Stars: Paz Vega, Tristan Ulloa, Najwa Nimri, Elena Anaya, Daniel Freire, Silvia Llanos

Director: Julio Medem

Summary: A Madrid waitress, Lucia (Paz Vega), is mourning the loss of her boyfriend Lorenzo (Tristan Ulloa), who passed away mysteriously. Unable to come to terms with his death, she takes a trip to a Mediterranean island that he told her about long ago, thinking about the novels Lorenzo wrote and the way that his work moved her. In flashbacks Lucia remembers her passionate relationship with him, and tries to reconcile some unresolved feelings. She is also debating whether his death was a suicide or simply an accident. Shifting time frames and memories combine with Lorenzo's stories and blur the activity of the present. Meanwhile, Lucia befriends some people at the beach--Carlos (Daniel Freyre), Elena (Najwa Nimri), and Belen (Elena Anaya)--with whom she finds common ground and another layer of connection to Lorenzo. SEX AND LUCIA, with its sultry eroticism, testing and questioning of fate and the unpredictability of life, and its brightly bleached beach scenes, is a winding, nostalgic journey. Directed by Julio Medem (LOVERS OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE), SEX AND LUCIA was received with acclaim at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

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The opening of Sex and Luciatransforms the viewer into a hypnotic state of relaxation with shots of the deep blue sea. However, director Julio Medem has other ideas and immediately thereafter thrusts us into a modern-day restaurant where we first meet Lucia who is trying to prevent her boyfriend Lorenzo from committing suicide. Having returned home to find his infamous "note", she runs away to the island Lorenzo spoke of. Here the narrative becomes disjointed, jumping from past, to present, to imagination through Lorenzo's novel.

The premise of the film revolves around relationships and how the past comes back to haunt us all. Although the title indicates that there may be a level of pornography, the film does gauge itself on sex in the middle of the film--to little effect. As with great horror movies, it's what the imagination leads us to think is there and not what we see that titillates our senses and over indulgence leads to boredom after a while (perhaps this was Medem's intention?). However, despite this minor flaw Medem's imagery, as always, is stunning, from the relationship between the moon and the sun, to the sea and the beach, to the blatantly phallic lighthouse with a port hole, every image adds to the plot and once the narrative ties up the loose end you'll feel emotionally revitalised.

On the DVD:Sex and Luciaholds a disappointing array of special features. Roger Clarke's film notes are informative, but like the filmographies is pure text. It also includes the option to play without English subtitles. While the features are disappointing, the soundtrack and visual images offer nothing but unadulterated bliss; you can almost feel the sea wash over you. --Nikki Disney

Aspect Ratio:	Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	Spanish
Region:	Region 0
Special Features:	Star And Director Filmographies, Scene Selection, Optional Subtitles, Original Theatrical Trailer, Roger Clarke Film Notes, Julio Medem Trailer Reel
Subtitles:	English
Year:	2001
Release Date:	October 28, 2002
Runtime:	123 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	T V D 3387
Keywords:	Sex, Subtitled, General, Wide, Screen, Lucia, Y, Drama, Sexo
Genre:	Drama