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| Plot Synopsis Gerardo Vera directs this romantic drama about self-destructive love and sexual confusion. Alberto (Jordi Molla) is a respected aeronautical engineer married to artist Elena (Ariadna Gil) and has a son. Yet Alberto soon finds himself seduced by the wiles of hunky orthopedic surgeon Diego (Javier Bardem). Alberto admits to being unfaithful to his wife - after she confronts him with incriminating evidence - but he does not reveal that he cheated on her with a man. Seeking revenge, Elena goes out and sleeps with her co-worker Rafa (Javier Albala). Later, though Elena tries to welcome her errant husband back, he continues to shuttle between her and his gay lover. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. - Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide Reviews THEMOVIECHICKS.COM A love triangle with a different twist: Alberto (Jordi Moll�) is married to Elena (Ariadna Gil), they make a gorgeous couple and have a loving son - but they're not having sex. That's because Alberto is having an affair with a handsome doctor, Diego (Javier Bardem). Alberto has managed to keep his secret from both his partners, but Elena finds out he's cheating (she thinks it's with a woman) and threatens to leave until Alberto swears it was a one time deal and it won't happen again. The problem is that Alberto can't stay away from Diego. He loves them both, but won't be happy with Elena and can't admit to anyone in public (especially himself) that he's really gay. Diego's friend, Eva (Cecilia Roth), meets Alberto and realizes that he is withholding himself - she tries to convince Diego that he would be much happier if he moved on, but as miserable as Diego is with Alberto, he can't stand the thought of not having Alberto in his life. Elena is equally desperate, she even tries turning to another man, her assistant Rafael (Gil Albala), for comfort but she truly loves Alberto. How do you resolve a love triangle this complicated, when all the players are so desperate and none of them will be happy with a decision? I'm not going to tell, except to say it's a COP OUT! From the striking montage during the opening credits, this movie promises to be a unique vision - and it delivers. Yes, it's still about beautiful people looking for love, but it has an honesty and starkness to it that might be hard to come by in a "Hollywood" movie. It also has sex scenes that are steamy and graphic, but not vulgar. The characters are believable and sympathetic (you want all three of them to find happiness, even when you know they're in an impossible situation) - brought to life by terrific performances. You know what drives each of them as they struggle to come to grips with their own realities. Just try and watch this without being affected by it. TIME OUT FILM GUIDE 13 How different this could have been if the spirit of the opening titles (big music and a Bond riff, but with a male torso doing the twist) had been maintained. Instead we get a cod psychological drama about a perfect couple going off the rails because he's having an affair - with a man (Bardem, as a young surgeon). A lesser addition to Spanish cinema's recent forays into gay affairs, the film sports a reasonable absence of sheets in the bed scenes, counterbalanced by lack in almost all other departments. There's no sense of place or the play of time, and with the psychological focus on this stressed triangle passing from one to another faster than a plate of dodgy tapas, would-be character 'complexity' comes over simply as structural confusion. Husband Alberto's fluctuations of denial and excess are woefully played. |
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| SECOND SKIN 2000 - Spain - 106 min. - Feature - Color AKA - Segunda Piel (Original Foreign title) Director - Gerardo Vera |
| Genre / Type - Drama, Thriller, Melodrama, Erotic Thriller Flags - Adult Language, Adult Situations, Sexual Situations Keywords - extramarital-affair, revenge, homosexual, husband-and-wife, marriage-problems Themes - Extramarital Affairs, Love Triangles, Romantic, Betrayal, Crumbling Marriages Tones - Atmospheric, Downbeat, Sentimental, Sexual, Passionate, Somber Sound by - Dolby Digital Produced by - Via Digital Released by - Lolafilms DVD Street Date - Apr 15, 2003 Languages - Spanish Subtitles - English Screen Format - Widescreen Studio - New Yorker Video Cast Javier Bardem -- Diego Jordi Moll� -- Alberto Ariadna Gil -- Elena Cecilia Roth -- Eva Javier Albala -- Rafa Mercedes Sampietro -- Elena's Mother |
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