about you, and who you love? Go ahead. Be frank.
Lorenzo: With you.
Lucía: Finally...

Movie Connections:

References Tom Jones (1963)

Soundtrack:

Mr. Hyde Visita el Tunel del Amor

It's not about sex. . .

. . .and it's not really even about Lucia! Lucia y el Sexo is actually about Lorenzo, Lucia's novelist boyfriend, and the consequences of a sexual encounter he had in the past which has led to a catastrophic event in his life. It's a languid and tempestuous poem of a movie, told in a non-linear way by the extremely ambitious Julio Medem.

As a novelist myself, I deeply related to Lorenzo's blurring of reality and imagination. Your characters MUST be real to you in order for them to live and breathe on the page, and so much of your own life goes into the characters that the lines of course do blur. And then there's the subconscious, which cannot differentiate between fantasy and reality. Medem understands all this very well, and his depiction of it is remarkable.

The title, I believe, refers to Lorenzo's past (The Sex and what happened as a result of it), and his present (Lucia). Paz Vega and Tristan Ulloa are stunning as the two leads - Vega with her fierce intelligence and Ulloa with his tormented vulnerability. I would have given this film a 10 if it hadn't been for the fact that the most pivotal scene is shot in an incredibly vague manner, which left me confused as to what had actually happened until much later in the movie, but it is a brilliant and heartfelt experience nonetheless.