Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • 3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)
    • 3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)
    • 3625. Ode To Joy (2019)
    • 3624. One Chance (2013)
    • 3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)
    • 3622. The Polka King (2017)
    • 3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)
    • 3620. Friendzone (2021)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1680. Sex And Lucia (2001)

    1680. Sex And Lucia (2001)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on March 4, 2017 120-129 mins, 2001, 6 - 7.9, Drama, Mar 17, Movies Of 2017, Review, Romance, Spain
    7.3 Artistically impressive
    • Acting 7.3
    • Directing 7.4
    • Story 7.1
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Paz Vega, Tristán Ulloa, Elena Anaya

    Director: Julio Medem

    Running Time: 129 mins


    Sex And Lucia (Lucía y el sexo) is a Spanish film about the lives of various men and women which begin to intersect, all surrounding the troubles of an author and an isolated island.

    The great thing about this film is that it’s a very well-directed, artistically interesting and often extremely immersive watch. With its score, abstract structure and camerawork, there’s a lot about Sex And Lucia that’s really impressive to look at. Its story isn’t all that bad either, and features some interesting and unpredictable twists and turns, but the film suffers as a whole due to its very slow pacing, often overly abstract style and explicit nudity.

    But before all that, let’s talk about what makes this such a technically intriguing film. From the start, director Julio Medem does a fantastic job to set the mood of an uneasy atmosphere by giving the film a darker, almost sepia tone, setting us up for the bumpy emotional ride ahead. That feeling is compounded further as the film unfolds by the use of deliberately unsteady camerawork.

    Don’t worry, it’s not shaky cam, but you’ll definitely feel queasy from time to time looking at this film, simply because there’s numerous sequences (normally when in the middle of high drama) that it seems as if the camera is hanging off its tripod, flailing around while still recording. It’s a slightly unpleasant effect for the stomach, but as far as getting across the power of certain moments goes, it’s very impressive to see.

    The score is also part of the artistic nature of the film. Although not always quite as outlandish as the cinematography and direction, the music here plays a very important role in reinforcing and often even heightening the sense of confusion and loss amidst the characters’ various stories. Sometimes rapid and intense, at others much more cathartic, the music in this movie is very memorable, and another great element that makes it often very powerful.

    However, as impressive as some things are about Sex And Lucia, I still have quite a few issues that made it somewhat of a disappointing watch for me, the biggest of which comes in the form of its non-chronological structure.

    Non-linear stories have often made for some of my favourite films, and especially when it comes to romantic dramas, they’re usually very effective. However, the problem I found with Sex And Lucia is that it becomes all too fluid with its portrayal of different time periods. It’s entirely deliberate of course, and meant to accentuate the characters’ confusion, but I felt too confused myself watching the film float between time periods to the point where it’s completely indistinguishable, as a result feeling none of the emotional effect intended.

    Then we have to talk about the nudity. It’s fair to say that this film is pretty graphic when it comes to sex scenes, as well as just general nudity. Although the arty style of the film means it’s not quite as brutal and frank as the likes of Y Tu Mamá También, it’s very strong, and to the point that it becomes a little unpleasant to watch. Again, it’s an entirely deliberate choice by Medem, but for me, it was a little too much to keep invested in the story as well, which was very disappointing to see.

    Overall, Sex And Lucia is a good, interesting film, with some brilliantly impressive directing, cinematography and scoring that make it an often very immersive and even powerful watch. However, its loose structure goes a little too far, making for a somewhat confusing watch, whilst the very graphic nature of its nudity occasionally takes over the entire film, leaving little room to stay invested in the story, so that’s why I’m giving this a 7.3.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. Since January 1st, 2013, he has watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    7.1

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    5.3
    January 17, 2022

    3620. Friendzone (2021)

    7.1
    January 10, 2022

    3612. The Lost Daughter (2021)

    8.0
    January 7, 2022

    3609. Licorice Pizza (2021)

    7.2
    January 7, 2022

    3608. Lamb (2021)

    7.4
    December 30, 2021

    3599. The King’s Man (2021)

    6.3
    December 29, 2021

    3598. The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

    8.4
    December 28, 2021

    3597. West Side Story (2021)

    6.3
    December 27, 2021

    3596. Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

    Recommended Movies
    8.0
    Review
    April 14, 20210

    3316. Another Round (2020)

    8.3
    Review
    April 26, 20150

    940. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… And Spring (봄 여름 가을 겨울 그리고 봄) (2003)

    8.4
    Review
    December 14, 20210

    3579. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

    8.1
    Review
    May 16, 20130

    154. The Great Gatsby (2013)

    8.9
    Review
    July 21, 20170

    1831. Dunkirk (2017)

    Popular Posts
    7.1
    January 24, 2022

    3627. I Believe In Miracles (2015)

    5.8
    January 23, 2022

    3626. The Man With One Red Shoe (1985)

    7.9
    January 22, 2022

    3625. Ode To Joy (2019)

    7.4
    January 21, 2022

    3624. One Chance (2013)

    6.3
    January 20, 2022

    3623. Falling For Figaro (2020)

    7.5
    January 19, 2022

    3622. The Polka King (2017)

    6.0
    January 18, 2022

    3621. Spies In Disguise (2019)

    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.