"Law of Desire" was not a film mainstream American audiences flocked to see when it was first released.
There were just too many aspects its plot and themes which seemed shocking, disturbing and deviant. But fortunately, this exciting and intelligent view of passion, romance and, of course, desire, is not forgotten, as the Dartmouth Film Society brings it back to Spaulding Auditorium this evening.
"Law of Desire" is only 100 minutes long, but its plot twists and complications rush across the screen at a 100 miles per hour.
The story follows the life of film director Pablo Quintero, who is having difficulty finding passion in his relationship with his lover, Juan. This opens the door for obsessed fan Antonio Benitez (Antonio Banderas) who begins an affair with Quintero, becoming the director's possessive, demanding and somewhat psychotic lover.
As if the complications of a gay love triangle are not enough to chew on, Pedro Almodovar creates Tina (played brilliantly by the talented Carmen Maura), who is Pablo's sister ... or is that brother?
Tina was a man, but is now a woman. The sex change took place only after Tina fathered a child, Ada. Tina loves Ada, like a mother. Ada, in turn, has a little-girl crush on her gay uncle, Pablo.
The plot thickens beyond belief, becoming completely convoluted, yet always outrageously fun. It gets so complex, that at times we forget the plot revolves primarily around gay men and their obsessions.
The complete chaos creates an opening which helps to give Almodovar's work universal appeal among audiences of all gender and sexual orientation.
Almodovar is best known in the United States for some of his more recent films which have achieved greater commercial success, including "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down," "Kika" and "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown."
It was these films which created an interest in the director who trained himself to use a super-eight film camera after leaving the country for the big city of Madrid, becoming a hippie, and working for a telephone company.
Almodovar slowly developed a reputation for his work in underground magazines, comic books and, eventually, film. He has been compared to John Waters, Billy Wilder and Woody Allen for his various film styles and techniques.
But Almodovar is in many ways an original artist. The term "Almodovarian" has been coined to summarize his own particular style. "Law of Desire" is a cleanly cut film, with colors as vivid as the over-the-top characters he creates.
Despite the perversity and problems, Almodovar's film is a carefully crafted work, glorifying the beauty of the nude male figure, the intensity and desire shared between those who truly love each other and the passion which drives us all to, as Almodovar puts it, "possess the very soul of another."
"Law of Desire" will be shown in Spaulding Auditorium tonight at 6:45 and 9:15. Admission is $6 for the general public, $5 for Dartmouth ID holders.
