La ley del deseo (1987)

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writers:

Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay)
Pedro Almodóvar (story)

Release Date:

5 March 1987 (Argentina)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A film makers sexual disorientation jepordizes his latest project.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Memory | Gay | Letter | Actress

Awards:

9 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Eusebio Poncela	...	Pablo Quintero
Carmen Maura	...	Tina Quintero
Antonio Banderas	...	Antonio Benítez
Miguel Molina	...	Juan Bermúdez
Fernando Guillén	...	Inspector de policía
Manuela Velasco	...	Ada, niña
Nacho Martínez	...	Doctor Martín
Bibiana Fernández	...	Ada - madre (as Bibí Andersen)
Helga Liné	...	Madre de Antonio
Germán Cobos	...	El Cura
Fernando Guillén Cuervo	...	Policía, chico
Marta Fernández Muro	...	Una Groupi
Lupe Barrado	...	Enfermera
Alfonso Vallejo	...	Sargento
Maruchi León	...	Hermana de Juan

Also Known As:

Law of Desire (USA)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:NC-17 | Iceland:16 | Italy:VM18 | Brazil:16 | Portugal:M/18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:18 (f)

Filming Locations:

Conil, Cádiz, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

El Deseo S.A.

Trivia:

In the scene where Tina (Carmen Maura) washes dishes in Pablo's (Eusebio Poncela) kitchen, she wears an apron that has the logo for "¿Que He Hecho Yo Para Merecer Esto!!" The logo is the same one as the one used for the Spanish posters for that film.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hongos (1999)

Soundtrack:

Tango

Excellent movie

One of director Almodovars early films--and one of his best. A gay writer is basically stalked by a psychopath. The films manages to weave together comedy, drama and tragedy and make them all work! Also it manages to work in fairly explicit gay sex scenes and male nudity without it being exploitative--it just fits the storyline and characters. The movie takes a serious misstep about halfway through, throwing in a murder, but manages to regain its footing. The acting is pretty good--not great. Antonio Banderas is so-so as the psycho. I give him credit for engaging in gay sex scenes with no hesitation (I'd love to know what he thinks about this movie now!). The best thing about the movie is the direction--even when the story bogs down in spots, there's always something to look at on screen. Almodovar knows how to make films look beautiful and he, somehow, manages to have the settings fit the tone of the scene. How many directors can you say that about. An excellent film--well worth seeing. But if you're offended by explicit gay subject matter, stay away.