Intense and heart-rending melodrama about Desideria (Ana Belén) , a married Spanish woman on holidays in Istanbul (Turkey) along with her husband (Ramón Madaula) and two couples (Blanca Apilanez-Francis Lorenzo and Silvia Munt-Helio Pedregal) where she meets Yaman (Georges Corraface) , a Turkish tourist guide, and she falls for him . Then , Desirea leaves his middle-class world and goes back Istanbul to live an extreme passion . But Yaman results to be a womanizer and a dangerous person , as she is submitted , mistreated and even prostituted for him .
This interesting as well as intimate story is a passionate recounting , dealing with the troublesome relationship between a shy woman and a tough man , including strong sex scenes . The film is acceptable thanks to excellent acting by Ana Belén who provides a peculiar role as a woman carried by an real passion , as well as an evocative and imaginative cinematography . Here stands out the top-notch interpretations and efficient erotic scenes , Aranda's usual marks . In addition , the well-paced belly-dances scenes and his skills in shooting the Turkish final celebration . Vicente Aranda also writes the script a based on a novel by Antonio Gala , and being filmed in his customary formal and stylistic scholarship , without leaving a trace the thought-provoking issues , in terms of dramatic and narrative excitement . Antonio Gala is a notorious screenwriter as TV as cinema , as he has written a great number of screenplays and novels mostly adapted , such as : ¨Paisaje Con Figuras¨, ¨Si Las Piedras hablasen¨, ¨Digan lo que digan¨, ¨Esa Mujer¨, ¨Pepa Doncel¨, and ¨Los Buenos Dias Perdidos¨ .
. Good acting by duo protagonist such as Ana Belén as a married woman who has a quite boring and hidden sex-life , and Georges Corraface as a stud who makes her discover new physical experiences . Corraface as the ordinary character as a ¨Macho man¨ gives verisimilitude enough . Support cast is pretty good , such as : Ramón Madaula as the bitter , resentful as well as deceived husband , Loles León , Jordi Dauder , Lara Mañá , Blanca Apilanez and Silvia Munt , among others .
. Spotless pictorial and glimmer cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine in ColorScope , Pedro Almodovar's usual , he carries out a photography with juicy atmosphere , being filmed in Istanbul , showing spectacularly the scenario of this gorgeous city . Alcaine is deemed to be one of the best Spanish cameramen with a long and prestigious artistic career and Almodovar's ordinary cameraman , he has photographed successes such as ¨Volver¨ , ¨The bad education¨ , ¨The skin I live in¨ , and ¨Women on the verge of a nervous breakdown¨ . He was first cinematographer to use fluorescent tube as "key" lightning in the 1970s . Jose Luis Alcaine thought a theory that the Frank Borzage movie A farewell to the arms (1932) after a story by Ernest Hemingway, was the main and total inspiration for Pablo Picasso in the creation of the "Guernica", one of the most important painting of the 20th century . Furthermore , a willingness almost perfect of the elements of each shot , every sequence , every space . Sensitive and rousing musical score by José Nieto , including an enjoyable leitmotif plenty of oriental and Turkish sounds .
The motion picture was allrightly produced by the great producers Eduardo Campoy and Andrés Vicente Gómez ; being professionally directed in his particular style by veteran filmmaker Vicente Aranda . After his interesting and intriguing dyptic formed by ¨Amantes¨ (91) and ¨Intruso¨ (93) , Aranda directed this one , returning to his ordinary retelling based on contemporary Spanish novels , this time in a version based on the homonymous and bestselling novel written by Antonio Gala . He directed a series of award-winning movies firmly establishing him as one of the best Spanish filmmakers . His usual film editor is own wife , Teresa Font . Vicente is an expert on literary adaptations , he has been working from the 60s with ¨Fata Morgana¨ , Las Crueles¨ , ¨Novia Ensangrentada¨ , ¨Clara es el precio¨ , among others . His greatest successes were intense dramas with plenty of sex such as ¨Amantes¨, ¨Pasion Turca¨ , ¨Si Dicen Que Cai¨ , ¨Intruso¨ , ¨Tiempo de Silencio¨ , ¨Carmen¨ , along with a delinquency tale : ¨El Lute¨I and II starred by Imanol Arias , his fetish actor and specially the historical story titled ¨Juana La Loca¨.
