Torremolinos 73 Movie Review:


Synopsis:

S alesman Alfredo is encouraged to try his hand at directing cheap super-8 porn films, starring his wife – despite his secret ambition to become "the Spanish Ingmar Bergman".

Remember this, Torremolinos 73 is based on a true story.

Torremolinos 73 tells the story of door-to-door encyclopaedia salesman Alfredo, struggling to make ends meet. Part works encyclopaedias companies taking over the market are squeezing the company he works for. They decide the only way to survive is to start making “encyclopaedia of reproduction” accompanied by audiovisual material. Yes, porno!

And where does Alfredo figure into all this? He’s to make bad super 8 porno with his wife. Now naturally this would scare most people off, but Alfredo and his wife are down on their luck and they rationalise this away as a great way to save money to start a family.

And so much hilarity ensues, as they wrestle with such a bizarre situation. This so easily could have been seedy, but instead is handled with a light, humorous, affectionate light. The scene where Alfredo shows his boss their first movie is a gem, going from nervousness and embarrassment, to his boss’s growing approval.

We then follow them as Alfredo grows bored with porno’s restriction and he desires to be a serious filmmaker as he gets better at making the movies, taking Ingmar Bergman as his touchstone, the Bergman angle is used for much hilarity throughout. Especially when Alfredo eventually gets to make a proper movie that at best can be described as a rip off of Bergman. And is definitely one for the closet film student at its spoof of the Bergman oeuvre. But naturally it isn’t as straightforward as that, and the twist is one that could doom, but at the same time save their relationship.

Torremolinos 73 is a Spanish movie that has won lots of awards, and deservedly so. It shows Spain in a light I’ve never seen before and it’s recreation of it’s seventies setting is so good I was almost convinced it was really a seventies movie.

What gives Torremolinos 73 a heart is the couple’s quest for a child and the humanity it gives their characters. Take for example Alfredo’s disbelief that it’s him that is impotent that is the problem, and the pain his wife goes through, such as when she is told she will have to wait four years to adopt a baby.

The resolution to their problem is a joy, being a mixture of sadness and happiness. To reveal how the movie ends would ruin it, but as I said, remember this, it’s based on a true story.

Gary Gray

Hilariously funny, sweetly romantic and fiercely intelligent, this Spanish comedy plays with some complex ideas as it tells a wonderfully simple story. It also marks Berger as a filmmaker to reckon with! And it confirms Camara (Talk to Her) as an actor to savour.

It's 1973, and Spain is just ridding itself of Franco. The world is changing, especially for door-to-door encyclopaedia salesman Alfredo (Camara) and his wife Carmen (Peña). With no one interested in buying the books, his job is on the line; while the hopefulness in the air has sparked Carmen's desire for a baby. And when Alfredo's boss (Diego) offers him a new job, which he has no choice but to take, perhaps it'll meet both of their needs. The company is helping a Danish firm compile the World Audiovisual Encyclopaedia of Reproduction, and they need Spanish contributions ... so Alfredo and Carmen must film themselves having sex! Soon Alfredo develops Bergmanesque cinematic ambitions, Carmen becomes a adult movie star in Copenhagen, and the boss starts talking about feature films!

This is a wry, warm film taking a fond look at both the 1970s and a challenged marriage. Filmed impeccably in shades of brown, it looks and feels gloriously garish--wacky hairstyles, cheesy clothing, jarring music. And there are references-a-go-go, but never the obvious ones. (Anyone else remember Terence Hill and Bud Spencer? Blink and you'll miss this kind of hysterical aside here.) Meanwhile, Berger pokes fun at 1970s porn with a riotously funny educational movie, followed by the visiting Scandinavians speaking bad Spanish and imparting their seemingly innate filmmaking wisdom. And then there's Alfredo and Carmen themselves, beautifully played by Camara and Peña with real reticence to their new jobs and a feisty mutual lust--we feel both their mutual love and the increasing obstacles they must surmount, as it were. The tug of war between Alfredo finding his inner filmmaking skills and Carmen struggling with childlessness is both moving and extremely involving. And the supporting cast is also superb, especially the terrific Mikkelsen as Carmen's costar in the big production, which is so Bergmanesque it hurts--funny, tragic, happy, sweet, telling, cautionary. Brilliant.

Rich Cline

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