Nadia Shami September 21, 2010

Film Analysis: Sex and Lucia

“One of the most inventive and erotic films you are likely to see…”- www.bbc.co.uk/films

Julio Medem’s Sex and Lucia is a story about a story that involves love triangle, redemption, new beginnings and a writer’s life. It’s a film wherein each character has his or her fair share since each one is connected with the other.

Sex and Lucia starts in the middle of the story where Lucia, a young waitress, was devastated of her lover’s death Lorenzo—a writer. She fled their home, going to the island where they first met. The first half of the film goes back and forth between the past and present, showing different scenes of Lucia and Lorenzo’s passionate and erotic first steps together.

Years later, Lorenzo discovered that he has a daughter with his former girlfriend Nimrie, who was better known as Elena. This was shown at the earlier part of the story when Elena and Lorenzo were making love under the moonlight at the beach—when suddenly the shot changes from the moon to the pregnancy test kit. In fact this was as well, a symbol of their (Lorenzo and Elena) once sexual encounter under the moon. Having decided to meet his daughter, Luna (named after the Moon), speaks to her at the park. There he met Luna’s nanny Belen, with whom he soon had a sexual relationship. As their affair progresses, he had a chance to visit his daughter at home who was later savaged by a dog.

There was also a scene in a bar where Lorenzo was talking to Pepe, perhaps a friend from the Publication. Pepe asked Lorenzo about the story his writing and even suggested to include sex as a part of the story—which in my understanding became the reason why he had to accept Lucia in his home. It was all for the sake of his story. There was also a shot of the television showing a dog savaging a stuffed dummy. It makes him shudder since that was what exactly happened to her daughter.

The film was full of symbols. The sun represents Lucia. Whenever the Sun shows up, Lucia was happy—it was her moment. It’s in the Sun where she gets her strength. Meanwhile, the moon represents Lorenzo and Luna. Whenever he makes his story, or there is a sexual encounter. it was mostly at night where the moon is shining brightly. Or whenever the next scene is about his daughter.

For Lucia the island was a symbol of Lorenzo, for there she finds happiness and maybe a convergence for everyone. Moreover, the lighthouse and the hole on that island, were a phallic symbols. The lighthouse was the guiding light to everyone. Meanwhile, each time the hole is being shown, another part of the story is shown.

The film was full of fateful moments and chance encounters--characters knowing one another ended up on the same island. In fact, it was Lorenzo who made the whole story. The film began with him and ended up with him. He only used Lucia to begin and end his story.